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MIKE ALLEN | 7/17/09 5:07 AM EDT Updated: 7/17/09 2:28 PM EDT Text Size * - * + * reset David Keene is seen in his Washington Office. The American Conservative Union's remarkable demand is contained in a private letter to FedEx provided to POLITICO.
FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group's support in a bitter legislative dispute, then the group's chairman flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.
conservative group's remarkable demand -- black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as "pay for play" -- was contained in a private letter to FedEx , which was provided to POLITICO. The letter exposes the practice by some political interest groups of taking stands not for reasons of pure principle, as their members and supporters might assume, but also in part because a sponsor is paying big money.
Maury Lane, FedEx's director of corporate communications, said: "Clearly, the ACU shopped their beliefs and UPS bought." ACU's executive vice president, Dennis Whitfield, said that neither the group nor David Keene, the chairman, took any money from UPS. Whitfield said the group has never received a response to its original proposal to FedEx. He said Keene endorsed the second letter as an individual, even though the letter bore the logo of ACU. "Our position hasn't changed," said Whitfield, who was a deputy secretary of labor in the Reagan administration.
FedEx and UPS, fierce competitors in the package delivery business, are at war over a provision under consideration in Congress that would expand union power at FedEx. FedEx currently has one US union contract for its entire express business. Under a change passed by the House and awaiting action in the Senate, FedEx -- like UPS -- would have to negotiate union contracts for individual locations, which FedEx claims would make it much more difficult to promise worldwide regularity for deliveries. The American Conservative Union, which calls itself "the nation's oldest and largest grass-roots conservative lobbying organization," took UPS's side on Wednesday as part of a conservative consortium that accused FedEx of "misleading the public and legislators." ACU's logo is at the top of the letter, along with those of six other conservative groups. Just two weeks earlier, ACU had offered its endorsement to FedEx, saying in a letter to the company: "We stand with FedEx in opposition to this legislation." "If we incorporate the targeted, senator-personalized radio effort into the plan, you can figure an additional $125,000 on average, per state" for an estimated 10 states. The letter shows one reason why activists get so much junk mail, both on paper and electronically: Some groups that send it charge handsomely for the service. Under the grass-roots program ACU proposed, "Each person will be contacted a total of seven times totaling nearly 11 million contacts total in the 10 targeted states." "Within 72 hours of an agreement on the whole plan, we can have the data sets delivered and the first round of e-mail ready for delivery," the offer states. "Within seven days, the mail can be in the USPS system and the phone call delivered."
com) Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money. And folks look, AARP knows and the people with me here today know, the president knows, and I know, that the status quo is simply not acceptable, Biden said at the event on Thursday in Alexandria, Va. Now, people when I say that look at me and say, What are you talking about, Joe? Youre telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt? You all know that personally they way to keep from going bankrupt is to stop spending, but these guys think just the opposite. This is all about the failure that is Keynesian economics. Like most liberal theories, it sounds like it might work, but when the rubber meets the road it proves a miserable failure. The one thing the Keynesian economic theory has been successful at though is ushering in the era of Socialism in America. And for Progressives and Libs that's as good as a sound economic policy any day. Joe is right on one thing though, we are going bankrupt as a nation. Hyper-inflating our fiat dollar will probably be the thing that gets us out of this mess, but they don't want to play that card too early. There is still plenty of value to wring from the dollar before they destroy it in favor of a one world currency, which they will of course grudgingly accept when the time comes.
Since it isn't written on one of your hot button topics that engage your narrow mind, we won't be hearing from you on this one. I'm sure this all works both ways, and left wing groups probably do the same thing, but the right wingers can't admit such after reading something which might point out negatives of the democrats, which they pounce on and spend five straight days posting on.
Here is how the ACU describes itself on its Homepage in "About US". Overview The American Conservative Union is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots conservative lobbying organization. The way they exist is primarily from working with politicians after they are hired by a client. They contacted FedEx and offered to lobby on their behalf. Its Michael Jordan deciding to play for the Bulls or the Wizards; You do something for me (cash or otherwise) and I can make something happen for you. This is typically a rather "embarrassing" political favor done between two politicians, or a politician and a corporation. "Donate to my campaign, and I'll see you get the contract". Or in a recent versions, "Get me a job making over $250,000 and I will appoint your preference as Senator from my state. That is worth a lot, and I am going to get something for it." And there are lobbying firms that specialize in lobbying for left-wing groups as well. Hiring a lobbying firm is like hiring an advertising company to develop ad campagns and buy ad time. They know how to do it and do it more effectively, while you concentrate on you business. These people "KNOW" Republicans, but the are not part of the Republican Party. And since they will work for ANYONE, it is hard to even characterize them as "Conservative". They probably do specialize in lobbying Republicans, but they will lobby any politician for just about any client. Now, if they gave a politican a bribe, then that would be a bit, shall we say, illegal? But I don't think that they donate anything more that the legally authorized limits established by teh FEC to any political campaign or party. You can certainly oppose lobbying companies if you dislike that "dirty business". But these guys are no different than any other lobbying company. They say them are: "ADA is America's most experienced independent liberal lobbying organization. In the spirit of the New Deal and ADA founders Eleanor Roosevelt, renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, and former Senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey we lobby through coalition partnerships, through direct advocacy, and through the media. And both even have staff that specializes in lobbying the opposition party as well.
Did you watch the recent election, where my North Carolina (where FedEx is putting its new hub) voted for Obama and tossed out Senator Elizabeth in favor of moderate Democrat Kay Hagan.
The sad part is that FedEx works so well, is so "un-broke", that Congress feels a need to "fix" it. If the opposite of pro is con, what is the opposite of progress?
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