{"id":72365,"date":"2015-08-07T07:38:51","date_gmt":"2015-08-07T13:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=72365"},"modified":"2016-10-12T13:12:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T19:12:34","slug":"in-republican-debate-little-talk-about-big-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2015\/08\/in-republican-debate-little-talk-about-big-money\/","title":{"rendered":"In Republican debate, little talk about big money"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/08\/01\/17748\/super-pac-doppelgangers-eclipse-candidates-campaign-money-chase\" target=\"_blank\">Super PACs<\/a> running presidential shadow campaigns? Nary a word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2014\/12\/17\/16527\/new-fec-chief-dark-money-mission\" target=\"_blank\">Dark money<\/a>\u201d nonprofits pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into politics? Nada.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72372\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/gageskidmore\/5440990018\/in\/photolist-9hNuLJ-9hKrun-9hHqDv-9hLwdw-9hNwso-9hHpJr-9hLx6s-9hLwSC-9hKpTt-9hKraP-9hNwi1-9hKp4g-9hNvWh-HkLZL-2oQiC-9KUYs-9hLxAs-9VjNra-9KD2oX-qu7Gu-9rmBGH-9VT6fh-uooUsi-5RhK99-9hNwCN-9hKpmZ-9hNvfQ-9hKrPH-9hNvzC-9hKoVK-9hKrkx-9u7qjZ-9rd77n-xRyc1-9rknN8-5KnqeT-9rphtQ-9wtCb2-9uayT3-9FTZtY-fNcrqH-vPTJzZ-6Rnrkd-5Dd1xc-bXt9R-4r8psj-vGv8u-uT5y6P-vMTbLN-9DncXb\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-72372\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-336x215.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cI give to everybody. When they call, I give,\u201d Donald Trump said at Thursday's debate, quickly adding that he considers the nation\u2019s political money system a \u201cbroken system.\u201d Trump is shown here speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington in 2011. (Photo CC info)\" width=\"336\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-336x215.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-768x493.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-771x494.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-1170x750.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald-780x500.jpg 780w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Trump-Donald.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Gage Skidmore \/ Creative Commons<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cI give to everybody. When they call, I give,\u201d Donald Trump said at Thursday&#8217;s debate, quickly adding that he considers the nation\u2019s political money system a \u201cbroken system.\u201d Trump is shown here speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington in 2011. (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\">Photo CC info<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Seventeen Republican presidential candidates \u2014 10 in a main event, seven in an undercard \u2014\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2015\/08\/republican-debate-donald-trump-121114.html?hp=t4_r\" target=\"_blank\">gathered Thursday in Cleveland<\/a> and largely avoided debating several weighty campaign finance issues that have already dominated Election 2016.<\/p>\n<p>But there were a few exceptions amid their\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/republican-debate-election-2016-cleveland\/?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news\" target=\"_blank\">sparring<\/a> over foreign policy, social issues, immigration and education.<\/p>\n<p>Midway through the debate, Fox News co-moderator Bret Baier explained that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/06\/16\/17488\/9-things-know-about-donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> has given money to numerous Democrats over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Baier then noted that Trump has previously stated that politicians do favors for contributions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou better believe it,\u201d Trump told Baier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI give to everybody. When they call, I give,\u201d Trump said, quickly adding that he considers the nation\u2019s political money system a \u201cbroken system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump said that a <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/3988313\/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-wedding\/\" target=\"_blank\">decade ago<\/a>, after he made a donation to Democratic presidential frontrunner <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/04\/12\/17107\/12-things-know-about-hillary-clinton\" target=\"_blank\">Hillary Clinton<\/a>, then a senator, he asked Clinton to come to his wedding.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This story is from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Center for Public Integrity<\/a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington, D.C.\u00a0<a title=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/ Ctrl+Click or tap to follow the link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more<\/a>\u00a0of their investigations on the influence of money in politics or follow them on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/publici\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cShe had no choice, because I gave,\u201d Trump said. (A Clinton aide <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/amychozick\/status\/629483730172837889\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>\u00a0Trump&#8217;s assertion was &#8220;ridiculous&#8221; and &#8220;hurt&#8221; Clinton&#8217;s feelings.)<\/p>\n<p>Trump then noted that he\u2019s given money to some of the nine presidential hopefuls on the stage with him during the two-hour debate at Quicken Loans Arena.<\/p>\n<p>Former Arkansas Gov. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/05\/05\/17180\/9-things-know-about-mike-huckabee\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Huckabee<\/a>, however, interrupted him, saying he hasn\u2019t received a contribution from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re welcome to give me a check, Donald, if you want,\u201d Huckabee said.<\/p>\n<p>Left unsaid between the two White House hopefuls: According to federal campaign finance records, Trump in 2012 made a $2,500 to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huckpac.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Huck PAC<\/a>, a political action committee led by Huckabee.<\/p>\n<p>In another exchange, New Jersey Gov. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/06\/30\/17582\/9-things-know-about-chris-christie\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Christie<\/a> poked at Sen. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/04\/07\/17068\/12-things-know-about-rand-paul\" target=\"_blank\">Rand Paul<\/a>\u00a0of Kentucky for giving speeches on the floor of the U.S. Senate \u2014 then quickly posting the videos online and fundraising off of them.<\/p>\n<p>Paul didn\u2019t immediately have an opportunity to respond, and the two politicians never returned to the issue.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>From January through June, three dozen presidential candidate-backing super PACs collectively raised more than $266 million while the campaigns of 2016 presidential hopefuls collectively raised just half that much \u2014 about $130 million \u2014 according to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/08\/01\/17748\/super-pac-doppelgangers-eclipse-candidates-campaign-money-chase\" target=\"_blank\">Center for Public Integrity<\/a> review.<\/p>\n<p>Election 2016 is on pace to easily become the most expensive federal election in U.S. history.<\/p>\n<p>K Street wasn\u2019t a major focus of either debate. But Washington, D.C.\u2019s lobbying class didn\u2019t escape completely unscathed.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a candidate who will \u201cget in bed with the lobbyists and the special interest \u2026 then I\u2019m not your guy,\u201d Sen. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/03\/23\/16947\/ted-cruzs-presidential-cash-hunt-commences\" target=\"_blank\">Ted Cruz<\/a> of Texas said.<\/p>\n<p>During Thursday afternoon\u2019s warm-up debate, featuring seven Republicans whose poll numbers ranged from dismal to virtually nonexistent, former New York Gov. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/05\/28\/17396\/9-things-know-about-george-pataki\" target=\"_blank\">George Pataki<\/a> took a swipe at the \u201ccrony capitalism\u201d of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a place, he said, where \u201clobbyists and the powerful can get tax breaks and tax credits, and the American people don&#8217;t get laws in their interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pataki added that he can change the situation: \u201cI can do that. And I can do it regardless of what the makeup of Congress is because I did it in New York state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/05\/04\/17278\/12-things-know-about-carly-fiorina\" target=\"_blank\">Carly Fiorina<\/a> at one point noted that she \u2014 unlike Trump \u2014 has not received a personal phone call this year from former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe it&#8217;s because I hadn&#8217;t given money to the [Clinton] Foundation or donated to his wife&#8217;s Senate campaign,\u201d Fiorina snarked.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, of course, wasn\u2019t around to argue.<\/p>\n<p>Co-moderator Bill Hemmer noted to former Virginia Gov. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2015\/07\/30\/17696\/9-things-know-about-jim-gilmore\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Gilmore<\/a> that Clinton said she wouldn\u2019t nominate someone to the Supreme Court who supported the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision.<\/p>\n<p>Gilmore said he would appoint people to the Supreme Court who \u201cwould follow the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what of Clinton?<\/p>\n<p>She sent an email to supporters Thursday night saying she wasn\u2019t watching the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, she was fundraising off it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to take a moment to ask you to chip in $1 or more right now to fight for the vision you and I share,\u201d Clinton wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump says the nation&#8217;s campaign funding system is &#8216;broken,&#8217; but other presidential hopefuls largely avoid the issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[708,3307,705,226,194,116],"class_list":["post-72365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2016-election","tag-donald-trump","tag-money-in-politics","tag-presidential-race","tag-republican-party","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}