Focus on PACs – Deserve Victory PAC

Here’s another post in the continuing series of figuring out PAC contributions and expenditures to local candidates. Up front, I’ll go ahead and tell you that this issue really pisses me off.  I’ll also tell you that the Deserve Victory PAC had the best reporting compliance I’ve seen so far.

Last time, I did a Focus on STA PAC, which contributed to both Laura Hall ($2,000) and Sam Givhan ($10,000).  STA PAC is run by Rudolph Davidson of Birmingham.  As far as I can tell from the reports, some part of its’ contributions are from Drummond Company, a good part of its’ expenditures are to Democrats and Democrat PACs (when itemized – about 90% Democrat).

What I discovered is that:

1) the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office “is not required to audit reports. We are required by law to receive reports and make them available to the public”.

2) the numbers don’t have to add up, which means that a PAC doesn’t have to match itemized contributions or expenditures with their totals. For example, the STA PAC Annual Report of 01-31-2009 reported Contributions of $76,149 while providing itemization for only $12,000  of the money – meaning that no one but Rudy and the contributors know who actually funds the PAC. In the same report STA PAC itemized Expenditures of $1,000 while spending $80,250 (on what, only Rudy knows).

3) the reports don’t have to be complete.  This is the response I got from the SOS Office about an incomplete report: “I checked the ’08 Annual Report for STA.  There is no Form 5 on file.  The Form 5 was not attached to the report”. BTW, Form 5 lists Expenditures.

4) they don’t have to spell names correctly or consistently (an old obfuscation trick used by terrorists (“man-made disasterists”), defense contractors, and apparently, PACs). For example, Drummond can be spelled Drummons or Drummon; Paseur can be spelled Pastur.

Now, I’m NOT harshing on the Secretary of State’s Office – they are complying with the laws and doing their job and they were kind enough to respond to my queries.

But this situation really sucks. The public has no way of knowing who is really funding a candidate. The Campaign Finance Reports are inadequate and incomplete.

Now on to Deserve Victory PAC.

The Deserve Victory PAC is run by Claire H. Austin at P.O. Box 6302, Montgomery Alabama. She worked for Senator Sessions and was Attorney General Bill Pryor’s Campaign Manager. She also worked for Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign.

The latest report, the 10-Day dated 03-03-2009, shows a Beginning Balance of $978 plus Contributions of $8,350 plus In-Kind of $0 plus Receipts from Other Sources of $0 minus Expenditures of $8,100 for an Ending Balance of $1,228.

The Form 2 Contributions lists $8,100 from “Senate Majority PAC”.

The Form 5 Disbursements lists $6,100 for “Committee to Elect Sam Givhan”;  $2,000 to “TAGPAC”; and $250 for “Keahey for Senate” (Democratic candidate for State Senate 22); for a total of $8,350.

Looks like the contribution and expenditure amounts got transposed, which is sloppy, but at least Austin cared enough to make the the itemization and totals match.

The Deserve Victory PAC Annual Report, dated 01-31-2009, shows a Beginning Balance of $3,258 plus Contributions of $11,631 plus In-Kind of $0 plus Receipts from Other Sources of $0 minus Expenditures of $13,911 for an Ending Balance of $978.

The Form 2 Contributions lists Individual and Business contributors; plus the “Stephen Nodine Campaign” (R – Mobile County Commission District 2). The list totals $11,631 – a match!

The Form 5 Disbursements lists “Re-Elect Stephen Nodine”, “Mike Dean Campaign” (R – Mobile County Commission District 3), and “Ray for Judge” (GOP candidate in Montgomery).  The total is $13,831, which is within $70 of the $13,911 Form 1 Total – well within the $100 reporting “requirement” – outstanding!

Quick look at Senate Majority PAC, a big-money Democrat PAC run by Steve Raby here in Huntsville. Their latest Annual Report (dated 01-31-2009) shows contributions from A-VOTE ($50,000) and TN Valley Citizens PAC ($24,000).  The Annual Report shows expenditures to the AL Democratic Party ($3,500) and TRD PAC ($85,000).  BTW, TRD PAC is not listed at the SOS website under that name.

UPDATE: 

I am officially pissed off now.  The TRD PAC is listed as “Real Democrat PAC, The” run by Jyles Machen in Huntsville.  TRD PAC disbursed $100,000 to the Smithwick for School Board campaign (the false flag campaign that the Democrats ran).  PAC-to-PAC Transfers really chap my ass, plus to know that these sleazy primary-hijacking anti-democratic Democrats are in Huntsville bothers me…

Claire Austin - why take money from the Senate Majority PAC?  Did you know they were associated with the Smithwick hijacking?  Troubling…

UPDATE:

I called Claire Austin’s office for comment – I hope she decides to respond to my question…

Eschew Obfuscation – phrase attributed to NASA