Rick Perry Super PACs Raise Issues of Coordination, Collusion

[highplainsdem]

Source: Huffington Post

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There are currently seven Super PACs -- independent political committees that can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions -- supporting Perry's bid. The most recently formed is Make Us Great Again, which is, perhaps, the most emblematic of the veil of independence worn by these candidate-centric committees.

The committee was founded by former Perry chief of staff and longtime associate Mike Toomey. Toomey is so close to the Perry inner circle he even co-owns a private island in New Hampshire with Perry's campaign manager Dave Carney. Toomey was also listed in a Texas Tribune report on the "folks" behind Perry.

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Jobs for Vets Fund and Veterans for Rick Perry were started by former Perry legislative director Dan Shelley. Veterans for Rick Perry even made a revealing error on their initial statement of organization by checking a box stating that the committee supported one candidate and listing Rick Perry as that candidate. Super PACs are forbidden from explicitly supporting one candidate. An amended statement was filed to correct this error. Shelley has set a $1 million fundraising target for campaign efforts in the early primary states Iowa and South Carolina.

Another committee, Americans for Rick Perry, is run by California political consultant Bob Schuman, a former campaign consultant for former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), Perry's political mentor. Schuman’s consulting firm has also represented the pharmaceutical company Merck, which was represented in Texas by Toomey. Toomey’s lobbying for Merck became a scandal in Texas after Perry mandated that all schoolgirls receive a vaccination against HPV -- a vaccination that was made by Merck. The ensuing controversy led the state legislature to override the governor and block the mandate. Schuman's effort has so far been underwritten by a large contribution from Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, a major Perry donor who has used his political clout to gain support from Perry’s administration to bury nuclear waste in western Texas.

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Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/13/rick-perry-super-pacs-rai_n_925943.html

[jwirr]

1. We know he is an idiot. But idiots have won before. We need to stop him. nt

[cstanleytech]

3. Sure if he is the nomine but for now its probably a better plan if we want to take action to just

fan the flames of internal strife for them if we are going to do anything at all so they turn their knives on each other before, during and after the election.

[No Elephants]

7. +1 Great point. Let them attack each other. Saves money for the general, plus their words

may carry more weight with right leaners than ours do.

[jwirr]

10. I agree to let them fight. That does seem to work rather well with this

bunch of candidates.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. The US will rue the day it gets stuck with another village idiot from Texas.

[kentauros]

4. How about just leaving it at

"The US will rue the day it gets stuck with another village idiot."

It doesn't matter what state they're from, they're still idiots!

[JJW]

5. Moma Don't Raise Your Cowboys To Be So Stupid

Hasn't Texas done enough harm already?

Let Perry have his dream of succession and see Texas self destruct.

[tanyev]

6. Back off, bitches! Stephen Colbert saw him first.

[No Elephants]

8. Parry. With an "A." A, for America.

[No Elephants]

9. Corruption detected already? That was fast, even for Republicans.

[underpants]

11. Phil Gramm is his political mentor?

Yikes. Phil Gramm has both been right about nothing his entire public career and been damaging to his country the extent of which is coming to fruition now.