Adelson, the billionaire owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino and many other resort venues, and his wife, Miriam, are the primary nonparty donors for campaign ads.
Last month, the Adelsons’ YG — for Young Guns — Action Fund spent $557,750 to buy media attack ads against Plummer’s Democratic opponent, Bill Enyart, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Adelson’s superPAC, which provided the most money of any of the independent groups buying ads in the 12th and 13th District races, exemplifies the “new normal” of fundraising since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision allowed outside groups to spend unlimited amounts on campaigns as long as they don’t coordinate with the candidates.
All told, Republican and conservative groups have spent almost $1.2 million on attack ads against Enyart.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $503,350 in attack ads on Enyart’s behalf against Plummer, plus another $335,170 to support Enyart, according to the FEC reports.
Worth just over $21 billion and now in the cross hairs of the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Adelson has made history: He is the first person to spend $70 million to sway a presidential election, and he plans to spend more — perhaps as much as $100 million — by Election Day. An estimated $20 million to $30 million of the giving went to groups that do not disclose their donors and had not been reported before.
Adelson (pronounced ADDLE-son) is the dominant pioneer of the super PAC era — by far the biggest donor to the web of secretive groups that are adding nearly $1 billion to the more traditional spending by the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee.
The 79-year-old literally spreads the wealth: He sent $5 million to the super PAC run by Boehner allies and $5 million to the super PAC run by Cantor allies.
* And as the AP is reporting today, the US Chamber has spared nothing in its attacks on Democrat Bill Enyart. Rate the Chamber’s latest ad…
“Look, Mr. Casino-Man … My Dad is so rich he can buy anything…ANYTHING. So, just remember you can’t tell me waht to do or anything. I am my own man.”
“Jason, my dear Lad, you are so wrong. You are your own man, you’re just an “owned’ man too.
Remember, Vegas is all about ‘return on investments’. You are MY investment now Jason. You are owned, and no amount of your Dad’s money is going to get you out of what YOU are going to owe ME. Welcome to politics.”
In a war, previously insignificant places become a death struggle when opposing forces evenly matched elsewhere, fight for an advantage. In the current struggle, we are seeing millions spent on congressional races in places where few of the voters have millions. Consequentially, the selection of a representative fails to represent.
We are seeing a multimillionaires battle because there are multibillions in cronyism waiting to be shoveled out to the winner. Greed is bad. When it sets up a massive multitrillion government economy controlled by a few, the battle over who those few are, become expensive and fierce.
We need to reapply what we already knew, but have forgotten - make centralized governments smaller so that the greedy need to work harder.
When an economy gets replaced by a government economy as large as the one in DC today, there only one place to go to grow economically, and the moral rules get thrown out.
Big government equals immoralities, greed and bribery and we need to return to a free market instead.
Any time you can link someone to Blago is probably a good thing.
I don’t know why the Chamber keeps bringing up Medicare. Polls show the subject is a real dog for Republicans.
It’s bizarre. After decades of branding, we’re all of a sudden supposed to believe that Democrats want to kill Medicare and right-wing Republicans want to save it?
to clarify, adelson is a backer, but it’s not “his”superpac. It’s run by former eric cantor staffers so it’s unfair to say that he’s directly backing plummer. they’re active around the country in races and have other donors. There have been candidates he’s specifically backed-a rabbi running for congress in new jersey got $500k , but to my knowledge he did not specifically give the money directly in support of plummer.
The chamber of commerce ad is good in the new world political order because plummer doesn’t have to stick his name on an end of it.
It’s interesting that most of the media talk was about the suburban races this cycle, but most of the ads and intensity right now seems to be about the other 3 us rep races outside chicagoland.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:21 am:
Rich folks spending money on Jason, kind of a theme in his life.
===Rich folks spending money on Jason, kind of a theme in his life.===
QUOTE of the DAY!!!!!
Dunno if I can even post the rest of the day, how do you TOP that.
Well, done …well done!
- CircularFiringSquad - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:51 am:
Let’s also remember Addleson has some pretty nut job views on the Middle East that would have America at war with just about everyone.
Good job Jason Romney-Plummer you sure know how to pick winners
===Big government equals immoralities, greed and bribery and we need to return to a free market instead.===
Yes, because there is no greed or bribery in the free market, is there? Do you ever read what you type before hitting the “say it” button? Do you ever think before you type? You might have a point, but it’s impossible to discern from your comment. The gibberish above is nothing but tortured logic and tangents in search of a narrative.
STL got it right gonna be hard to top that…hopefully the general has his poll numbers up enough to spanki lil Jason and send him back home to mom and dad
Addleson imploded the Las Vegas Sands Casino in 1996 to build the massive and luxurious Venetian and Palazzo casinos and also ownes Sands-branded casinos in China and Singapore.
As much as Adelson cares about Israel (and he actually set up his own newspaper/media company to bolster Netanyahu’s political prospects), I think the reason he is investing so much in potential GOP congresscritters like Jason is to get them to rewrite the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has him in hot water for his dealings in his Macau casinos.
Walsh should take note of this ad as the type he can run against Duckworth–Blago appointee, etc.
Enyart is more vulnerable on his military record than Duckworth, though. When he was adjutant general he let it be known he was using his “political mojo” to get what he wanted (funding) out of Washington, which in reality didn’t amount to much. Illinois, for having a president, senate majority leader and an adjutant general with self acclaimed “political mojo” ranked very poorly compared to other states.
- Ahoy! - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 10:43 am:
At what point does going negative on a General backfire?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 10:52 am:
“Look, Mr. Casino-Man … My Dad is so rich he can buy anything…ANYTHING. So, just remember you can’t tell me waht to do or anything. I am my own man.”
“Jason, my dear Lad, you are so wrong. You are your own man, you’re just an “owned’ man too.
Remember, Vegas is all about ‘return on investments’. You are MY investment now Jason. You are owned, and no amount of your Dad’s money is going to get you out of what YOU are going to owe ME. Welcome to politics.”
- VanillaMan - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 10:57 am:
In a war, previously insignificant places become a death struggle when opposing forces evenly matched elsewhere, fight for an advantage. In the current struggle, we are seeing millions spent on congressional races in places where few of the voters have millions. Consequentially, the selection of a representative fails to represent.
We are seeing a multimillionaires battle because there are multibillions in cronyism waiting to be shoveled out to the winner. Greed is bad. When it sets up a massive multitrillion government economy controlled by a few, the battle over who those few are, become expensive and fierce.
We need to reapply what we already knew, but have forgotten - make centralized governments smaller so that the greedy need to work harder.
When an economy gets replaced by a government economy as large as the one in DC today, there only one place to go to grow economically, and the moral rules get thrown out.
Big government equals immoralities, greed and bribery and we need to return to a free market instead.
That is why campaigns are costing so much.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:03 am:
Any time you can link someone to Blago is probably a good thing.
I don’t know why the Chamber keeps bringing up Medicare. Polls show the subject is a real dog for Republicans.
It’s bizarre. After decades of branding, we’re all of a sudden supposed to believe that Democrats want to kill Medicare and right-wing Republicans want to save it?
- Shore - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:08 am:
to clarify, adelson is a backer, but it’s not “his”superpac. It’s run by former eric cantor staffers so it’s unfair to say that he’s directly backing plummer. they’re active around the country in races and have other donors. There have been candidates he’s specifically backed-a rabbi running for congress in new jersey got $500k , but to my knowledge he did not specifically give the money directly in support of plummer.
The chamber of commerce ad is good in the new world political order because plummer doesn’t have to stick his name on an end of it.
It’s interesting that most of the media talk was about the suburban races this cycle, but most of the ads and intensity right now seems to be about the other 3 us rep races outside chicagoland.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:21 am:
Rich folks spending money on Jason, kind of a theme in his life.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:42 am:
===Rich folks spending money on Jason, kind of a theme in his life.===
QUOTE of the DAY!!!!!
Dunno if I can even post the rest of the day, how do you TOP that.
Well, done …well done!
- CircularFiringSquad - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 11:51 am:
Let’s also remember Addleson has some pretty nut job views on the Middle East that would have America at war with just about everyone.
Good job Jason Romney-Plummer you sure know how to pick winners
- 47th Ward - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 12:01 pm:
===Big government equals immoralities, greed and bribery and we need to return to a free market instead.===
Yes, because there is no greed or bribery in the free market, is there? Do you ever read what you type before hitting the “say it” button? Do you ever think before you type? You might have a point, but it’s impossible to discern from your comment. The gibberish above is nothing but tortured logic and tangents in search of a narrative.
- Madison - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 12:11 pm:
STL got it right gonna be hard to top that…hopefully the general has his poll numbers up enough to spanki lil Jason and send him back home to mom and dad
- Downstate weed chewing hick - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 12:34 pm:
Addleson imploded the Las Vegas Sands Casino in 1996 to build the massive and luxurious Venetian and Palazzo casinos and also ownes Sands-branded casinos in China and Singapore.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 12:50 pm:
As much as Adelson cares about Israel (and he actually set up his own newspaper/media company to bolster Netanyahu’s political prospects), I think the reason he is investing so much in potential GOP congresscritters like Jason is to get them to rewrite the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which has him in hot water for his dealings in his Macau casinos.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jul/17/inside-investigation-leading-republican-money-man-/
- Charlie Foxtrot - Friday, Oct 5, 12 @ 2:33 pm:
Walsh should take note of this ad as the type he can run against Duckworth–Blago appointee, etc.
Enyart is more vulnerable on his military record than Duckworth, though. When he was adjutant general he let it be known he was using his “political mojo” to get what he wanted (funding) out of Washington, which in reality didn’t amount to much. Illinois, for having a president, senate majority leader and an adjutant general with self acclaimed “political mojo” ranked very poorly compared to other states.