kausfiles.com
Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself. (September 16, 2010 7:40 PM)
Just a note--Pols Gotta Eat: Delaware GOP Senate primary victor Christine O'Donnell has been accused of "living on campaign donations--using them for rent and personal expenses." This might sound illegal but it's not necessarily. Sure the Federal Election Commission regulations go on and on about how a campaign can't use contributions to pay for the candidate's personal expenses--including food and rent. But the regs explicitly allow candidates to pay themselves a salary (as long as it doesn't exceed what they made "as earned income in the previous year"). Trust me, that's a provision I was eyeing eagerly when I ran for Senate, though I never had enough surplus money to pay myself anything. ... Given that candidates can pay themselves money and then use that money for personal expenses, I find it hard to get too worked up about O'Donnell's alleged transgression. ...
P.S.: Apparently the FEC woke up and realized that if you prevent candidates from paying themselves, and prevent friends from giving them money to live on, and prevent employers from giving them cushy no-show jobs, then only idle rich people could afford to be full-time candidates. ... The downside of the "salary" rule is that it opens the door for professional loser candidates who run year after year, milking their small flock of die-hard contributors. ... Hmmm. ...
P.P.S.: I would think the 'previous year income' limit on candidate salaries might be unconstitutional, given that it operates viciously against poor candidates--it means Mitt Romney-CEO types can help themselves to hundreds of thousands of dollars out of campaign contributions while a minimum- wage worker who runs for the very same office violates the law if he pays himself $18,000 a year. ... O'Donnell might have been on solid legal ground, then, even if she paid herself more than the $6,000 she allegedly earned as a marketing consultant last year. ...
P.P.P.S.: Is it just me or are the "Craziest Things Christine O'Donnell Has Ever Said" not really all that horrifying? I think my greatest-hits reel would be worse. ... 9:50 P.M.
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Comments
September 17, 2010 8:00 PM
From: Greg Marquez (Marquezgoyo@Gmail.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
You're right the "craziest things" aren't that crazy. Is there a "Get Your Man Pants On" T-shirt?
September 17, 2010 7:00 PM
From: Debbie E. (lawmom1@me.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Oh, there you go being reasonable.......
September 17, 2010 7:00 PM
From: Loren (lorendd@yahoo.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
I like you, Kaus.
September 17, 2010 7:00 PM
From: Roger Doger
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
So if I ran for office I would not be allowed to pay myself anything at all? I am retired and had zero earned income last year.
September 17, 2010 12:00 PM
From: Buford Gooch
Subject: Craziest things O'Donnel has said
Actually, in many parts of the country, these could be put together to make a very favorable ad for her Senate campaign. I don't know Delaware well enough to know if it could work there.
September 17, 2010 12:00 PM
From: DWAnderson (dwa@alumni.uchicago.edu)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Re PPPS. I agree.
Re PS. Who cares if professional candidates milk their friends for a salary. They hardly need a political campaign to do that,
September 17, 2010 11:00 AM
From: David (dmnieren@yahoo.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
How about the former Senator from Delaware's greatest hits? Maybe the HuffPo is still working on Biden's craziest statements--that would be an epic undertaking.
September 17, 2010 10:00 AM
From: Tennwriter (r@t.net)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Reasonable and fair-minded.
I'm a Conservative R (less R all the time...used to be a Conservative Republica...but I'm only an R now). And I've read Kausfiles from Insty a number of times, and I was always struck by how smart Kaus is.
Most people on the Intartubes might be about my speed, or a little faster or better educated, but Kaus was on the short list of 'way smarter than me and much more knowledgeable to boot'.
So, even tho' I'm a R, I would n't mind Kaus the Dem winning.
September 17, 2010 8:00 AM
From: richard mcenroe (slayerdaddy@yahoo.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
What has Christine O'Donnell said that's nuttier than "we have to spend our way out of debt" and "Obamacare will lower medical costs and let us keep our prescriptions and insurance plans"?
As to her views on masturbation, well, with what the Democratic Party has been doing to us since the inauguration of FDR, we could probably all use a rest...
September 17, 2010 6:00 AM
From: saveliberty
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Mickey, this one is pretty amazing:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/odonnell-in-2007-scientists-have-created-mice-with-human-brains.php
September 17, 2010 6:00 AM
From: Jeff the Baptist (jeff.the.baptist@gmail.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
"The downside of the "salary" rule is that it opens the door for professional loser candidates who run year after year, milking their small flock of die-hard contributors. ... Hmmm. ..."
Has anyone mentioned that this is O'Donnell's 3rd time running for Senate in 6 years? She hasn't gotten to Mike Protack status yet, but she's closing in...
September 17, 2010 6:00 AM
From: Susan
Subject: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
If Independent voters primary concern are the fiscal issues then these voter must be pissed off at Democrats for bringing up another of their social wedge issue designed to spastic themselves out.
The Democrat Party is looting, pillaging and plundering America and the only thing Democrats have interest is masterbation?
If I were an Independent voter I'd be angry that Democrats are dicking around my life with their one hand while dicking around the children and grandchildren with the other hand
September 17, 2010 5:00 AM
From: Conor (twprewitt@gmail.com)
Subject: re: Is it just me......
Mickey,
The list of the "craziest" things O'Donnell has ever said reflects how out of touch Huff Po is with huge numbers of the American people. Much of what she says is consistent with evangelical Christianity in some form or fashion, albeit a bit awkward in some cases.
But who can deny with a straight face that the AIDS "epidemic" is not an offshoot of the loosening of sexual mores in America? Is that crazier than the EPA considering C02, which we exhale with every breath and which supply energy to plants, is a "toxin" that needs regulation?
It would be interesting to put up a list of the craziest things supported by Huff Po and poll it next to O'Donnell's list.
September 17, 2010 5:00 AM
From: Justin (laden100@gmail.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Micky I agree that the salary provision based on a "last year's" salary is completely unfair due to the millionaire vs. poor person scenario you detail. However, unfairness does not mean it's unconstitutional! Could you please describe exactly WHY you think it's unconstitutional, instead of simply unfair?
Thank you.
September 16, 2010 10:00 PM
From: JasonM (jasonm@yahoo.com)
Subject: re: Psst! It might be legal for Christine O'Donnell to pay herself.
Is the blogging "worth" the extra time? That depends on the meaning of the word "worth." It is certainly worth reading. Is the question, is it profitable? Does it add to the discussion? It definitely adds to the discussion.
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