Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who’s leaving public office in two weeks, raised nearly $733,000 since starting a federal political action committee.
Documents filed Monday with the Federal Elections Commission show Palin, who pledged to keep her hand in politics even though she’s stepping down as governor, has donated $10,000 to federal candidates through SarahPAC, USA Today reported. Her political action committee was established in January.
Palin gave $5,000 each to Arizona Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who tapped her to be his running mate during the 2008 presidential election, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
SarahPAC ended June with nearly $457,000 cash on hand, USA Today reported.
Maybe Levi knows exactly what he’s talking about, eh?
Lets make this the Palin Constant: the ratio of money taken in -to- money spent on stated purpose. Should be close to equal of: the ratio of Palin’s interest in Herself -to- anyone else.
If it’s legal, it shouldn’t be anyone’s business but her own.
Looney–you are right. It should be illegal to say you are a PAC when in fact you raise money just for yourself.
Its called fraud I think, false inducement, false pretenses. Like the religious hucksters, I don’t think these laws are well enforced if at all.
Its assumed if you are stupid enough to donate to these PUBLIC frauds, you are too stupid to warrant protection.
Some rough poetic justice there.
#3 – Would you care to explain how this legally meets the definition of fraud?
OMG, her PAC hasn’t spent all the money it took in yet. Get the pitchforks!
Sorry. Didn’t mean to agree with Bobbo. I must reconsider my statement.
#6–looney==thanks. Now why don’t you explain what fraud is to MacGuy? Course, as a MacGuy, he’s into paying for what he doesn’t get. More into flash than substance.
Wow… You think she might be building a war chest to run for something? What a fracking surprise.
I think anything else pays more than being the governor of Alaska and then she’ll probably end up doing corporate spokesperson gigs instead of running for President.
She could make a lot of money right now cashing in her 15 minutes of fame.
Far more than being governor of Alaska.
OMG a PAC that didn’t spend itself out of existence! They should blow it on a lavish party and invite Eidard!
If I were her, with $500K in legal bills from the frivolous ethics campaign against her, and offers to rake in some cash, I’d do the same thing. There’s nothing erratic or unethical about that. People think she’s obligated to act like a Beltway careerist.
#4 Macguy
The Donations were for running for office. to any lay person not using it to run for office amounts to fraud.
Problem is that it is standard practice for all politicians to pocket their left over donations. It’s one of the many reasons the public doesn’t like politicians on either side and thinks of them all as scumbags.
#2 – If it’s legal it’s no one elses business?
Since when? Clinton’s blow job outside of his marriage was legal? But everyone (esp Republicans) certainly thought it was their business. Went to his ‘character’ they said. Same with all the other affairs out there (Rep and Dem). Same with money issues. Might not be illegal, but your character and judgment are always being questions as a national politician. Maybe it shouldn’t, maybe we DO dig too much into these people’s lives, but that’s how it is right now. I think that’s part of why she quit. But if she thinks that’s going to stop just because she’s not Gov. of Alaska anymore, sorry.
If you put yourself out in the public of your OWN FREE WILL and hold yourself up a “I’m more moral and better than person x”, you’ll going to have to have criticism. After her bullshit of “Obama palls around with terrorists” she proved she’s either not smart enough to be taken seriously or a dishonest person. Either way…let the games continue…
I think someone should start a blog about tech and general interest subjects, and devote numerous posts to the scandals of John Edwards.
Is she planning on using the money to split the Republican party?
#12 – Beat that drum. Clinton was about lying about his blowjob, not the act itself. Details, I know.
#15 Clinton was about lying about his blowjob, not the act itself. Details, I know.
Beat that drum. Clinton wouldn’t have lied about that blowjob if the Republicans hadn’t thought it was so important that they dragged him into court about it. Details, I know.
Confused. Does a PAC have to first spend the money before it can accept donations or can it collect the donations and then spend it?
Besides, the next election is over fifteen months away. They surely are building a war chest now so they can support candidates for the 2010 election.
>Clinton was about lying about his blowjob, not the act itself.
Given that the act happened while discussing military policy, the lies aren’t needed for impeachment.
This doesn’t tell me all that much. How quickly are PACs supposed to use the money? I wouldn’t be surprised if they took years to use that money. No real story here unless they give more details.
Good gurl. Your Republican roots are showing.
#14 Uncle Dave
In the end, Palin is selfish and will split the Republican party (and America along with it if she could – rich/poor, rural/urban, religious/non, etc).
A few Republicans see the danger, not just for their party, but beyond.
I think Sarah Palin is the biggest joke in politics recently, but she’s entitled to her dreams of public office and can raise money for it if there are fools^H^H^H^H^H people willing to donate. She doesn’t have to give any of it to anyone, as far as I know, she can just save it up. And lord knows it takes a lot of money to run for office.
As far as I’m concerned, let the Republicans give as much money as they want to her, it’ll mean that much less for the Republicans who seriously have a chance of getting elected.
Sarah who?
Didn’t there used to be a governor from one of the Northern States named Sarah Nalin or Pailen or something, who quit politics because it was too strenuous on her family?
Is this the same person or someone else and why should I care?
PAC contributions are tax deductible and thus that makes it my concern?
My take on the article. It is the print equivalent to static on TV and radio. At most it means nothing.
My momma had a word for people like Sarah Palin: Cheap. Like in cheap jewelery or a cheap suit. Flashy on the outside, but not really good quality inside. Everything she has said and done just proves the point: Wanting to sound smart and well read(when she is neither), dress like a tart (when she’s over the hill), wanting to be liked (but vindictive when crossed) and on and on. John McCain will forever be classed as a fool for putting her up for a job he should have known she was utterly unqualified for.
She may be incompetent but she can rake in the money from the sheep.
THAT is the biggest threat to look out for.
OK, let me do some math. $733k minus $10k minus $457k equals $266k. The PAC has been in existence just over 6 months and has spent $266,000 dollars in what? Office rent, phone lines, postage, lawyers? Most probably went to the for-profit fund raising firm hired by SaraPAC.
If you want to see who is really behind her, look at the fund raising firm and who else they have worked for. That will probably be informative.
#10 As this is a federal PAC, I do not believe any of the money may go to her legal fees. My reading (which may be wrong) is that the money collected can only go to campaigns of others and to pay the PAC’s administrative expenses. A separate entity would have to be set up to solicit money for her legal defense. And my understanding of this is that the state of Alaska is responsible for paying any legal defense of her, using lawyers already on the state payroll.
#27 if Alask were fronting her legal bills she would not have run up $500K in legal bills defending herself, would she?
Well maybe with her half a million in PAC money she and her husband can finally secede from Alaska and we don’t have to worry about her anymore.
#27, I was curious, too.
It seems she’s even willing to donate to Democrats. Interesting.
http://tinyurl.com/m36egc