NYT: Can the Democrats Catch Up in the Super-PAC Game?

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/magazine/can-the-democrats-catch-up-in-the-super-pac-game.html?_r=1&partner=EXCITE&ei=5043

By ROBERT DRAPER
Published: July 5, 2012

One day in April, Paul Begala, a former Bill Clinton political strategist and CNN analyst, placed a phone call to a wealthy and left-leaning 41-year-old Houston lawyer named Steve Mostyn. Begala is himself a Texan, albeit one who gives off the jittery vibe of a Catskills comedian, and the two men have a few friends in common. But Mostyn, a frequent giver to Democratic causes, quickly intuited that this wasn’t a social call. Begala reminded Mostyn that he was now working as a consultant for Priorities USA Action, a so-called super PAC run by Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, former White House senior staff members, that was committed to Barack Obama’s re-election. He and Burton would be coming to Houston on Friday, April 13, Begala said. Could they arrange for a meeting?

“I’ll be in Fort Lauderdale that day on my boat,” Mostyn replied. “You’re welcome to join me there.”

The invitation was not thoroughly sincere, evidenced by the fact that Mostyn did not inform Begala where his boat would be docked. Nonetheless, at noon sharp on Friday the 13th, Begala (who is prone to seasickness) and Burton (who had taken a red-eye flight from San Francisco, where he spent the previous afternoon giving his pitch to wealthy progressives at the Telegraph Hill home of the Taco Bell heir Rob McKay), materialized at the correct Fort Lauderdale marina, each wearing jeans and bearing iPads.

For the uninitiated, “boat” is Texan for “yacht.” Burton and Begala climbed aboard the outsize Mostyn vessel, All or Nothing, and the attractive first mate handed them cans of Michelob Ultra. A four-hour conversation ensued. Mostyn and his wife, Amber (who is also an attorney), were congenial but blunt. They were not fans of super PACs — political action committees that can receive unlimited donations from individuals, corporations and unions, usually for the purpose of saturating the airwaves with attack ads — and were appalled by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, which made such entities possible. For that matter, the Mostyns weren’t entirely happy with Obama. The president had been far too accommodating to Republicans — “naïve,” as Amber Mostyn expressed it.

FULL 8 page story at link.

[DJ13]

1. Do we want them to?

Should we encourage our party to sell themselves to the highest bidders like the GOP?

[qazplm]

3. you can be pure, or you can win

it's really hard to do both.

[DJ13]

4. But if you "win" by being beholden to the same $ as the GOP

..... is there a difference outside of the letter after the name?

[Poll_Blind]

2. Now THAT was a hell of an interesting read. Thanks for posting it! nt

PB

[Poll_Blind]

5. Kick! Long and interesting, this is a good read. nt

PB

[BumRushDaShow]

6. The sad thing is

the only true "winners" are the wingnut-owned M$M who will cash in on hundreds of millions of PAC dollars.

[Poll_Blind]

7. Yeah, especially this election year it's kind of mind boggling to imagine just how...

...much money is flowing into the coffers of the M$M.

PB