A McCain donor turns into an embarrassment

There’s an old saying that the only thing wrong with tainted money is that there “taint” enough of it.

That might work for universities and other institutions that grace their halls with the names of robber barons, but it’s trouble for political campaigns.

The McCain camp recognized that fact of life anew this week. The Washington Post reports that the campaign was stung by its ties to Oregon venture capitalist and political donor Craig Berkman, who was sued by former investors in a fraud case and ordered to pay $28 million in civil damages.

Berkman and his wife, the Post reports, donated $50,000 to Republican candidates and party committees this election cycle. That included a $28,500 check to the Republican National Committee’s Victory Fund on May 29 to support McCain’s presidential bid.

The McCain campaign has given its donations from Berkman to charity and will ask the Republican National Committee to do the same.

Berkman’s political generosity -- even as his financial empire was collapsing -- has angered his former investors. They have prevailed in court against Berkman but haven't received any of the $28 million in damages.

"Someone should ask John McCain: 'With all these folks in your campaign, you couldn't put his name into Google?' " Jordan Schnitzer, the head of an Oregon investment firm who says Berkman duped him, told the Post.

It’s hardly the first time in this presidential race that a candidate has been put on the defensive by a big benefactor with an unsavory past.

Barack Obama gave $160,000 to charity to distance himself from a onetime major fundraiser,  Chicago businessman Tony Rezko. Last month, Rezko was convicted of 16 counts in an influence-peddling scheme involving top Illinois state officials. Not to mention Hillary Rodham Clinton and her friend Norman Hsu.

-- Stuart Silverstein

Comments

[Oregon4Obama]

I hope John McCain does the right thing and distances himself from the person and his money.....

Do the right thing McCain and donate the money to charity.....

WE shall see

[dave]

'he who pays the piper calls the tune'
- the pied piper

irrelevant. those who tried to impose mccain and obama as presidential candidates, against the interests and even the overall consent of the american people, are in a position that affords them to create even hundreds of billions of fiat money as they wish (vide recent banking bailouts) and to spend as they deem fit for their purposes. these repetitive petty distractions with phony hypocritical and irrational moralizing etc. completely miss the point - and with full deliberation. these elections are about the liberties of the american people, and about the freedom of future generations in america, and the world over.

[Mitchell in NY]

It's amazing how early in this election McCain is feeling so desperate. Two days, two disgusting comments. (One questioning Obama's patriotism and one his sincerity about his opposition to genocide.) In the meantime McCain is getting his facts about Iraq wrong, again. Let's not forget who McCain is and the narrowness of his vision, both domestic and foreign.

On a list of a dozen reasons why McCain will lose, #3, #4, and #9.

3. The Last War Syndrome. McCain and the operatives running his campaign are like generals fighting the last war. They are still convinced that negative advertising will be as successful against Obama as it was against Kerry. However, “The Times They are A-Changin.” And this leads to the next factor.

4. The Change Factor: Hillary tried experience, but this race is about change and the future. McCain appears to be operating a time machine that has only a reverse gear.

9. The Skeleton Factor: The Keating Five and lobbyists, need I say more.

“A Dozen Reasons Why McCain Won’t Win: Money-Back Guarantee”
http://msa4.wordpress.com/