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A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
(Update: It was incorrectly reported that Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., had issued a statement as part of an email soliciting campaign contributions that charged former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani with exploiting 9/ll. Although the Dodd campaign had issued the latter statement, it was not part of an email soliciting contributions. The article reflects these changes.)
What do former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, AARP, President George Bush and D.C. lobbyists have in common?
They’re all being used to help presidential hopefuls tap supporters for more contributions before the Federal Election Commission’s third-quarter window slams shut on Sunday. A popular fundraising strategy used to inspire online supporters as the quarter ends is the “Let’s-Put-an-End-to-this-Unspeakable- Travesty-by-Supporting-Me-Now” approach.
The formula for this strategy, which has been adapted from online activist groups, preys upon the supporters’ primal instincts by serving up incarnations of some of their worst fears. The email message usually begins with a shocking hook, then pulls the potential monetary supporter into a subsequent narrative, and ends with the obligatory request for a campaign contribution.
Democratic hopefuls Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Joe Biden of Delaware got the ball rolling earlier this week with their condemnation of Giuliani for exploiting the 9/11 attacks. The controversy stemmed from a fundraiser thrown by Giuliani supporter Abraham Sofaer, who asked for a suggested donation of $9.11. Sofaer’s invitation promotes the event as an “independent, non-denominational grass-roots campaign to raise $10,000 in small increments to show how many individuals, everyday Americans support ‘America’s Mayor.’”Giuliani’s staff took quick measures to distance the campaign from the themed house parties. “These are two volunteers who acted independently of and without the knowledge of the campaign,” said Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella. “Their decision to ask individuals for that amount was an unfortunate choice.”
Nonetheless, the Dodd campaign fired back with a statement: “Exploiting the September 11th attacks for fundraising purposes is absolutely unconscionable, shameless and sickening,” said Dodd spokeswoman Colleen Flannagan. “Mr. Giuliani was quick to express much vitriol for the independent ad created by MoveOn.org last week; we would hope he would express the same kind of outrage and indignation about this group that he is the beneficiary of. Furthermore, Mr. Giuliani should reject and/or return any money raised and ask that their activities on his behalf stop immediately.”
Joining Dodd, Biden echoed his colleague in denouncing the $9.11-theme fundraisers, only the Biden campaign upped the ante by asking people to fight back by contributing $20.08 to his campaign. The Biden campaign did acknowledge that a Giuliani spokesperson called the incident “unfortunate,” but took issue with the campaign’s reluctance to return the money. “Sadly, we’ve seen this too many times,” Biden’s campaign manager, Luis Navarro, said in an email. “Republicans will talk a good game, but they’re only going to stop these political stunts when they see there are consequences to their actions. When their tactics backfire, maybe they’ll stop this nonsense and get back to finding solutions all Americans can get behind.”
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign took a two-pronged approach this week in its fundraising efforts. At the beginning of the week, the Richardson campaign got the financial ball rolling, capitalizing on Ahmadinejad’s and Bush’s using rhetoric of fear in their speeches to the United Nations. “Ahmadinejad confirmed what we already knew: he is a demagogue and a despot,” Richardson wrote in an email. “Bush confirmed something else we already knew: he is a fear-monger, whose unwillingness to use diplomacy to confront our enemies has made America less safe
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