Adult website operator among Rand Paul donors

[onehandle]

Source: Washington Post

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Republican Rand Paul's campaign for Senate in conservative Kentucky wouldn't say Friday whether it will return money from a donor who runs an adult website featuring photos of lingerie-clad and nude women. Federal Election Commission records show that Cyan Banister, who founded California-based Zivity.com with her husband, contributed $4,800 to Paul earlier this year.

Banister told The Associated Press in an e-mail Thursday that she sees Paul's limited government views as appealing, and said she likes his "strong values that resonate with mine." Zivity.com's photos show women posing in little - or nothing - and are described by the website as works of art.

Paul is relying on solid support from conservative voters in his hotly contested race against Democrat Jack Conway.

"A lot of Kentuckians would have a problem with a candidate accepting money from organizations that are tearing down the culture," said Martin Cothran, a policy analyst for The Family Foundation of Kentucky. "And we assume that the Paul campaign understands that."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/20/AR2010082003493.html

[activa8tr]

1. Thanks for posting. I am now, more than ever, convinced that he

is just a spoiled little brat and a narcissist with a high sex drive.

He doesn't care about anyone's freedoms but his own.

[robcon]

3. Huh? Adult web site owners can't contribute to anything or anybody???

I don't get it.

[TheEuclideanOne]

6. Hey, I hate Rand Paul as much as the next guy, but .......really?

Somebody who runs a site that features semi nude and dare I say it...... Nude women? I, for one, am a big fan of both Nude and Semi-Nude women. Heck, we are not even saying Rand Paul is, but now we are looking at one of his supports and some are drawing the conclusing that we should look down on him because of what his supporters are doing? Then again, I guess if he was selling Bonsa Kittens, I might have a worse opinion.

http://www.ding.net/bonsaikitten/index.html

With respect to looking at his supporters....Don't forget that this is Rand Paul here. Are there not enough examples of stupid and hypocrisy by Rand Paul himself? Is there even a need to attack his supporters? It is kind of like going against Sarah Palin's supporters to try to find some idiocy when she is clearly driving the Stupid Train.

[Ter]

21. Bonsai Kittens, wow

I remember they caused quite a stir around 2000 on the internet, until it was later proven to be a hoax.

[TheEuclideanOne]

24. Yeah, it was a hoax, but still love the concept. Funny how it got so many people riled up.

Too bad they took down the original site.

[MurrayDelph]

29. I don't care about the nude site donation

As far as the "spoiled brat," "narcissist" and "He doesn't care about anyone's freedoms but his own" allegations, we knew that when he said he was a Libertarian.

[ixion]

2. It's funny how people use owners of adult websites for an easy scandal

and by funny, I mean ridiculous.

[iamjoy]

5. Exactly

Who gives a crap? We're just looking for reasons to be outraged. Are candidates supposed to vet every donor to make sure they aren't involved in anything controversial?

I thought Rand Paul was an ass before this and I still think he's an ass. I'm more concerned about his views on the federal government's role in protecting the rights of all citizens than who donates to his campaign Of course, sometimes seeing who donates does give you an idea of whose pocket the candidate is in, but I don't see how those who peddle "dirty" pictures are any more obscene than those who pollute our environment. Those who "exploit" women to sell sex* are only slightly more distasteful than those who take advantage of workers to maximize profits for executives.


* In this case, I am talking about women who do this voluntarily for compensation, not those forced into it.

[AlbertCat]

10. I mean ridiculous.

B-b-b-but...they're "tearing down the culture"! There has NEVER been a place to see nude women before!!!!

[Anakin Skywalker]

4. Why Not? One Teabagger is the Same as Another.

There's a lot of teabagging in porn, so it's only natural. :)

[jimlup]

7. ROFL

:rofl:

[Loudmxr]

8. I'd pay to see an Aqua Budda in a Red Teddy. What?

[Hawaii Hiker]

9. This confuses me on 2 fronts

1. Why would Cyan Banister think Rand Paul is on her side....This isn't your fathers Republican party, social moderation is out, and all that remains are FAR right social conservatives who hate Hollywood, porn, and just about anything First Amendment related...

2. But on the other hand, w/Paul's limited govt. views (he's liberterian, no?) then they are supposed to be more tolerant than social conservatives...

And to the goof ball at the Family Foundation of KY, if he thinks porn is tearing down culture, what about the alcohol and tobacco industries..There are ALOT more injuries-illnesses-deaths related to booze & tobacco than porn....

[jberryhill]

14. Libertarians / Free Speech

[GodlessBiker]

11. It's not an attack on this donor. It's an attack on his supporters ...

who few themselves as voting for the "morally decent" candidate, with "morally decent" typically defined by some hypocritically pious bullshit standard based on some 2,000 year-old book.

[jberryhill]

12. OMG! The owner of a legal business made a contribution!

The horror.

[pjt7]

13. Washington Post link

What a shill of a paper.

[Alcibiades]

15. At least it would appear the site has high production values

And the content seems quite tame and "artsy." If this is shocking to these Republicans, I should send them the URLS of some sites they would really be offended at.

[Moosepoop]

27. They already have them.

;)

[4lbs]

16. Let's see if Rand Paul truly publicly sticks up for his supposed Libertarian values.

I'd say he won't.

If he had a spine and stuck up for his principles he claimed he would say:

"This person runs a legal, legitimate business. They aren't doing anything wrong. They simply donated to the candidate that they felt would most likely allow them to continue doing business without problems in the future. I accept their donation."

I don't think he'll do that though. He'll delay and pander to the right.

[Demeter]

17. "Tearing Down The Culture?"

Perpetuating it is more likely.

After all, it's the Fucking Retards on the Left (registered trademark) who are intent on tearing down the current American commercial exploitation culture...

[provis99]

18. how come people involved in the porn industry always support Republicans???

Has anyone else noticed it?

[southmost]

19. blatant narcissism and ignorance

most in the porn industry believe they will one day be rich

[totodeinhere]

23. That's not entirely true. Larry Flynt is a big contributer to Democrats.n/t

[Ter]

20. I've said it for years

A libertarian is a Republican who is horny. :)

[totodeinhere]

22. This is much adieu about nothing. There are plenty of reasons to oppose Paul, but this isn't one

of them.

[gristy]

25. Why is this news?

I just don't get it. Can you imagine having to investigate the background of every donor to your campaign? This is all just so pathetic.

[The Magistrate]

26. This Should Peel Some Votes Off Him, Sir, And It Should Be Hit Hard

Right or wrong by our standards is of no consequence here: the target audience is people who can be whipped up against a hotel chain because it allows 'adult' pay-per-view movies on the televisions in its rooms.

"Paul Hand In Glove With Porn Queen!" will have some effect....

[daleo]

28. Female nudes aren't culture?

Well, that knocks out a lot of paintings in art galleries and museums.

[boppers]

30. And zivity.com laughs itself to the bank.

$4,800 donation + a faux "scandal" = millions of dollars in free publicity.

http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2008/11/influential-women-web.html?page=0,2

---
Cyan Banister
What she does: Recognizing market potential in the primordial instinct to ogle (and be olged), Cyan Banister, co-founder of Zivity.com, turned the Hot-Or-Not phenomenon into a profit-making enterprise as well as an online community. For a subscription of $10 a month, members can vote on -- and connect with -- their favorite models, who submit their own photos and get 40% of the proceeds.
How she got there: A high school dropout, Banister joined the working world when she was just 16. "My school was learning on the job; being surrounded by peers." She has a managerial background, primarily in tech, working at email security provider IronPort Systems. She also worked as the CTO for the Women's Economic Agenda Project for a short stint, where she helped train women in prison or in other disadvantaged positions to develop job skills.
What you can learn from her: You don’t need formal training to launch a successful company. Banister designed her site and conceived of Zivity’s core business model without a traditional educational or business background. Rather than being deterred by how many men you're working with, Banister's advice is to forget your gender. "Take risks and don't focus on yourself too much. You need to stick your neck out there and just do it in order to be successful."
----

[truthisfreedom]

31. Oh for fuck's sake.