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Mavdog · 12-04-2006, 12:40 PM

Wealthy Texans paying to derail Hillary Clinton

Many bank on outside '527' groups to help defeat candidates

06:17 AM CST on Monday, December 4, 2006
By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – A Dallas businessman is helping bankroll an effort to derail Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential hopes, and he says he plans to tap other big-money Texans in the cause.

Richard Collins has put at least $80,000 into a group called Stop Her Now, which launched a new Web site last week targeting the possible frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

"We expect to raise millions of dollars, a lot of it from online people and a lot of it from wealthy, conservative donors from around the country that want to keep Hillary Clinton from being elected president," Mr. Collins said.

The effort is the latest example of a small network of Texans with deep pockets funding independent committees, an expansion of their influence beyond just raising money directly for candidates. The groups, which emerged in the 2004 presidential campaign, are a powerful new force influencing national campaigns.

In addition to the Web site, which will feature cartoons and a series of animated shorts dubbed the "Hillary Show," Mr. Collins said the anti-Clinton group plans an aggressive direct-mail campaign.

"We're going to define Hillary as an ambitious, calculating, tough political operator who is trying to define herself as a centrist Democrat when, in fact, she's an ultraliberal Democrat," said Mr. Collins, who owns a newspaper group with publications in Cedar Hill, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster and Grand Prairie.

Clinton supporter Garry Mauro dismissed the venture as a "bad investment."

"They should save their money to attack people who are relatively unknown," said Mr. Mauro, a former Texas land commissioner and long-time political ally of the Clintons.

Mr. Mauro said Ms. Clinton is so well-known that groups like Stop Her Now are likely to have little impact on changing the strong opinions that people already have about her.

Ms. Clinton won a lightly contested re-election race to her New York Senate seat in November and is weighing a presidential bid.

Ann Lewis, spokeswoman for Ms. Clinton's political committee, said the senator is prepared to defend herself against any group that mounts a serious attack, such as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that caused problems for Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004.

Three Texans – Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and Dallas businessmen T. Boone Pickens and Harold Simmons – provided most of the money for the group.

According to finance reports, the three gave $10.5 million, or 62 percent, of the group's funding. The group raised questions about Mr. Kerry's military service, which had been a strong point in his political portfolio, and helped scuttle his campaign against President Bush.

Such partisan groups, called 527s after a section of the tax code that governs them, are the product of new federal campaign-finance laws that outlaw major donations to political parties.

Big-dollar donors have turned to groups like MoveOn and Swift Boat Veterans, which can take unlimited contributions and target specific candidates.

In the presidential race two years ago, the largest contributor to such independent groups was New York financier George Soros, who donated $24 million to Democrat-leaning 527s but scaled back his spending in 2006.

This year, Mr. Perry is the largest individual contributor to such groups, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings. He gave $6.7 million to a pair of GOP groups that targeted Democratic congressional candidates with television and automated-telephone attacks in nine states.

With a Democratic tide sweeping congressional races nationwide, the effort largely failed in House races but did help successful GOP efforts against Senate candidates Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee and Ned Lamont in Connecticut.

Looking toward 2008, Mr. Collins said he plans to solicit the Texans who bankrolled Swift Boat Veterans for his anti-Clinton effort.

"They are big players, and we want to play on the national stage," said Mr. Collins. "This is like an inverted pyramid, where you start with a small nucleus of people and you build from there."

Mr. Collins said he is not actively aligned with any potential GOP presidential candidate. Records show he has contributed $10,000 to Rudolph Giuliani's political action committee and $5,000 to Sen. John McCain's committee.

E-mail wslater@dallasnews.com

Bigger in Texas

Big-dollar Texas donors are major players in the independent political committees known as 527s, which are fast becoming a favored way to work for or against candidates. Here's a look at some major donations from Texans in each campaign since the committees emerged as a major funding source in 2004:

2008

REPUBLICAN

Donor: Richard Collins, Dallas County newspaper publisher

Amount: $80,000

Purpose: To launch an anti-Hillary Rodham Clinton Web site, StopHerNow.com, with plans to raise several million dollars to derail the senator's White House prospects

2006

REPUBLICAN

Donor: Bob Perry, Houston homebuilder

Amount: $6.7 million

Purpose: To fund GOP committees attacking Democratic congressional incumbents on television and with automated telephone calls in nine states, including West Virginia, Georgia and Iowa

DEMOCRAT

Donor: Linda Pritzker, Houston hotel heiress

Amount: $2.3 million

Purpose: To help Democratic committees for identification and get-out-the-vote efforts for congressional races in three dozen closely contested states, especially in the Midwest

2004

REPUBLICAN

Donor: Mr. Perry

Amount: $8 million

Purpose: To support Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and other GOP groups attacking Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's record of military service

Donor: Boone Pickens, Dallas oilman

Amount: $5.6 million

Purpose: To help Swift Boat Veterans and the Progress for America Voter Fund, which also targeted Mr. Kerry

Donor: Harold Simmons, Dallas investor

Amount: $4.5 million

Purpose: To help Swift Boat Veterans and other GOP groups targeting Mr. Kerry

Donor: Alice Walton, Mineral Wells rancher and Wal-Mart heiress

Amount: $2.6 million

Purpose: Progress for America Fund, which sponsored a television ad showing images of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists as an announcer asked: "Would you trust Kerry against these fanatic killers?"

Donor: Robert McNair, Houston energy executive

Amount: $1.6 million

Purpose: Republican groups including the Progress for America Fund and the Club for Growth, which supported President Bush's re-election and subsequently championed private Social Security accounts

Donor: Robert Rowling, Dallas hotel executive

Amount: $1 million

Purpose: Progress for America Voter Fund

Donor: G.J. Jensen, Irving

Amount: $1 million

Purpose: Club for Growth

DEMOCRAT

Donor: Ms. Pritzker

Amount: $3.5 million

Purpose: Democratic and liberal groups, including ACT Now and Planned Parenthood Votes, to organize registration and get-out-the vote efforts on behalf of Mr. Kerry

Donor: Jonathan McHale and Christine Mattso, Austin high-tech firm

Amount: $3 million

Purpose: The Media Fund, a liberal advocacy group that conducted a $50 million anti-Bush television ad campaign in 21 states and was key to keeping Mr. Kerry's candidacy afloat after he emptied his campaign treasury winning his party's nomination

Donor: James H. Clark, Dallas high-tech entrepreneur

Amount: $1 million

Purpose: The Media Fund

SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research

12-04-2006, 12:40 PM	#56
Mavdog Diamond Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 6,014	Wealthy Texans paying to derail Hillary Clinton Many bank on outside '527' groups to help defeat candidates 06:17 AM CST on Monday, December 4, 2006 By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – A Dallas businessman is helping bankroll an effort to derail Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential hopes, and he says he plans to tap other big-money Texans in the cause. Richard Collins has put at least $80,000 into a group called Stop Her Now, which launched a new Web site last week targeting the possible frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2008. "We expect to raise millions of dollars, a lot of it from online people and a lot of it from wealthy, conservative donors from around the country that want to keep Hillary Clinton from being elected president," Mr. Collins said. The effort is the latest example of a small network of Texans with deep pockets funding independent committees, an expansion of their influence beyond just raising money directly for candidates. The groups, which emerged in the 2004 presidential campaign, are a powerful new force influencing national campaigns. In addition to the Web site, which will feature cartoons and a series of animated shorts dubbed the "Hillary Show," Mr. Collins said the anti-Clinton group plans an aggressive direct-mail campaign. "We're going to define Hillary as an ambitious, calculating, tough political operator who is trying to define herself as a centrist Democrat when, in fact, she's an ultraliberal Democrat," said Mr. Collins, who owns a newspaper group with publications in Cedar Hill, Duncanville, DeSoto, Lancaster and Grand Prairie. Clinton supporter Garry Mauro dismissed the venture as a "bad investment." "They should save their money to attack people who are relatively unknown," said Mr. Mauro, a former Texas land commissioner and long-time political ally of the Clintons. Mr. Mauro said Ms. Clinton is so well-known that groups like Stop Her Now are likely to have little impact on changing the strong opinions that people already have about her. Ms. Clinton won a lightly contested re-election race to her New York Senate seat in November and is weighing a presidential bid. Ann Lewis, spokeswoman for Ms. Clinton's political committee, said the senator is prepared to defend herself against any group that mounts a serious attack, such as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that caused problems for Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004. Three Texans – Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and Dallas businessmen T. Boone Pickens and Harold Simmons – provided most of the money for the group. According to finance reports, the three gave $10.5 million, or 62 percent, of the group's funding. The group raised questions about Mr. Kerry's military service, which had been a strong point in his political portfolio, and helped scuttle his campaign against President Bush. Such partisan groups, called 527s after a section of the tax code that governs them, are the product of new federal campaign-finance laws that outlaw major donations to political parties. Big-dollar donors have turned to groups like MoveOn and Swift Boat Veterans, which can take unlimited contributions and target specific candidates. In the presidential race two years ago, the largest contributor to such independent groups was New York financier George Soros, who donated $24 million to Democrat-leaning 527s but scaled back his spending in 2006. This year, Mr. Perry is the largest individual contributor to such groups, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings. He gave $6.7 million to a pair of GOP groups that targeted Democratic congressional candidates with television and automated-telephone attacks in nine states. With a Democratic tide sweeping congressional races nationwide, the effort largely failed in House races but did help successful GOP efforts against Senate candidates Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee and Ned Lamont in Connecticut. Looking toward 2008, Mr. Collins said he plans to solicit the Texans who bankrolled Swift Boat Veterans for his anti-Clinton effort. "They are big players, and we want to play on the national stage," said Mr. Collins. "This is like an inverted pyramid, where you start with a small nucleus of people and you build from there." Mr. Collins said he is not actively aligned with any potential GOP presidential candidate. Records show he has contributed $10,000 to Rudolph Giuliani's political action committee and $5,000 to Sen. John McCain's committee. E-mail wslater@dallasnews.com Bigger in Texas Big-dollar Texas donors are major players in the independent political committees known as 527s, which are fast becoming a favored way to work for or against candidates. Here's a look at some major donations from Texans in each campaign since the committees emerged as a major funding source in 2004: 2008 REPUBLICAN Donor: Richard Collins, Dallas County newspaper publisher Amount: $80,000 Purpose: To launch an anti-Hillary Rodham Clinton Web site, StopHerNow.com, with plans to raise several million dollars to derail the senator's White House prospects 2006 REPUBLICAN Donor: Bob Perry, Houston homebuilder Amount: $6.7 million Purpose: To fund GOP committees attacking Democratic congressional incumbents on television and with automated telephone calls in nine states, including West Virginia, Georgia and Iowa DEMOCRAT Donor: Linda Pritzker, Houston hotel heiress Amount: $2.3 million Purpose: To help Democratic committees for identification and get-out-the-vote efforts for congressional races in three dozen closely contested states, especially in the Midwest 2004 REPUBLICAN Donor: Mr. Perry Amount: $8 million Purpose: To support Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and other GOP groups attacking Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's record of military service Donor: Boone Pickens, Dallas oilman Amount: $5.6 million Purpose: To help Swift Boat Veterans and the Progress for America Voter Fund, which also targeted Mr. Kerry Donor: Harold Simmons, Dallas investor Amount: $4.5 million Purpose: To help Swift Boat Veterans and other GOP groups targeting Mr. Kerry Donor: Alice Walton, Mineral Wells rancher and Wal-Mart heiress Amount: $2.6 million Purpose: Progress for America Fund, which sponsored a television ad showing images of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists as an announcer asked: "Would you trust Kerry against these fanatic killers?" Donor: Robert McNair, Houston energy executive Amount: $1.6 million Purpose: Republican groups including the Progress for America Fund and the Club for Growth, which supported President Bush's re-election and subsequently championed private Social Security accounts Donor: Robert Rowling, Dallas hotel executive Amount: $1 million Purpose: Progress for America Voter Fund Donor: G.J. Jensen, Irving Amount: $1 million Purpose: Club for Growth DEMOCRAT Donor: Ms. Pritzker Amount: $3.5 million Purpose: Democratic and liberal groups, including ACT Now and Planned Parenthood Votes, to organize registration and get-out-the vote efforts on behalf of Mr. Kerry Donor: Jonathan McHale and Christine Mattso, Austin high-tech firm Amount: $3 million Purpose: The Media Fund, a liberal advocacy group that conducted a $50 million anti-Bush television ad campaign in 21 states and was key to keeping Mr. Kerry's candidacy afloat after he emptied his campaign treasury winning his party's nomination Donor: James H. Clark, Dallas high-tech entrepreneur Amount: $1 million Purpose: The Media Fund SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research