Corporate Contributions Help Fund Convention Activities
Last night, both ABC and NBC ran stories on corporate funding of convention functions. ABC reported that "in 1992, private corporations contributed about $6 million to the Democratic convention.Here in Boston, that number is somewhere north of $40 million. And it will be pretty much the same with the Republicans when we get to New York City next month. These conventions are attracting increasingly, increasingly big money because of a loophole in the law that allows companies to spend as much as they want here at convention time." ABC added, "Under the laws of Congress, none of these companies has to ever disclose how much they're spending to make friends and influence people." NBC took a more balanced look at the issue, reporting that big labor unions and wealthy, liberal individuals were also spending lavishly on the convention delegates.
Democrats Using Events To Target Youth Vote.
The Dallas Morning News reports that "from star-studded galas at trendy nightclubs to painstaking get-out-the-vote workshops, Democratic calendars are packed here this week with events aimed at snagging as many 18- to-24-year-old voters as possible – perhaps enough to swing what is expected to be another razor-thin presidential election." According to Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, "The party is training 5,000 young people daily to help in the voter mobilization effort." And, "It's not just the party getting in on the act. Hollywood celebrities such as Ben Affleck and Natalie Portman are joining rap stars, rock musicians and pro wrestlers in a blitz of parties, concerts and voter registration drives."
