KANSAS' KEVIN YODER & THE GRAVEY TRAIN

Third District Freshman, Kevin Yoder, has earned a dubious distinction in D.C.  A collaborative reporting effort by OpenSecrets.org and The Fiscal Times lists Yoder as being in the top ten of House GOP freshmen who raised the largest share of PAC money throughout the 2010 election cycle.  Yoder came in eighth place.  He hauled in $448,525 from PACs.  The full report is on the OpenSecrets Blog at: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/04/congressional-freshmen-saddled-with.html.

Yoder's been no slouch pacing his D.C. fundraising efforts through his first year in office. According to the Sunlight Foundation's Political Party Time Yoder has held four events.  On March 8th Yoder shared the limelight, but not the loot, with Illinois Republican Robert Dold and Arizona Republican Ben Quayle, son of former Vice President Dan Quayle.

Actually there was no limelight.  The dinner was held at a private residence within walking distance just northeast of the Capitol and a stone's throw from D.C.'s Stanton Park.  It is a typical Washington row house, built in 1910.  It has 6 bedrooms with 4½ baths.  That's good because you wouldn't want D.C. fat cats waiting in line at the john at this cozy soiree.

On April Fool's day Yoder wasn't pulling any pranks.  He took his "give me the money" campaign to another private residence.  This time he went just southeast from the Capitol to 412 First Street Southeast, a 3 bedroom 3 bath townhome.

May 12th Kevin Yoder took another stroll to pick up money.  The Fluor Corporation has a really nice townhouse at 403 East Capitol Street Southeast.  Just east of the Capitol this three story townhouse was built in 1850, has 7 bedrooms, and 5½ baths.  This dinner was hosted by Procter & Gamble, which has a sizeable plant at 1900 Kansas Avenue  in K.C.

Other hosts include John Simmons and Donna Stephens.  Simmons is a lobbyist at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld, LLP. The Fluor Corporation is represented by Akin, Gump, et al.  Simmons is a former staffer for New York Republican Representative James T. Walsh.  Walsh retired at the end of the 110th Congress. Donna Stephens is a lobbyist for the Bayer Corporation which has two facilities in Yoder's district, an animal healthcare plant at 12707 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee Mission and a crop science facility at 17745 Metcalf Avenue in Stilwell.

Yoder emerged from his residential fundraising tour on May 25th going to the Republican's home base, the Capitol Hill Club.  This luncheon featured Alabama's Republican Representative Spencer Bachus.  Bachus voted for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, believe helped create the 2007 financial crisis.  Bachus was also playing the market in 2007.  Wikipedia reports at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Bachus, that:

"In 2007, Bachus made trades with a number of short term stock options, betting that stocks would rise or fall for a quick profit or loss. Bachus made up to $160,000, including a bet in March that the stock market would drop that earned him between $15,000 and $50,000. Most members of Congress hold some stocks or mutual funds, but Bachus' rapid-fire trades are unusual for a leading member of Congress, particularly one with the key role of ranking member of the House Committee on Financial Services."

That's some "Special Guest" Yoder has in Spencer Bachus.  The going rate for the privilege of attending the events is $2,000 for a PAC Host; $1,000 for a Personal Host; $1,000 for a PAC lobbyist to attend; and $500 for person to attend.  

NEWLY ELECTED REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE ARE PRETENDING TO BE THE "NEW AMERICAN MAJORITY" BY HONKERING DOWN WITH THE OLD GUARD - CHANGE YOU CAN DISBELIEVE IN

A new beast is on the streets of the nation's capitol prowling for funds to sate the appetite of incoming Republican Members of Congress for campaign cash. America's New Majority PAC was formed November 16, 2010. According to FEC filings their address was 2150 River Plaza Drive, Suite 150 Sacramento, California. That, amazingly, is the address of JEFF PAC, but more on that later

The e-mail contact for America's New Majority PAC, on the FEC filings is David@the agency.us. Don't go getting all conspiratorial about this. The agency in this case is not "the Agency" or the CIA as your fears may suggest. No this is the unique web address for the Wayne Johnson (not John Wayne) agency out in California.

According to their FEC filings America's New Majority's function is that "[t]his committee collects contributions, pays fundraising expenses and disburses net proceeds for two or more political committees/organizations, at least one of which is an authorized committee of a federal candidate."

The first campaign committee, and the only one on the original filings, associated with America's New Majority is the Denham for Congress Committee. That is Jeff Denham, of JEFF PAC, the newly elected Republican Representative to California's 19th Congressional District. Incumbent Republican Representative George Radanovich announced his retirement December 29, 2009.

Denham, who enters Congress with not only his own PAC, JEFF PAC, but also his own Joint Fundraising Committee, America's New Majority, defeated Democratic candidate Lorain Goodwin. In that race Denham raised $1,241,895, spent $1,176,631, and ended up with $63,561. Goodwin raised $44,492, spent $46,862, which left her in the hole to the tune of $2,370.00. She should be having a debt retirement party, but campaign finance doesn't reward the losers.

In what appears to be a glaring error in the original filing paperwork with the FEC America's New Majority answered question 6 " Name of Any Connected Organization, Affiliated Committee, Joint Fundraising Representative, or Leadership PAC Sponsor" with the answer "None". Now remember that Jeff Denham, of JEFF PAC, and also of Denham for Congress signed this paperwork.

An amended Statement of Organization was filed December 10, 2010. There are some insightful changes as to the nature of the beast. The e-mail for the contact person has changed to kdavis@hdafec.com. That is the e-mail address for Keith A. Davis, a partner in the political accounting firm of Huckaby Davis Lisker. Keith A. Davis is the new treasurer of America's New Majority.

On the amended filing more Congressional campaign committees joined the list as participants in joint fundraisers, they are: Friends of Scott DeJarlais, Dold for Congress, and Renee Ellmers for Congress Committee, , Landry for Louisiana, Marino for Congress, Tom Reed for Congress, David Rivera for Congress, Jon Runyon for Congress Inc., Southerland for Congress, Stutzman for Congress, Yoder for Congress, and JEFF PAC.

Okay, so besides Jeff Denham who are these new Republicans trying to fly deftly in the fine print beneath the radar screen? Steve Southerland is the Republican Representative-elect from Florida's 1st Congressional District. Robert Dold is the Republican Representative -elect from Illinois' 10th Congressional District. Marlin Stutzman is the Tea Party loser to Republican Senator-elect Dan Coates of Indiana, and the man who won for the Republicans the Congressional race in Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. Stutzman succeeds disgraced Republican Representative Mark Souder who admitted to hanky panky with a female staffer. Kevin Yoder is the Republican Representative-elect from Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. Jeff Landry is the Republican Representative-elect from Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District. Renee Ellmers is the Republican Representative-elect from North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District. Jon Runyon is the Republican Representative-elect from New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. Tom Reed is the newly elected Republican Member of Congress for New York's 29th Congressional District. Reed won a special election and took office in November. Tom Marino is the Republican Representative-elect for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District. Scott DesJarlais is a medical doctor and Republican Representative-elect from Tennessee's 4th Congressional District. David Rivera is the Republican Representative-elect from Florida's 25th Congressional District.

America's New Majority has put together a gala courtesy of the Hammond Group's Tom Hammond and Meredith Hurt. This extravaganza will feature "Special Music Performance by Grammy Award Winner Leann Rimes" at the "Hotel W" in D.C. on January 4, 2011. The event is "Presenting Speaker Designate John Boehner, Majority Leader Elect Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Elect Kevin McCarty and NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions." The invitation may be viewed on the Sunlight Foundation's Party Time page: http://politicalpartytime.org/party/24189/#invite.

Jeff Denham, Steve Southerland, Robert Dold, Marlin Stutzman, Kevin Yoder, Jeff Landry, Renee Ellmers, Jon Runyon, Tom Reed, Tom Marino, and Scott DesJarlais represent change that does not change. They have managed to honker down with the business as usual crowd of old school Republicans, the firm of Huckaby Davis Lisker.

It may be easier to answer the question of who in Republican circles Huckaby Davis Lisker doesn't represent. These are the people who keep the books on the GOP's movers and shakers. They are currently the accounting firm for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. For Campaign 2010 the NRCC paid Huckaby Davis Lisker $230,307 for compliance consulting, according to OpenSecrets.com. See, http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/expenddetail.php?cmte=NRCC&txt=Huckaby+Davis+Lisker&cycle=2010.

Now, remember that Huckaby Davis Lister's Keith A. Davis, the treasurer of America's New Majority, replaced Christopher T. Parana as treasurer at the NRCC following a financial scandal.

Politico reported in 2008 that "Parana took over from Christopher J. Ward as the committee treasurer in 2007, according to other FEC filings. Ward is at the center of an internal investigation stemming from a forged audit the committee sent Wachovia, its principal lender during the 2006 election cycle. The committee has alerted the FBI about the irregularities, but many details of the investigation remain unknown."

Keith Davis was also the assistant treasurer for President George Herbert Walker Bush's two presidential campaigns. He worked on President George W. Bush's campaign in 2004. He has also advised former Texas Senator Phil Graham, Arizona Senator John McCain, along with numerous Republican House members, Arkansas' Mike Huckabee, and Republican PACs.

If you are going to change the way Washington is doing business then you have to change the persons and firms with whom you are doing business in Washington. As the old adage says "birds of a feather will flock together" and these new Republicans are showing that they flock with the likes of the entrenched business as usual crowd.

The American people are shifting paradigmatically. They want government to work for them, not the special interests. Our elected officials, resembling the tail of a comet, are lagging far behind in outer space. When candidates run on issues of change only to honker down at the same feeding trough where their predecessors fattened up, then change is not forthcoming.

Huckaby Davis Lister is a premiere accounting firm on the Republican side of the equation. They deal in compliance. They have won an Aristotle, as Oscar-like award for excellence given out by the American Association of Political Consultants. The Democrats have winners too. Xavier Martinez of Martinez & Associates in Escondido, CA and Brett Smiley of Campaign Finance Officers, LLC from Providence, RI took home Aristotles for their work on behalf of Democrats.

Working within the system is only defensible as an element of change when the elected politician actively works to change the system. The biggest problem we face in Congress today is the corrupting influence of excessive campaign cash being made available by corporate interests, fuzzy PACs, Joint Fundraising Committees, and Dark Interests which evade any real accountability.

Corporations do not have a soul to save, a butt to kick, or a vote to cast. Corporations should have no voice in the election of state or federal officials. The only persons who should be allowed to contribute to political campaigns are registered voters. When we get a Constitutional Amendment making that the law of the land then you will see change.