ELECTION WATCH By Janet McMahon More Secretive Than Stealth PACs: Super PACs and 501(c)(4)s Financing 2012 Presidential Race ith the exception of a measly W$250 given to former Republi - TOP TEN 2012 AND CAREER RECIPIENTS OF can presidential candidate and self- PRO -I SRAEL PAC F UNDS proclaimed intellectual Newt Gingrich, the two dozen-plus pro-Israel political Compiled by Hugh Galford action committees (PACs) whose con - tributions to 2012 federal candidates HOUSE: CURRENT RACES SENATE: CURRENT RACES are summarized on these pages made no contributions to candidates for the Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) $49,500 Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) $63,500 highest office of all —the presidency of Engel, Eliot L. (D-NY) 31,000 Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA) 60,400 the United States. That this is not an Rothman, Steven R. (D-NJ) 30,000 Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD) 55,680 anomaly points to the fact that, as far Hoyer, Steny H. (D-MD) 29,250 Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) 55,000 as Israel is concerned, Congress is Berman, Howard L. (D-CA) 25,500 Klobuchar, Amy J. (D-MN) 45,000 where the action is —at least when it Wasserman-Schultz, Debbie (D-FL) 21,000 McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) 44,500 comes to money. Not only do the for - Lowey, Nita M. (D-NY) 18,000 Nelson, Bill (D-FL) 43,650 eign country’s acolytes in the House Andrews, Robert E. (D-NJ) 16,500 Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) 39,800 and Senate make sure that Israel re - Smith, D. Adam (D-WA) 14,250 Whitehouse, Sheldon, II (D-RI) 36,500 ceives a minimum of $3 billion a year Rogers, Michael D. (R-AL) 14,000 Tester, Jon (D-MT) 30,500 in American taxpayer money, how - ever. They also can be of help in a myriad of other ways, from lobbying the president or tying his hands to House: Career Totals Senate: Career Totals inviting Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to address a joint Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) $389,555 Levin, Carl (D-MI) $729,937 session of Congress so U.S. lawmakers Engel, Eliot L. (D-NY) 300,418 Harkin, Thomas R. (D-IA) 552,950 can demonstrate their obeisance by Hoyer, Steny H. (D-MD) 264,525 Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) 503,578 jumping up and down with Tom Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 258,240 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) 498,141 Cruise-like enthusiasm. Cantor, Eric I. (R-VA) 219,230 Reid, Harry (D-NV) 393,001 But these pro-Israel PACs with Lowey, Nita M. (D-NY) 195,238 Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL) 375,421 misleading monikers (e.g., National Berman, Howard L. (D-CA) 150,050 Lieberman, Joseph I. (Ind.-CT) 366,851 Action Committee, to name the Burton, Danny L. (R-IN) 149,336 Baucus, Max (D-MT) 351,648 largest) no longer are the only game Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) 132,800 Wyden, Ronald L. (D-OR) 345,962 in town. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Rothman, Steven R. (D-NJ) 113,503 Kirk, Mark (R-IL) 337,386 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) has re - sulted in the rapid proliferation of so- appears to donate to itself, so its Super to former governor and current Senate called Super PACs and 501(c)(4) “social PAC disclosure is of little use —but at candidate Tim Kaine (D-VA) and $427,939 welfare” organizations. Unlike PACs, nei - least its name identifies its agenda). on behalf of former Rep. and current Sen - ther type of group can contribute di - According to the Center for Responsive ate candidate Heather Wilson (R-NM). rectly to a candidate for federal office; in - Politics (<www.opensecrets.org>), as of Where does this leave the American stead they may make “independent” ex - Aug. 26 the two Super PACs which sup - voter? More than ever, in the dark. While penditures on behalf of or opposing a port Gov. Mitt Romney, Restore Our Fu - the media have reported on billionaire given candidate —most commonly in the ture and Citizens for a Working America casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s millions form of television and newspaper ads. PAC, have spent a total of $82.9 million, of dollars in contributions to, first, Gin - Like all political action committees, while the two supporting President grich’s Super PAC and, when that didn’t Super PACs are required to list their Barack Obama, Priorites USA Action and work out, Romney’s —after the would-be donors in FEC filings. 501(c)(4) organiza - 1911 United, have spent $22.1 million. U.S. president flew to Las Vegas to be vet - tions, however, are not. This has resulted Karl Rove’s Super PAC, American Cross - ted as a devoted supporter of Israel —any in many Super PACs forming affiliated roads, has made $9.2 million in indepen - more millions Adelson might donate to 501(c)(4) groups —like, for example, the dent expenditures against President 501(c)(4)s can remain forever secret. So the Emergency Committee for Israel (which Obama and $57,500 on behalf of Gover - figures that appear on these pages no nor Romney. It also has spent money for longer indicate the extent of campaign Janet McMahon is managing editor of the or against a dozen House and Senate can - contributions on behalf of a foreign gov - Washington Report. didates, including $728,650 in opposition ernment. The words of Thomas Jefferson 22 THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2012 never were more true than they are today: pro-Israel PAC contributions than any sional district, is running for Akaka’s “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” other member of the House or any cur - Senate seat, and has received $5,000 in rent candidate for the Senate), New Jer - pro-Israel PAC contributions. Her Repub - Odds and Ends sey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, lican opponent, however, has received As mentioned above, pro-Israel PAC Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Go figure. $25,000 from pro-Israel PACs! names are misleadingly innocuous. One Another characteristic of pro-Israel But there’s an explanation. Linda Lin - would think, however, that when given PACs is that they prefer to donate to in - gle was governor of Hawaii from 2002 to the chance they would make some stab at cumbants rather than challengers (hence 2010. She was the first Republican gover - credibility. For instance, not one penny their $16,000 to Republican Sen. Scott nor since 1962 —as well as the only fe - of the $55,680 donated by pro-Israel Brown of Massachusetts versus $2,000 to male and only Jewish governor of the PACs to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) for his his Democratic challenger, Elizabeth 50th state. She defeated then-Lieutenant seemingly shoo-in bid for re-election — Warren —this despite the fact that Brown Governor Hirono in the 2002 gubernator - Cardin has raised nearly $6 million to his received only $4,000 in 2010, when he ial contest. A resident of Hawaii since the Republican opponent Daniel Bongino’s defeated Democratic favorite Martha 1970s, Lingle previously served as mayor $473,091 and Independant candidate Coakley, who received $17,000 from pro- and council member of Maui County and Rob Sobhani’s $227,205 —came from the Israel PACs in the contest for the late Ed - chair of the Hawaii Republican Party. Maryland Association for Concerned Citi - ward Kennedy’s open Senate seat). Active in the Republican Jewish Coali - zens. Instead the pro-Israel PAC from So we were startled by the figures in tion, Lingle was appointed by former Cardin’s home state gave to House and the race for another open Senate seat — President George W. Bush as an honorary Senate candidates in Arizona, California, this one in Hawaii, where Democratic in - delegate on Bush’s trip to Jerusalem to Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, cumbent Sen. Daniel K. Akaka is retiring. celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary. Minnesota, Nevada (Shelley Berkley, Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono, who cur - Looks like in Hawaii there’s not much natch, who has received more money in rently represents Hawaii’s 2nd congres - to figure out after all. K PRO -I SRAEL PAC C ONTRIBUTIONS TO 2012 C ONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES 2011-2012 State Office District Candidate Party Status Contributions Career Committees Alabama H1Bonner, Josia R. RI 2,500 13,650 A(D) H2Roby, Martha RI 2,500 2,500 AS H3Rogers, Michael D. RI 14,000 32,325 AS, HS, I H6Bachus, Spencer T., III RI 5,000 24,500 Arizona S Flake, Jeff*# RO 7,500 8,250 A H2Barber, Ronald † DI 1,000 1,000 H3Grijalva, Raúl M. DI 4,000 10,000 H6Schweikert, David RI 1,000 1,000 H7Pastor, Ed L. DI 1,000 4,800 A H9Cherny, Andrei DO 2,000 2,000 California S Feinstein, Dianne* DI 10,000 157,342 A(D), I H2Woolsey, Lynn C. DN 2,500 6,000 H3Garamendi, John DI 5,500 5,500 AS H5Thompson, Mike DI 2,500 3,500 W H7Bera, Ami DC 2,500 6,700 H9McNerney, Jerry DI 4,000 31,100 H 11 Miller, George DI 2,500 11,693 H 12 Pelosi, Nancy DI 10,500 132,800 Min. Ldr. H 13 Lee, Barbara DI 2,000 2,000 A H 14 Speier, Jackie DI 3,000 7,000 AS H 16 Costa, Jim DI 5,000 23,500 H 17 Honda, Mike DI 2,500 12,500 A, B H 18 Eshoo, Anna DI 2,500 6,750 C H 19 Lofgren, Zoe DI 2,500 4,250 H 20 Farr, Sam DI 2,500 11,650 A H 23 McCarthy, Kevin RI 7,500 9,000 Maj.