 President Barack Obama is greeted by former President Bill Clinton during a campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire, on Sunday, November 4. Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, are darting from swing state to swing state, trying to fire up enthusiasm among supporters and win over any last wavering voters before election day.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney poses with children during a campaign rally at the Hy-Vee Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday.  Romney arrives at Sunday's rally in Des Moines.  Obama arrives at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, November 3.  Romney supporters attend a rally in Englewood, Colorado, on Saturday.  Obama arrives at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport before an event in Mentor, Ohio, on Saturday.  President Barack Obama departs aboard Marine One for travel to campaign events in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia from the south lawn of the White House on Saturday.  Ann Romney offers pastries to journalists aboard GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign plane at Portsmouth International Airport in Newington, New Hampshire, on Saturday.  Supporters look on as Romney speaks during a campaign rally in Newington, New Hampshire, on Saturday.  President Barack Obama embraces Judith Kamalay after she introduced him during a campaign rally Friday, November 2, in Hilliard, Ohio.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney works aboard his campaign plane before takeoff Friday in Norfolk, Virginia.  Romney gets ready to step off his campaign bus during an event Thursday, November 1, in Doswell, Virginia.  Obama addresses a campaign rally Thursday at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  U.S. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets policemen who were part of his motorcade as he prepares to board his campaign plane in Roanoke, Virginia on Thursday.  Supporters wait to hear President Obama during a campaign rally at Austin Straubel International Airport on Thursday.  Mitt Romney holds a baby during a campaign event at Meadow Event Park on Thursday.  President Obama speaks during a campaign rally at Austin Straubel International Airport.  A Mitt Romney supporter holds an American flag during a campaign event at Meadow Event Park.  President Barack Obama greets and comforts victims of Hurricane Sandy at a shelter in Brigantine, New Jersey, on Wednesday, October 31.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney holds a campaign rally on Halloween at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, October 31.  President Barack Obama speaks about the federal government's response to Superstorm Sandy at the headquarters of the Red Cross in Washington on Tuesday, October 30.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accepts a food donation for storm victims at an event in Kettering, Ohio, on Tuesday.  Supporters listen as Romney speaks at an event to collect food and supply donations for storm victims in Kettering, Ohio, Tuesday.  Romney talks with advisers on his campaign bus while en route to a rally at Avon Lake High School on Monday, October 29, in Avon Lake, Ohio.  Obama makes a statement in the White House briefing room following a briefing on Hurricane Sandy on Monday in Washington. Obama returned early from a campaign trip to Florida and has canceled several other campaign events to monitor the storm.  Former President Bill Clinton speaks during a campaign rally with Vice President Joe Biden on Monday in Youngstown, Ohio. Obama had planned to attend the event but canceled to monitor Hurricane Sandy.  Obama steps off Air Force One on Monday upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.  People line up in the rain for a campaign rally with Clinton and Biden on Monday in Youngstown, Ohio.  Democratic supporters listen during a campaign rally Monday with Clinton and Biden.  Romney greets supporters during a campaign rally at Avon Lake High School on Monday in Avon Lake, Ohio. Romney canceled other campaign events planned for Monday and Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy.  A young girl looks on during a campaign rally for Romney at Avon Lake High School on Monday.  Romney speaks during a campaign rally at Seven Cities Sod on Monday in Davenport, Iowa.  Romney gets into his SUV after landing Monday in Vandalia, Ohio.  Romney holds a giant cinnamon roll on Monday en route to Dayton, Ohio.  A supporter of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wears a campaign sticker on his shoe during a campaign rally at the Celina Fieldhouse in Celina, Ohio, on Sunday, October 28.  Obama delivers remarks during a campaign rally at Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, New Hampshire on Saturday, October 27. With 10 days to go before the presidential election, Obama and his opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, are criss-crossing the country from one swing state to the next in an attempt to sway voters.  A young Romney supporter holds a homemade sign during a campaign rally at Ranger Jet Center on Saturday in Kissimmee, Florida.  Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Saturday.  Romney emerges from his SUV at Akron-Canton Regional Airport on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.  Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, hold a campaign rally at Canton Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio, on Friday, October 26.  Obama chats with firefighters after dropping off doughnuts for them at a fire station in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, October 25.  Romney, center, poses for a photo with workers at First Watch Cafe on Thursday.  Volunteers make phone calls seeking support for Romney at his Arlington Victory Center in Virginia.  Obama kisses a baby during a campaign rally at Byrd Park in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday.  Supporters take photos of Obama during a campaign rally at Ybor City Museum State Park in Tampa on Thursday.  Supporters look on as Romney speaks during a campaign rally at Jet Machine in Cincinnati.  Romney says goodbye to Ryan at Denver International airport on Wednesday, October 24.  Supporters cheer as Obama speaks during a campaign event at Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday.  The president speaks with residents during a lunch with a group of Obama for America volunteers at an unanounced stop at Antonella's Pizzeria in Davenport, Iowa, on Wednesday.  Romney holds a campaign rally at the Reno Event Center in Nevada on Wednesday.  Obama greets people at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, Wednesday.  Romney gestures to the crowd during a campaign event at the Reno Event Center in Reno, Nevada on Wednesday.  Romney talks with his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin aboard their campaign plane on Tuesday, October 23, en route to Denver. A day after the final presidential debate, Romney is campaigning in Nevada and Colorado.   Obama and Romney hug their wives on stage after finishing their third and final presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, on Monday, October 22.  Romney and his wife, Ann, try to relax backstage with members of their family before the start of Monday's debate.  Obama reads briefing material while meeting with advisers inside his cabin on Sunday, October 21, at Camp David, Maryland.  Republican candidate Mitt Romney plays with his grandson while having dinner on Sunday in Delray Beach, Florida.  Bartek Wawruch stands between cardboard cutouts of Obama and Romney at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, on Saturday, October 20, as the campus prepares for Monday's presidential debate.  Romney boards his campaign plane at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, October 19.   Romney speaks with campaign staff on board his campaign plane at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, on Thursday, October 18.  Obama speaks during a rally at Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Thursday.  Jack Bunn, 51, and Jane Cookson, 57, cast their votes at the Board of Elections early voting station in Wilson, North Carolina, on Thursday.  Barack Obama and Jon Stewart speak during a break in the live taping of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Thursday.  Supporters of Mitt Romney attend a campaign rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Wednesday, October 17.  Mitt Romney is seen backstage through a campaign flag as he waits to take the stage at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Wednesday.  Supporters of Obama listen to him speak during a rally at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, on Wednesday.  President Barack Obama arrives at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, for a campaign rally Wednesday.  A group of men watch the presidential debate on television screens at an electronics store in Miami on Tuesday, October 16.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney talks with aides aboard his campaign plane en route to Ronkonkoma, New York, on Tuesday.  A worker cleans a sign for the Commission on Presidential Debates before the second presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, on Tuesday.  Members of the production crew ready final preparations for the second presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney on Tuesday.  First lady Michelle Obama greets supporters during a campaign rally at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, on Monday, October 15.  Supporters of President Barack Obama cheer during the campaign rally at Ohio Wesleyan on Monday.  Obama jokes about a telephone with campaign volunteers Alexa Kissinger, left, and Suzanne Stern as he makes calls from a campaign office in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Sunday, October 14.  Dolls depicting Obama and Mitt Romney are on display at a gift shop at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland on Sunday.  Romney holds up a baby as he works the rope line after delivering remarks at a rally in Lebanon, Ohio, on Saturday, October 13.  A supporter holds an American flag in front of the Ohio logo on his shirt as he stands with a crowd at Shawnee State University to hear Romney speak on Saturday.  Mario Orosa, left, and Ron Cathey, right, chat with Obama during dinner at Smith Commons restaurant in Washington on Friday, October 12. Obama had dinner with contest winners who contributed to his re-election campaign.  Romney, right, and GOP vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan greet supporters as they arrive at a rally in Lancaster, Ohio, on Friday.  Students walk past a political mural near Centre College in downtown Danville, Kentucky, where Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan faced off Thursday, October 11.  Ryan greets his son Sam after the debate in Danville, Kentucky, on Thursday.  Romney, left, speaks with the Rev. Billy Graham during a visit to the Graham cabin in Montreat, North Carolina, on Thursday.  Obama greets supporters at a campaign rally at the University of Miami on Thursday.  Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talk with supporters at Buns Bakery and Restaurant in Delaware, Ohio, on Wednesday, October 10. Romney is campaigning in Ohio with less than a month to go before the general election.  Christie, left, and Romney walk up to the stage at Ariel Corporation in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on Wednesday.  Centre College students Ben Boone, left, a stand-in for U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, and Tommy Munoz, a stand-in for Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, wave during a rehearsal for the vice presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky, on Wednesday.  Members of the media watch as President Barack Obama arrives aboard Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, October 9, in Washington. The president was returning from a two-day campaign trip to California and Ohio.  Obama addresses supporters during a campaign event at The Ohio State University on Tuesday.  Two Obama supporters, one holding a Big Bird book and the other clutching a picture of the president, listen while he speaks at a rally at Ohio State on Tuesday.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney departs a Wendy's restaurant with his dinner order in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on Tuesday.  Supporters cheer as Romney delivers remarks on the James Koch Farm in Van Meter, Iowa, on Tuesday.  Allan Banojakedjian, left, and Jesus Romero fill out their voter registration forms at the Miami-Dade Elections Department on the final day of registration for the upcoming presidential election.  Rain doesn't keep Romney from campaigning in Newport News, Virginia, on Monday, October 8.  Obama holds a campaign event Monday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.  Obama takes the stage at a campaign concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 7. The president has been on a three-day trip to California and Ohio.  Air Force One leaves a shadow as it passes over the Forum on approach to Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday.  Obama leaves the White House on Sunday to board Air Force One.  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, greet workers at the Tin Fish restaurant following a rally Sunday in Port St. Lucie, Florida.  Romney casts a shadow on a banner as he speaks during a campaign event in Apopka, Florida, on Saturday, October 6.  A supporter holds a photograph of Romney in Apopka on Saturday.  Jon Bon Jovi performs at an Obama for America event at the House of Blues in Las Vegas on Saturday. It was the last day people in Nevada could register to vote in the upcoming presidential election.  Romney speaks during a campaign event in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Friday, October 5.  Romney supporters listen during Friday's campaign event in St. Petersburg.  Obama smiles as he speaks during a campaign rally in Fairfax, Virginia on Friday.  Obama is assisted with putting on a raincoat onstage during a campaign rally at Cleveland State University on Friday.  Romney speaks in Fishersville, Virginia, as Secret Service members keep guard on Thursday, October 4. A day after the first presidential debate in Denver, Romney headed to Virginia to continue campaigning.  Romney supporters bow their heads in prayer during Thursday's event at the Augusta Expoland in Fishersville, Viriginia.  Obama addresses the crowd at the University of Wisconsin in Madison on Thursday.  Romney greets police officers before boarding his campaign plane in Denver on Thursday.  Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Denver on Thursday. He accused his Republican challenger of dishonesty over tax policy and other issues brought up in Wednesday night's presidential debate.  Audience members cheer as Obama makes his way onto the stage at Sloan's Lake Park in Denver on Thursday.  Reporters watch the final minutes of the debate between Romney and Obama in Denver on Wednesday, October 3. The first of four debates for the 2012 election -- three presidential and one vice-presidential -- was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS.  A member of the U.S. Secret Service keeps watch from the top of a building as Obama takes part in a debate walk-through at the University of Denver on Wednesday.  A seat is assigned to first lady Michelle Obama prior to Wednesday's debate.  Obama stands at the podium as he speaks during the debate on Wednesday.  Michelle and Barack Obama, left, join Mitt Romney and his family at the conclusion of the first presidential debate.  University of Denver student Sam Garry sits at the moderator's desk before a presidential debate dress rehearsal at the University of Denver on Tuesday, October 2.  Volunteers sit in for on-air television reporters on Tuesday in preparation for the first presidential debate in the Ritchie Center at the University of Denver.  Romney greets a father and his daughter after having lunch Tuesday at a restaurant in Denver.  Obama stares at the Hoover Dam in Nevada during a visit Tuesday.  Romney boards his campaign plane in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Monday, October 1. The Republican candidate was heading to Denver for the first presidential debate on Wednesday.  Obama hugs Chasstiry Vazquez after she indroduced him at a campaign event at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 30.  Obama supporters cheer during Sunday's event in Las Vegas.  Romney leaves his campaign headquarters in Boston on Sunday.  A boy reaches out to shake hands with Obama on Sunday in Las Vegas. The president was in Nevada ahead of Wednesday's presidential debate in Denver.  Romney arrives at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belmont to attend Sunday services.  Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the Oval Office on Friday, September 28.  Romney speaks during a rally at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Pennsylvania on Friday.  Romney talks to journalists aboard his campaign plane about his phone call with Netanyahu on Friday.  Cadets listen to Romney speak at a campaign rally Friday at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  Romney addresses Friday's rally at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College.  Vice President Joe Biden hugs U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, as he arrives for a campaign event Friday in Boca Raton, Florida.  Romney speaks at a Veterans for Romney campaign event in Springfield, Virginia, on Thursday, September 27.  Obama supporters cheer at a campaign rally Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Veterans at the American Legion Post 176 pray before Romney speaks Thursday in Springfield.  People listen to Obama speak at the Farm Bureau Live arena in Virginia Beach on Thursday.  Obama delivers remarks Thursday in Virginia Beach.  Supporters cheer as Romney speaks at SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio, on Wednesday, September 26.  Romney speaks during a roundtable discussion on manufacturing at American Spring Wire in Bedford Heights, Ohio, on Wednesday.  Supporters wait to see Obama on Wednesday at Toledo Express Airport in Bowling Green, Ohio. Air For One aborted an initial landing attempt in Ohio due to weather conditions.  Obama addresses supporters at Bowling Green State University on Wednesday.  Romney delivers remarks during a campaign rally Wednesday at Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio.  Former President Bill Clinton introduces Obama during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Tuesday, September 25.  Supporters cheer during a Republican campaign rally Tuesday with Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio.  Ryan speaks Tuesday in Vandalia as Sen. Rand Paul, from left, Sen. Rob Portman and Romney listen.  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush hugs a waitress as they wait for Ryan's arrival during a campaign stop at a restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood on Saturday, September 22.  Supporters cheer as they listen to Romney speak during a Juntos Con Romney Rally at the Darwin Fuchs Pavilion on Wednesday, September 19, in Miami.  Romney shakes hands with supporters during the Juntos Con Romney Rally in Miami on Wednesday.  Obama and David Letterman speak during a break in the taping of the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday, September 18, at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.  A crew member opens the door to Air Force One after the jet arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday.  From left to right: Romney, his wife Ann, and son Tagg watch one of Tagg's sons play soccer in Belmont, Massachusetts, on Saturday, September 15.  Ryan arrives onstage to address the Family Research Council Action Values Voter Summit on Friday, September 14.  Supporters wait for Romney to speak at a campaign rally at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, on Friday, September 14.  Obama arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday, September 13. Obama returned to Washington after a two-day campaign trip with events in Nevada and Colorado.  Supporters cheer as Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday.  An Obama supporter attends a rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 12. Obama focused on economic policies during his two days of campaigning in Nevada and Colorado.  Former President Bill Clinton speaks in support of Obama during a campaign stop in Miami on Tuesday, September 11.  Obama is lifted up by Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant, during a visit to the restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Sunday, September 9. Obama was on a two-day bus tour across the state.  President Obama greets supporters during a campaign stop at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.  Mitt Romney walks through the garage area during a rain delay before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 8, in Richmond, Virginia.  Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, waves to the crowd before speaking at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, on Friday, September 7.  Supporters try to stay dry in between rain showers while waiting for President Obama to speak at the University of Iowa on Friday. It was Obama's first day of campaigning after accepting the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.  A girl listens to President Obama speak at the University of Iowa on Friday.  Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, President Obama and Biden's wife, Jill, wave after Friday's campaign event at the University of Iowa.                                                                                                                                                                      
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will spend the final hours of the campaign making a mad dash through battleground states on Monday in a late push to sway a closely divided electorate ahead of Tuesday's election. In a final 24 hours, Obama and Romney or their campaign surrogates, including their wives as well as the vice presidential candidates, are scheduled to make stops in Ohio, Iowa, Florida, Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin. The mad dash comes as national polls show the race locked in a virtual dead heat, or tied. A new CNN poll showed 49% support for Obama, and 49% for Romney. A Politico/George Washington University survey has it tied at 48%; an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll indicates Obama at 48% and Romney at 47%; and the latest ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll puts Obama at 49% and Romney at 48%. The polling numbers are slightly different in the battlegrounds, where Obama holds a small edge in more states than Romney. But most of those leads are well within the polls' sampling errors. In the early hours Monday morning, Obama wrapped up a campaign stop at a community college in Aurora, Colorado, where he addressed the death and devastation left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. "Unfortunately, the people of this town understand what it means to grieve better than most," Obama said, recalling the July mass shooting at a movie theater there that left 12 dead and 58 wounded. "Just as you have begun to heal as a community, we are going to help our friends on the East Coast heal. We are going to walk with them every step of the way. No matter how bad a storm is, we come back. No matter how tough times are, we will thrive." His voice raspy from weekend campaigning, Obama painted Tuesday's vote as a choice between policies that had moved the country out of the depths of recession and ones that got it into one in the first place. Obama was scheduled to arrive in Madison, Wisconsin, early Monday morning where he would hold a rally with rocker Bruce Springsteen in Madison. He was then scheduled to fly to Columbus, Ohio, where he would be joined by Springsteen and rapper Jay-Z. The president will round out his day with a final campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa, before heading to Chicago, where he'll spend Election Day. Romney's stops include Sanford, Florida; Lynchburg, Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; and a finish in Manchester, New Hampshire, where Kid Rock is set to perform, before making the short trip to Boston, where he'll spend Election Day. Ryan is scheduled to hit Nevada, Colorado, Iowa and Ohio before flying home to Wisconsin, while Vice President Joe Biden will campaign throughout Virginia. On the campaign surrogate front, former President Bill Clinton is expected to campaign on behalf of Obama in Pennsylvania where Romney made a stop Sunday and his running mate campaigned on Saturday. Most published polls show Pennsylvania leaning Democrat. But Romney adviser Kevin Madden told reporters on the campaign plane Sunday that Obama is "under-performing" in Pennsylvania, "and it's presented us an opportunity." "We have a really strong volunteer infrastructure that we think could make a difference," Madden said. "And that's why we're traveling there with two days to go, and we have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks concentrating on expanding the map." During a campaign stop in Philadelphia, Romney hammered Obama on the economy, saying the president cared more about a "liberal agenda than he did about repairing the economy." While the Obama campaign has discounted Romney's chances of reclaiming Pennsylvania, which hasn't gone for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988, it appeared to not be taking any chances and was dispatching Clinton to counter possible GOP gains there. CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Dan Lothian, Shawna Shepherd and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.   |
11/05/2012
Obama, Romney make a mad dash in a final bid for votes
Election's biggest corporate donor an enigma
| By Michael Beckel and Reity O'Brien, The Center for Public Integrity The biggest corporate contributor in the 2012 election so far doesn't appear to make anything — other than very large contributions to a conservative super PAC. Specialty Group Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., donated nearly $5.3 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11 to FreedomWorks for America, which is affiliated with former GOP House Majority Leader Dick Armey. FreedomWorks' super PAC has spent more than $19 million on political advertising, including $1.7 million on Oct. 29 opposing Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat running for Congress in Illinois against Tea Party favorite Joe Walsh, a first-term incumbent. The buy was more than four times greater than the group's previous largest single expenditure. Specialty was formed only a month ago. Its "principal office" is a private home in Knoxville. It has no website. And the only name associated with it is that of its registered agent, a lawyer whose phone number, listed in a legal directory, is disconnected. Specialty is the biggest and most mysterious corporate donor to super PACs, but it is not unique. A new analysis by the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics shows that companies have contributed roughly $75 million to super PACs in the 2012 election cycle. Super PACs, which were created in the wake of the controversial U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010, can accept donations of unlimited size from corporations, unions and individuals. They spend the funds mostly on negative advertising. The centers' analysis found that 85 percent of money from companies flowed to GOP-aligned groups, 11 percent went to Democratic groups and the remainder went to organizations not aligned with either party. First Read: Full coverage on the campaign trail Prior to Citizens United, corporate spending on candidate advertising was not allowed. The decision raised fears that massive donations from corporate treasuries would flood the election in 2012. In fact, the largest amounts have come from wealthy businessmen. However, about 11 percent of the $660 million raised by all super PACs through mid-October has come from company treasuries — mostly privately held businesses, sometimes organized as limited partnerships or limited liability companies. High-profile donors In mid-October, oil and gas giant Chevron donated $2.5 million to a super PAC close to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the Congressional Leadership Fund, which has aired a bevy of ads attacking Democratic House candidates. Oxbow Carbon, the energy company owned by billionaire William Koch, the lesser-known brother of conservative industrialists David and Charles Koch, and Contran Corp., the business of Republican super donor Harold Simmons of Texas, have both steered significant sums to the coffers of super PACs. Oxbow Carbon has donated $4.25 million to GOP super PACs, making it the No. 2 corporate donor to super PACs, while Contran, No. 3, has donated more than $3 million to Republican-aligned groups. Another top corporate donor is a retirement community in central Florida known as The Villages — a Republican stronghold where Paul Ryan held his first campaign rally the day after GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney named him as his running mate. Developer H. Gary Morse created The Villages more than 50 years ago, and this election cycle, more than a dozen companies connected to Morse and The Villages have collectively steered $1.6 million to GOP super PACs. That's in addition to the $450,000 that Morse and his wife, Renee, have donated from their personal funds. Notably, Morse is also the Florida co-chairman of the Romney campaign, and during the Republican National Convention, Morse's Cayman Island-flagged yacht, named "Cracker Bay," was the site of a soiree for some of Romney's top donors and fundraisers. Other high-profile corporate donors include:
Only a few other Fortune 500 companies have joined Chevron, which ranks third on the elite list behind only Exxon Mobil and Walmart, in making contributions to super PACs, and none has given as much as the energy giant. Caesar's Entertainment Corp., for instance, ranked by Fortune at No. 288, has given $150,000 to Majority PAC, a group that is spending to help Democrats retain the majority in the U.S. Senate. "Fortune 500 companies are the least likely to be the ones who will be out in front giving publicly," said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California-Irvine. "They want to have influence over elections and elected officials, but they don't want to alienate customers." By category, companies in the finance, insurance and real estate sector donated more than $15 million, "general business sector" firms gave about $14 million and energy sector companies contributed more than $11 million, according to the analysis. Unions, by contrast, have donated about $60 million to super PACs, from their treasuries or political action committees. The top union donors include the National Education Association ($9 million), the United Auto Workers ($8.6 million) and the AFL-CIO ($6.4 million). All of these groups have spent heavily on Democratic candidates. Money 'hiding in plain sight' "I strongly suspect that most of the corporate money is hiding in plain sight in trade associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce," said Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor at the Stetson University College of Law. For its part, the Chamber — which collects dues from companies such as Aetna, Chevron, Dow Chemical and Microsoft — has reported spending more than $35 million on political ads, which have overwhelmingly favored Republican politicians. Facts about Specialty Group Inc. are scant. Records filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office show it registered on Sept. 26, listing 61-year-old attorney William S. Rose, Jr., as its agent. Rose's $634,000 home — about a 30-minute drive from downtown Knoxville — is listed as its "principal office." Yet the company's money has made a huge impact. After the cash infusion from Specialty, FreedomWorks produced numerous advertisements, including one that blasts Duckworth as a crony of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison following a corruption scandal. Duckworth is a double amputee and Iraq War veteran. She headed Illinois' Department of Veteran Affairs and later served in President Barack Obama's U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. FreedomWorks' new ad features grainy footage of Duckworth and audio of her saying, "Gov. Blagojevich has charged me with the mission of taking care of my buddies, and that is what I'm doing." But it leaves out the fact that when she said "buddies," she was referring to other veterans and members of the military. FreedomWorks for America treasurer and legal counsel Ryan Hecker says the organization only supports candidates who are "ethically right." Anton Becker, Duckworth's campaign press secretary, says it's conservative outside groups who are peddling "lies." When asked for details about Specialty Group and the source of its contributions, Hecker expressed ignorance, and doubted that voters care about where the money came from. "We are in compliance with the law, and we are doing what we can to report to the Federal Election Commission," he said. "If there's an issue with Specialty, it's their issue. It's not our issue." Andrea Fuller of the Center for Public Integrity contributed to this report. This story is a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics. For up-to-date news on outside spending in the 2012 election, follow our Source2012 Tumblr and the hashtag #Source2012 on Twitter. More from Open Channel:
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'Photogenic, well-mannered' grizzly kills worker
| By NBC News staff and wire reports A 24-year-old man was killed on Sunday by one or more grizzly bears while he cleaned an enclosure at a facility in Montana that provides trained animals for photographers and filmmakers, authorities said. The man was attacked and killed at the Animals of Montana facility near Bozeman, Montana, on Sunday by one or both of the captive-bred grizzly bears in the enclosure, the Gallatin County sheriff's office said in a statement. Boy falls into Pittsburgh zoo exhibit, mauled to death by African painted dogs The sheriff and game wardens were investigating the death. The sheriff declined to release the name of the man who was killed. The victim was originally from Pennsylvania, according to KBZK.com. The company's website says that it is a "full service wildlife casting agency" which aims to provide "healthy, photogenic, well-mannered predators for the entertainment industry." It has numerous animals, including three grizzly bears. Reuters contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com:
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Decorated US soldier faces hearing over massacre
| By NBC News wire services SEATTLE -- A U.S. Army soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a drunken rampage in March faces the military version of a preliminary hearing starting on Monday to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a court martial. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is accused of walking off his base under cover of darkness and opening fire on civilians in their homes in at least two villages. The shooting of mostly women and children in Afghanistan's Kandahar province marked the worst civilian slaughter by U.S. forces since the Vietnam War and eroded already strained U.S.-Afghan ties after over a decade of conflict in the country. Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as charges of assault and wrongfully possessing and using steroids and alcohol while deployed. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Read more US news stories on NBCNews.com The hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state is expected to last two weeks. Military prosecutors are expected to show video from a surveillance blimp. Part of the hearing will be held at night to allow video testimony from witnesses in Afghanistan. Bales will be present at the hearing but was not expected to answer questions. He was confined at a military prison in Kansas from March until he was moved in October to Lewis-McChord, where Bales' infantry regiment was based. Karilyn Bales, the wife of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, spoke exclusively with NBC's Matt Lauer, telling the TODAY anchor that the news about her husband is 'very unbelievable.' 'Sanity board' Browne told Reuters last month he and an Army prosecutor planned to question five to 15 Afghan villagers and military personnel as key witnesses from Kandahar Air Field. How Staff Sgt. Bales' lawyers are fighting for his life Bales also has two military defense counselors, Major Gregory Malson and Captain Matthew Aeisi. Malson represented Army Sergeant William Kreutzer, who was sentenced to life in prison three years ago for killing an officer and wounding 18 U.S. soldiers in a 1995 shooting spree. Separately, Bales is also subject to a review of his mental fitness to stand trial, often referred to as a "sanity board." The Army has not disclosed the status of that review.  Aref Karimi / AFP - Getty Images More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts. The March shooting highlighted discipline problems among U.S. soldiers from Lewis-McChord, which was also the home base of five enlisted men from the former 5th Stryker Brigade charged with premeditated murder in connection with three killings of unarmed Afghan civilians in 2010. Four of the men were convicted or pleaded guilty in court-martial proceedings to murder or manslaughter charges and were sentenced to prison. Charges against the fifth were dropped. In August, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta directed a panel of experts to assess whether reforms were needed in the way the military justice system handles crimes committed by U.S. forces against civilians in combat zones. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com:
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Cops: 2 arrested over alleged gas hoarding
| By NBCNewYork.com Police arrested two men on Sunday for their involvement in alleged gas hoarding in Connecticut. Police say Yunus Latif, 47, of Richmond Hill, Queens, filled 30 five-gallon plastic tubs with four gallons of gas each at a station in West Haven, Conn., with the intention of bringing it back to neighbors in New York. Fuel shortage expected to last for days, Cuomo says A witness told police they saw Latif loading up plastic containers filled with gas into his truck. When police arrived, they discovered the tubs with gas loaded in the back of the truck. The plastic lids were expanding, police say. Gas can only be transported in Department of Transportation-approved containers. Full coverage of Sandy's aftermath Police also arrested the attendant at the gas station, 41-year-old Muniruzzaman Gomosta, who sold the gas to Latif but said he did not realize he was buying so much gas because the store was busy. They were both issued misdemeanor summonses for violation of regulation concerning flammable or combustible liquids NBCConnecticut.com reported that Latif and Gomosta are expected to appear in court on November 19. |
11/04/2012
Pulpit politics: Pastors endorse candidates to protest 1954 law
 John Adkisson / Reuters file The Rev. Mark Harris endorsed a Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court during his sermon Oct. 7 at First Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News With the presidential election a dead heat and many other races too close to call, hundreds of religious leaders nationwide are urging their congregations to vote for a specific candidate. They break the law when they do so — that's the point — but it's unclear whether there's any real penalty for pastors who make such endorsements from the pulpit. About 1,600 pastors across the country violated a 58-year-old ban on political endorsements by churches in October by explicitly backing political candidates in their Sunday sermons, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom of Scottsdale, Ariz., a conservative Christian legal organization behind a campaign called Pulpit Freedom Sunday. The 1954 law they are challenging prohibits charitable groups, including most churches, from making candidate endorsements, but doesn't bar ministers, priests, rabbis and imams from speaking out on other ballot issues, like voter initiatives, or organizing get-out-the-vote drives and education efforts around elections themselves. The alliance is seeking to force a court showdown over the constitutionality of the law, violation of which can cost churches their tax-exempt status. Since Oct. 7, the original Pulpit Freedom Day, many pastors who participated in the protest have posted their remarks online or sent them to the Internal Revenue Service, essentially daring the agency charged with enforcing the prohibition to put up or shut up. So far, the IRS has done the latter. The Alliance Defending Freedom asserts that it's working to further the rights of all religious groups, but it's an explicitly Christian organization, with a heavy representation of evangelical members and leaders. One clue to its philosophy is that it made it Pulpit Freedom "Sunday" — choosing the Christian Sabbath, instead of more broadly embracing the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) and the Muslim day of worship (Friday). So it's no surprise that an unscientific survey of the posted endorsements indicates that they skewed overwhelmingly in favor of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, as in these representative samples: In a guest sermon at Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, Calif., Wayne Gruden, a professor and theologian at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona, recommended that "all citizens" vote for Romney "and Republicans in general" (the endorsement begins at 59:58): Wayne Gruden, a professor and theologian at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona, endorses Mitt Romney. Pastor Ken Redmond of Abundant Life Worship Center in Midland, Texas, told his congregation they shouldn't vote for President Barack Obama, saying, "Here is your choice: a Mormon or a Muslim" (the remarks begin at 33:17): And Bishop Samuel A.L Pope Sr. told his congregation at Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church in California City, Calif., not to vote for Obama (the statement begins at 26:54): Bishop Samuel A.L Pope Sr. endorses Mitt Romney at Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church in California City, Calif. As of Friday, none of the hundreds of pastors who took part in the protest reported hearing back from the government. In fact, the Alliance Defending Freedom says, only one of the churches that have taken part in Pulpit Freedom Sundays over the last five years has been the target of IRS action, and that case was dropped shortly after the IRS lost a separate legal ruling almost four years ago. The Internal Revenue Code specifies that all section 501(c)(3) organizations are "absolutely prohibited" from taking part in, contributing to or making any statement "in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office." But enforcement appears to have halted completely in early 2009 after Living Word Christian Center of Brooklyn Park, Minn., successfully appealed an audit that the IRS launched after its pastor endorsed Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann for re-election. The judge ruled (.pdf) that the IRS was technically violating its own regulations in deciding whether to audit churches for banned political activities — because the official making that decision wasn't high enough on the Treasury Department's organization chart. The IRS, however, isn't acknowledging that it has stopped enforcing the ban on candidate endorsements by officials of 501(c)3 charitable organizations. In response to queries from NBC News, the IRS disavowed comments by a regional official of its division overseeing tax-exempt organizations, who said last month that the agency was "holding any potential church audits in abeyance" while it revises its regulations in light of the 2009 ruling. Dean Patterson, a spokesman for the IRS, said the official "misspoke," adding: "The IRS continues to run a balanced program that follows up on potential non-compliance, while ensuring the appropriate oversight and review to determine that compliance activities are necessary and appropriate." Noting that it's barred by law from discussing individual tax cases, the IRS declined NBC News' request for documentation showing that it has taken any action against politicking from the pulpit since then. Full coverage of Decision 2012 on NBC Politics But Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, said it's clear that the agency is sidestepping the issue. "We surmise the IRS has shut down all its church audits," Stanley said. As time goes on, he added, "It may become clear that the IRS has taken the position that it will not censor a pastor." (As it happens, there is a legal way for churches to endorse candidates and still not pay taxes, by registering with the IRS under a different section of the tax code, 501(c)4. But nearly all religious institutions reject that choice because individuals who give money to 501(c)4 groups aren't allowed to claim tax deductions for their donations. Donations to 501(c)3 groups are deductible.) A matter of politics, not constitutionality That was when the Supreme Court ruled — in a case involving banks, not churches — that the federal government had the power to limit taxation of specific enterprises in furtherance of the public good, quoting Daniel Webster's argument that "the power to tax is the power to destroy." Subsequent law extended that philosophy to establish that charitable groups could seek exemption from taxation. The prohibition on candidate endorsements comes from a different source. It dates only to 1954, and like the 1819 decision, it applies to all 501(c)3 charitable groups, not just churches. Democratic Sen. Lyndon Johnson of Texas inserted it into the tax code as he was fighting off a re-election challenge backed by tax-exempt political foundations that historians have linked with the anti-Communist witch hunts of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter The measure passed with little debate. Its effect was to muzzle religious leaders, even though "there is no evidence that a religious element played a significant part in Johnson's decision," Patrick L. O'Daniel, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School, wrote in a 2001 reconstruction of the bill's passage in the Boston College Law Review. Whether Johnson intended it that way or not, religious leaders have argued that the provision is an unacceptable stifling of their constitutional rights. "This is about restoring biblical authority and a constitutional right for pastors to speak freely from the pulpit without any fear of the government on cultural and societal issues from a biblical perspective. And that includes commenting on the positions of the candidates," the Rev. Dann E. Travis, pastor of Crossroads of Life Church in Binghampton, N.Y., said to cheers from the congregation last week. The Rev. Rob Rotola, who took part in Pulpit Freedom Sunday at Word of Life Ministries in Wichita, Kan., told NBC station KSN: "The concept of separation of church and state meant that the state was to keep out of the affairs of the church, not that the church was supposed to be silent about things about the state." Pulpit Freedom SundayMinistries taking part in Pulpit Freedom Sunday, Oct. 7 - Baptist/Southern Baptist 409 Sources: Alliance Defending Freedom, NBC News research But other religious figures see a political angle — specifically, a conservative and evangelical angle — behind the challenge to the law. The Rev. Barry Lynn, a minister in President Barack Obama's United Church of Christ and executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the Alliance Defending Freedom was hiding behind "a fiction that there's a war against Christianity." The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he said, managed to preach about politics almost every day of his adult life without ever endorsing a political candidate. "It's time to get serious about this, because we could end up with a corruption not only of the political process but of the integrity of the genuine prophetic message of churches," Lynn said in a recent interview on State of Belief Radio. The Rev. Fester Coffee-Prose, youth minister at First Christian Church in Tyler, Texas, also objected, saying politics should be left to politicians, not pastors. "While we might take stands on certain issues, when it comes to the candidates, the church should be a place where people of diverse backgrounds and diverse beliefs gather," he told NBC station KETK. "I don't necessarily believe that we should be endorsing any one candidate from the pulpit." Also of concern to some religious leaders is the alliance leadership's connections to conservative organizations and causes: Its president, Alan Sears, was director of Attorney General Edwin Meese's Commission on Pornography during the Reagan administration, and other board members represent the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, the anti-abortion activist group Susan B. Anthony List and the conservative evangelical ministry Focus on the Family. What pastors sayIn a survey of 1,000 Protestant ministers, LifeWay Research, the polling arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, found that: - 87 percent believe pastors shouldn't endorse candidates from the pulpit Source: LifeWay Research, May 2012. Margin of error: plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Pulpit Freedom Sunday itself was similarly overwhelmingly Christian, with an emphasis on evangelicalism. Working from a list of ministries that signed up in advance, NBC News tabulated that 98 percent were evangelical or otherwise Protestant ministries. Just 10 Catholic priests took part, defying the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' directive that church leaders "are to avoid endorsing or opposing candidates or telling people how to vote." Only four Anglican ministers signed up. No imams or traditional rabbis were listed — the three synagogues on the roster are Messianic Jewish congregations, which proclaim the divinity of Jesus. In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had reminded imams and khateebs (those who give the sermon during Friday prayers) that tax-exempt mosques "cannot explicitly or implicitly endorse candidates." Likewise, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs pointed to its standing directive that "organizations may not rate, endorse or oppose candidates for public office." The alliance, nonetheless, says its campaign is about a larger question. "Eventually, we'll have a test case about the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment," Stanley said. "The IRS has really left pastors and churches no option if they believe they have the right to speak freely from their pulpit." More content from NBCNews.com:
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