McCain travels abroad to raise campaign cash

March 15, 2008

John McCain is embarking on an overseas tour, ostensibly as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Of course, as the Republican presidential nominee, the politics of the trip is almost unavoidable.

McCain is a familiar figure overseas, but the heads of state in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, France and Britain will take fresh measure of the man who may be president and try to assess how similar his policies will be to those of President Bush.

To the world, the Republican from Arizona promises action on global warming and a softer tone on torture — positions that are likely to reassure many Europeans who have grown weary of Bush administration policy on those issues. But as a candidate, McCain has been, if anything, more bellicose than Bush on North Korea and Iran. And McCain’s unwavering support for the Iraq war is well known across the continent. […]

“If people here and in the Middle East were reassured that McCain isn’t sort of itching for another war, that would be an important step,” said Walter Mead, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “When someone is one of the two finalists to be president of the United States, everybody wants to take a closer look.”

The McCain campaign seems to be looking forward to the opportunity. As one GOP strategist told the WaPo, “He will not talk about the presidential race. But to the degree that there are pictures of John McCain standing on the world stage next to leaders, he will wear that well. Does that resonate well with people back home? Sure it does.”

But this isn’t just about photo-ops. McCain is headed overseas — where he’ll raise some campaign cash, too.

The NYT reported:

Senator John McCain has been averaging a fund-raiser a day in America’s pockets of affluence — hotel ballrooms in New York, Atlanta, Chicago — but now he will expand his pursuit of campaign donations at a $1,000-a-plate lunch at the 18th-century Spencer House in London.

The trans-Atlantic fund-raiser, to be held March 20 at the home built by the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, the late Princess of Wales, comes at the end of a foreign trip that Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has repeatedly said is not political.

Michael Crowley noted, “He’s holding a fundraiser in London. Can you imagine if John Kerry — or either of the current Democrats — tried that? It would be a Fox News Mardi Gras.”

Agreed. I can hear Hannity now: “Liberal Barack Obama hasn’t raised enough money from Americans, so he’s traveling to liberal Europe to host a fundraiser. What’s with Obama and his foreign money? Is this legal? Will this divide his loyalties in office? What will he owe foreigners who helped finance his campaign?”

Somehow, I doubt similar questions will be raised with McCain. Call it a hunch.

Is it legal to raise campaign funds from non-Americans? Granted, he could be focusing on Americans abroad, but it sure sounds dangerous…it most certainly isn’t legal to raise funds from foreign nationals who have government connections. Ask the Clintons. He should be careful over there, one of those English chaps just might bowl him a googly.

I won’t vote for John McCain come hell or high water. But sometimes i wonder if he’d be as bad as we fear. To be sure, he’s pandering to the most vile aspects of the Republican base at this point; after all, he knows that he has tepid – at best – support from them.

But if he were to win the presidency, he’d be in a different position than most on inauguration day. Basically, he’d be untouchable. He’s old enough not to give a shit what anyone thinks of him, and the presidency would be the last step before retirement. We know that he’s even flirted with becoming a Democrat and running on a Democratic ticket. I wouldn’t bet on it, but i also wouldn’t be surprised if President McCain turned out to be a bird of a radically different feather than candidate McCain. And it sure would be funny to watch him throw the radical right under the bus.

  • To the world, the Republican from Arizona promises action on global warming and a softer tone on torture — positions that are likely to reassure many Europeans who have grown weary of Bush administration policy on those issues.

    Say what? This only makes sense if one assumes if the Europeans failed to notice McCainiac’s “softer tone” (whatever the fuck that means) doesn’t match his voting record. I also don’t get how the word “weary,” is the appropriate word to describe the reaction to torture. “Oh Gawd, Bush is torturing people again. How tedious!”

    Someone please tell me how I can get paid to dribble out this garbage.

  • Lex (1): “Is it illegal to raise campaign funds from non-Americans”

    Yes. But campaign finance laws, while requiring that candidates ensure their donors are Americans if a “reasonable person” would suspect them of being otherwise, allow the candidate to ignor this provision if the donor lists a US address along with his donation. Go figure.

    I think the bigger issue is that taxpayers are funding the trip. Even if we accept the absurd principle that only people who make something an issue are subject to the principle, McCain has made it an issue that he will not allow government waste. This is pretty close to embezzlement in my eyes.

  • Danp, i hadn’t thought about the angle that taxpayers are funding a campaign fundraising trip to Europe. It’s hard to even feign surprise anymore.

  • Danp – I’m not sure where you got your information, but it is NOT legal for non-U.S. citizens to contribute to American elections.

    “The Statutory Ban on Foreign Money in U.S. Elections

    A federal statute prohibits persons who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents (that is, holders of “green cards”) from contributing any money to candidates for state or federal office, or to American political parties. The provision was originally enacted in the 1970s. In the 1990s, the statute received some public attention when it was alleged that fundraisers for the Democratic Party and its candidates were attempting to circumvent the law by raising money from foreign sources, including the People’s Republic of China.

    In 2002, the law was amended with the adoption of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act–also known as “BCRA” or “McCain-Feingold.” The amendment made clear that the foreign money ban applied to state as well as federal elections, a position that the Federal Election Commission had taken under the old wording of the statute.

    The 2002 amendment also added a prohibition on the use of foreign funds for “independent expenditures” on campaign speech. As the term suggests, an independent expenditure supports a candidate (typically through advertising) but is not funded by the candidate himself or herself.

    BCRA also regulates independent expenditures funded by U.S. citizens, but it falls far short of a ban. Under BCRA, American citizens who spend more than $1,000 for election-related activities within 20 days of an election need only comply with various reporting requirements. They do not face the flat ban on election speech applicable to foreigners.”

    http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dorf/20031224.html

  • « A candidate and his pastor | Main | This Week in God »
    March 15, 2008

    McCain travels abroad to raise campaign cash
    Posted March 15th, 2008 at 9:50 am

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    John McCain is embarking on an overseas tour, ostensibly as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Of course, as the Republican presidential nominee, the politics of the trip is almost unavoidable.
    McCain is a familiar figure overseas, but the heads of state in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, France and Britain will take fresh measure of the man who may be president and try to assess how similar his policies will be to those of President Bush.
    To the world, the Republican from Arizona promises action on global warming and a softer tone on torture — positions that are likely to reassure many Europeans who have grown weary of Bush administration policy on those issues. But as a candidate, McCain has been, if anything, more bellicose than Bush on North Korea and Iran. And McCain’s unwavering support for the Iraq war is well known across the continent. […]
    “If people here and in the Middle East were reassured that McCain isn’t sort of itching for another war, that would be an important step,” said Walter Mead, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “When someone is one of the two finalists to be president of the United States, everybody wants to take a closer look.”
    The McCain campaign seems to be looking forward to the opportunity. As one GOP strategist told the WaPo, “He will not talk about the presidential race. But to the degree that there are pictures of John McCain standing on the world stage next to leaders, he will wear that well. Does that resonate well with people back home? Sure it does.”
    But this isn’t just about photo-ops. McCain is headed overseas — where he’ll raise some campaign cash, too.

    The NYT reported:
    Senator John McCain has been averaging a fund-raiser a day in America’s pockets of affluence — hotel ballrooms in New York, Atlanta, Chicago — but now he will expand his pursuit of campaign donations at a $1,000-a-plate lunch at the 18th-century Spencer House in London.
    The trans-Atlantic fund-raiser, to be held March 20 at the home built by the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, the late Princess of Wales, comes at the end of a foreign trip that Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has repeatedly said is not political.
    Michael Crowley noted, “He’s holding a fundraiser in London. Can you imagine if John Kerry — or either of the current Democrats — tried that? It would be a Fox News Mardi Gras.”
    Agreed. I can hear Hannity now: “Liberal Barack Obama hasn’t raised enough money from Americans, so he’s traveling to liberal Europe to host a fundraiser. What’s with Obama and his foreign money? Is this legal? Will this divide his loyalties in office? What will he owe foreigners who helped finance his campaign?”
    Somehow, I doubt similar questions will be raised with McCain. Call it a hunch.
     

    Discussion
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    9 Comments
    1. On March 15th, 2008 at 10:03 am, lex said:
    Is it legal to raise campaign funds from non-Americans? Granted, he could be focusing on Americans abroad, but it sure sounds dangerous…it most certainly isn’t legal to raise funds from foreign nationals who have government connections. Ask the Clintons. He should be careful over there, one of those English chaps just might bowl him a googly.
    I won’t vote for John McCain come hell or high water. But sometimes i wonder if he’d be as bad as we fear. To be sure, he’s pandering to the most vile aspects of the Republican base at this point; after all, he knows that he has tepid – at best – support from them.
    But if he were to win the presidency, he’d be in a different position than most on inauguration day. Basically, he’d be untouchable. He’s old enough not to give a shit what anyone thinks of him, and the presidency would be the last step before retirement. We know that he’s even flirted with becoming a Democrat and running on a Democratic ticket. I wouldn’t bet on it, but i also wouldn’t be surprised if President McCain turned out to be a bird of a radically different feather than candidate McCain. And it sure would be funny to watch him throw the radical right under the bus.

    2. On March 15th, 2008 at 10:14 am, Mag7 said:
    If Obama went to the Middle East he’d be accused of coddling up to terrorists.

    3. On March 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am, The Answer is Orange said:
    To the world, the Republican from Arizona promises action on global warming and a softer tone on torture — positions that are likely to reassure many Europeans who have grown weary of Bush administration policy on those issues.
    Say what? This only makes sense if one assumes if the Europeans failed to notice McCainiac’s “softer tone” (whatever the fuck that means) doesn’t match his voting record. I also don’t get how the word “weary,” is the appropriate word to describe the reaction to torture. “Oh Gawd, Bush is torturing people again. How tedious!”
    Someone please tell me how I can get paid to dribble out this garbage.

    4. On March 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am, Danp said:
    Lex (1): “Is it illegal to raise campaign funds from non-Americans”
    Yes. But campaign finance laws, while requiring that candidates ensure their donors are Americans if a “reasonable person” would suspect them of being otherwise, allow the candidate to ignor this provision if the donor lists a US address along with his donation. Go figure.
    I think the bigger issue is that taxpayers are funding the trip. Even if we accept the absurd principle that only people who make something an issue are subject to the principle, McCain has made it an issue that he will not allow government waste. This is pretty close to embezzlement in my eyes.

    impeachcheneythenbush (6): Danp – I’m not sure where you got your information, but it is NOT legal for non-U.S. citizens to contribute to American elections.

    We agree. The question was “is it illegal?

  • Hmmmph. You seen the exchange rate recently? The pound is sitting at 2-1…

    Considering that, and the massive cost-of-living in London, a mere $1,000 bucks a plate would roughly equate to eating out at McDonald’s…

  • “He’s holding a fundraiser in London. Can you imagine if John Kerry — or either of the current Democrats — tried that? It would be a Fox News Mardi Gras.”

    One of the strong perspectives taken about campaign contributions, for those who favor unlimited power vs. McCain-Feingold type provisions, is that campaign contributions are a form of political speech and why should we limit a person’s right to speak? So why is John McCain actively allowing foreigners a platform for their political speech in our elections when they aren’t permitted to vote in them? Sounds fishy to me.

    Much hay was made over debate between Justices Breyer and Scalia over allowing foreign law to be consulted in US court cases. Scalia argued that foreigners aren’t us and aren’t involved in our system so why should we allow their voices in our laws. The right applauded loudly. So why isn’t the right decrying McCain allowing foreign influence into our campaigns? That’s essentially allowing foreign voice to have influence over our laws.

  • So why isn’t the right decrying McCain allowing foreign influence into our campaigns?

    You mean, the same right wing that screams loudly for respecting state institutions, but was giddy to have the Renquist court step in and hand the presidency to GWB? The same right wing that supports sending troops into war but not providing them the body armor they need? The same right wing that clamors for protection of American liberty while applauding NSA driftnets and illegal domestic surveillance? That right wing?

    Hmmm, I can’t imagine how they hold this contradictory position.

  • To the world, the Republican from Arizona promises action on global warming and a softer tone on torture

    I suppose “a softer tone” in this regard means they don’t use hard water when they’re waterboarding someone.

    How can people even write such crap?

  • McCain doesn’t have to worry about illegalities in his campaign because the FEC is a dead letter now. It’s the epitome of deregulation in politics.

  • I donate $25 to Donna Edwards’ or Jim Webb’s campaign, I have to swear up and down that I’m an US citizen. How could it not be illegal to cream — much bigger — money off foreigners?

    re payment. Somewhere in TP last night there was a tit-bit stating that US taxpayers are shelling out only for the official part of the trip and that McSame’s paying for the rest (ie the London junket). But I’m not sure how they’ll be able to sort that out (or that they’ll even try) — this part of the flight is on you and that one is on me?

  • I’m an American living in London, and I gave Obama $50. There are something like 60,000 other Yanks here, and they are some of the richest Americans you’ll meet anywhere. A big chunk of them are bankers or corporate types. McCain should be able to hoover up the cash here. Obama and Hillary should have timed trips here to coincide with McCain’s trip so it would be difficult for the media to smear them for collecting overseas.

  • Kinda make me long for those simpler days when everyone bought American flags and “Support the Troops” magnetic ribbons made in China. (And stuck them to their middle-east supporting SUVs).

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