Stop Marsha!

Blackburn gets little Shelby cash

2006-07-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Blackburn gets little Shelby cash

By Bartholomew Sullivansullivanb@shns.com July 29, 2006

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn's most recent pre-primary disclosure report to the Federal Election Commission says she raised $270,989 from more than 300 contributors, but only $2,358 -- less than one percent -- came from six entities based in Shelby County.

Blackburn, a Republican whose district stretches from the eastern suburbs of Memphis to the suburbs of Nashville, paid her son-in-law's firm another $17,272 in the second quarter for fund-raising consulting services, the report says. The company, Political Concepts LLC, had previously received more than $123,000 from her campaign and leadership committees since she was elected in 2002.

Blackburn is unopposed in next Thursday's GOP primary, but will face either Democrat accountant Randy G. Morris of Waynesboro or school teacher Bill Morrison of Bartlett in November's general election. She did not respond to e-mail and phone messages Friday seeking comment.

"I think her fund-raising speaks for itself, where her interests lie," Morrison said Friday. "Marsha doesn't represent anybody in the Seventh District anymore."

Said Morris: "She's representing people outside the Seventh District. ... She represents the Republican Party."

FEC filings indicate Morrison has raised $13,873, has spent $13,495, and has just $426 in cash on hand. He started the April 1-July 14 disclosure period with $46. Morris hasn't filed an FEC report.

Blackburn's April-July report indicates she has $820,957 in cash on hand. She filed three supplemental reports this week for contributions totaling another $16,000, more than half from political action committees.

In fact, Blackburn received a large amount of her money this period from 74 entities with Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia addresses. Many came from lobbying firms or business-specific political action committees.

Her report also indicates that she has continued to pay the company created by her son-in-law, Paul J. Ketchel III, for fund-raising consulting services. The Commercial Appeal reported in February that Political Concepts LLC had received more than $123,000 since Blackburn's 2002 election to Congress. There is nothing illegal about paying family members for campaign work.

In addition to her campaign account, Blackburn's leadership political action committee, WedgePAC, reported this month that it has $72,255 in cash on hand. She reported a $5,000 contribution from FedEx's Washington-based PAC in her June report filed July 20. WedgePAC contributed $500 to the campaign of a first-term Washington state congressional candidate.

Morrison's FEC report, filed July 14, shows that he received more than a third of his campaign money -- $5,000 -- from the Upper Marlboro, Md.-based Machinists Non-Partisan Political League Multi-Candidate Committee. Among his other contributions were from lawyers in Bolivar and Arlington, a union rep and a psychotherapist from Whiteville, and from retirees in Brentwood and Cordova.

Blackburn's Shelby County contributors were real estate agents in Lakeland and Cordova, an engineer in Germantown, an investor in Memphis, someone with timber farming interests in Memphis and the Hardwood Federation PAC.

Contact Washington correspondent Bartholomew Sullivan at (202) 408-2726.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_4878801,00.html

Blackburn pays fine in funds dispute

2006-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Blackburn pays fine in funds dispute

By Bartholomew Sullivansullivanb@shns.com April 25, 2006

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn's campaign committee paid a $1,500 fine and entered into a negotiated settlement in a dispute with the Federal Elections Commission last month after an inquiry found the committee underreported contributions by more than $61,800.

The FEC also found that Blackburn's committee failed to accurately report $50,046 in disbursements. The campaign committee's Nashville lawyer, Kline Preston, signed the agreement with the FEC in which the reporting errors are referred to as an "inadvertent violation" of federal election laws due to "inexperienced staff." Corrected reports were later submitted.

Blackburn, R-Tenn., is seeking her third term in a district that includes parts of eastern Shelby County. Neither her congressional press spokesman nor Preston responded to requests for comment Monday.

The $1,500 payment to the FEC is noted in Blackburn's April quarterly filing to the FEC with the reference "Other: ADR," an abbreviation for alternative dispute resolution. The three-month report also records payments totaling $3,874 for office supplies and $2,380 for legal services. The committee has $617,251 in cash on hand.

The Commercial Appeal reported earlier this month that the FEC cited Blackburn's political action committee, Wedge PAC, for making an excessive contribution to her campaign committee in December. Her son-in-law, lobbyist Paul J. Ketchel III, had been Wedge PAC's treasurer at the time of that contribution. The overpayment was later reimbursed.

In February, the newspaper reported that the Blackburn campaign and Wedge PAC had paid more than $123,000 since November 2002 for political consultations and fund-raising assistance to Political Concepts LLC, a company founded by Ketchel and Blackburn's daughter, Mary, and operated from their home in a Nashville suburb.

The story noted that the practice of hiring relatives for campaign work is both legal and commonplace.

In the negotiated settlement agreement with the FEC, entered into March 21, the campaign committee explained that the error in the disbursements was caused by entering the same figure twice and the error in the receipts was a "data input error."

Contact Washington correspondent Bartholomew Sullivan at (202) 408-2726.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_4648002,00.html

Marsha Gets Spanked

2006-05-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Marsha Gets Spanked

GOP congresswoman Marsha Blackburn got spanked by the Federal Election Commission for under reporting campaign contributions to her campaign committee to the tune of more than $61,000 and for failing to report expenditures by her campaign fund of more than $50,000. The $1,500 fine was the focus of an article in the Commercial Appeal (4/25/06).It was the CA that earlier wrote about excessive contributions from her political action committee - Wedge PAC (ouch)- to her campaign committee, and campaign expenditures to her son-in-law lobbyist.Blackburn has refused to comment on Wedge PAC (ouch) and the recent FEC fine.

http://tennesseepoliticalpulse.blogspot.com/2006/04/marsha-gets-spanked.html

Blackburn & BIG OIL

2006-05-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Oil Price Gouging and Republican Responsibility

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Stephen Crockett, co-host of Democratic Talk Radio

Most American consumers understand that the energy policies of the Republican Party simply stink of oil money. The ties between the Bush White House and oil interests are well understood. The policies pursued by the Bush Republicans in terms of energy, environmental regulations, monopolies, taxation and foreign policy are those of the largest oil companies instead of the American consumer.

Recently on MSNBC, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn attempted to blame high oil prices on liberals and environmentalists. The attempt was pathetic and a classical Blackburn tactic. Blackburn often goes into a standard speech mode attacking liberals, environmentalists and/or Democrats or repeating some standard Republican talking points when she has no logical response to politically uncomfortable facts.

While visiting her office with a delegation of Tennessee auto workers, I saw her filibuster the members of the delegation. She quickly excused herself for a pressing meeting with a business lobby as soon as the auto workers started discussing policy issues of importance to working Americans. She refused to let these auto workers even state their concerns. Blackburn votes with the largest corporations on every importance piece of legislation and routinely against her largely middle class Congressional District.

Click here for the full story: http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/06/04/con06164.html

Blackburn's Church-State Ignorance

2006-04-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

The following was excerpted from John Brake's column in the March 30 issue of the Williamson Herald:

The Religious Wedge

A favorite GOP election tactic is the exploitation of religion as a wedge issue – manifested recently as ignorance or willful distortion of the Supreme Court's landmark 1962 decision on school prayer.

Extremist social conservatives, and the Republicans who pander to them, claim the decision banned prayer in school. It does not. The decision simply prohibits compulsory student-led or teacher-led prayer.

You would think that religious leaders of all kind, and the members of their congregations, would welcome this decision -- and many do. It means that students are free to pray however and whenever they choose, and that they cannot be forced to bow their heads to the religious instruction of a fellow student or teacher.

It's a simple concept, but conservative republicans continue to distort the truth about it.

Take, for example, Representative Marsha Blackburn's comments at the recent Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Memphis. The congresswoman told the gathering, "When an American sends their son or daughter to school only to be told prayer is prohibited, we've all lost a bit of our freedom."

Huh? Does Blackburn not understand that the ruling protects and expands religious freedom?

Maybe the congresswoman is simply confused. She also stated that conservatives' beliefs and dreams are geared to "get government off your back."

It's contradictory and hypocritical to bemoan the lack of government-mandated prayer in public schools while asserting that that government should get off your back.

Then again, one can’t expect much in the way of rational thinking at a Republican conference. As Blackburn clearly demonstrates, they’re not ones to let facts get in the way of scoring points with their political base.

Blackburn: Culture of Corruption Poster-Child

2006-04-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Some facts about Marsha Blackburn and how tied up Rep. Blackburn is with the GOP Culture of Corruption:

* Representative Blackburn has a very cozy relationship with the GOP Leadership.

* Blackburn has taken $1,000 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt.

* Blackburn received $7,180 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt's "Rely on Your Beliefs" PAC.

* Blackburn voted with President Bush 93% of the time.

* Blackburn voted the GOP party line 99% of the time.Why do you think Blackburn is just rubber stamping the Republican agenda?

How tied up is Representative Blackburn with the Tom DeLay scandal?

Blackburn has taken:

$5,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC.

With all of these ties to the DeLay mess, is it any surprise that Blackburn has:

* Voted to weaken House ethics rules when DeLay proposed doing so as GOP Majority Leader.

* Voted to allow the GOP House Leader to continue to serve after an indictment, an apparent tactic to protect DeLay.

*Voted with Tom DeLay 95% of the time.Is Representative Blackburn serving Tennessee voters, or the Republican money machine?

As if that weren't bad enough ....

Representative Blackburn has disturbing ties to disgraced and convicted former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Blackburn has taken $1,000 from "the Dukestir."

Stop the madness! Stop Marsha!!

Blackburn cash goes to son-in-law

2006-04-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/midsouth_news/article/0,1426,MCA_1497_4479341,00.html

Blackburn cash goes to son-in-law

Paid company more than $123,000 since 2002; practice not uncommon, finance experts say

By Bartholomew SullivanFebruary 19, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Since she was elected in 2002, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn's congressional campaign committee and a political action committee she controls have given more than $123,000 to a company run by her lobbyist son-in-law.

The company, Political Concepts LLC, was founded by Paul J. Ketchel III and operates from his and Blackburn's daughter's home in suburban Nashville. It received $46,935 for campaign work leading up to Blackburn's 2004 victory, in which she didn't have an opponent in the primary or general elections. It has so far received $76,100 in the current cycle leading up to this year's election in November.

There is nothing improper about the arrangement as far as federal election laws are concerned, and campaign finance experts say it's not that uncommon. But as congressmen in California and Texas make headlines for having relatives on their campaign payrolls, The Commercial Appeal examined Federal Election Commission records of five congressmen representing Greater Memphis.

Of the five campaigns, only Blackburn's showed payments to a family member's company. Her filings typically listed the payments as fund-raising, political consulting or salary, administration and overhead.

Spokesmen for U.S. Reps. John Tanner, D-Tenn., whose district includes Millington, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., whose district includes DeSoto and Marshall counties, and Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., whose district includes Crittenden County, said no family members were on the payroll or had a controlling interest in companies working on their campaigns.

Similarly, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., said, "No family member is on payroll, nor does the campaign contract with any firm where a Ford family member works."

In response to the newspaper's inquiries, Blackburn, a two-term Republican whose district includes parts of Shelby County, released a statement: "Over the years my husband and kids have made thousands of phone calls and knocked on thousands of doors while helping me and others campaign for office... Serving in public office can be tough and it's not unusual for the media and critics to attack a candidate's family, but it's not something you ever get used to dealing with."

Practice isn't uncommon

Campaign finance experts, while noting the practice is legal, also say it raises eyebrows once it comes to public attention. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., made headlines in December when it was revealed his campaign has paid his wife $505,000 for political consultancy services over a 10-year period.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, had both his wife and daughter on his campaign payroll. "My wife and daughter have (the) right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," DeLay said when it came to light last April.

"Whenever a candidate employs a family member, it does draw attention, at the very least," said Shiela Krumholz of the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics.

Mike Surrusco, director of ethics campaigns for the watchdog group Common Cause, says if the amounts paid seem reasonable, and the work is legitimate, it's not an ethics violation to pay family members. And he said it's not uncommon.

"That they employ a family member is not by itself enough to warrant some sort of ethics investigation," Surrusco said.

Larry Noble, a former general counsel at the FEC and now executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said federal campaign law "prohibits campaign funds being converted to personal use -- of any person, not just the member."

Lawyers for the Blackburn campaign committee and Political Concepts warned the newspaper not to suggest any impropriety in the arrangement, or risk legal action.

W. Ryan Teague, an Atlanta lawyer representing the Ketchels, says Blackburn's daughter, Mary Morgan Ketchel, 28, is an employee of Political Concepts and coordinates fund-raising. Teague declined to say how many employees it has or identify its other clients.

Records show Paul Ketchel, 30, is a lobbyist registered with the U.S. House of Representatives to represent three clients. But Teague emphasized that Political Concepts' work with the Blackburn campaign is separate and apart from Ketchel's work as a lobbyist with Ketchel & Associates, which has an office on C Street in Washington. Ketchel & Associates does not do political consulting or fund-raising. The companies share a mailbox in Tennessee for Ketchel's convenience, Teague said.

While the newspaper found no improprieties involving campaign finance laws, it did find that Political Concepts LLC had been considered "inactive" by the State of Tennessee, which administratively dissolved the company in 2003 for failing to file an annual report.

The company was reinstated last week after Ketchel, its president and CEO, filed required paperwork following the newspaper's inquiry. But before the reinstatement, Teague acknowledged the inactive status, writing, "as a legal matter though, the Company may legally still operate and conduct its business activities."

Operates from home

Teague said the company operates from the Ketchels' home in suburban Nashville. Payments from Blackburn's campaign are made to a Brentwood, Tenn., address -- a United Parcel Service mailbox eight miles from the Ketchels' home. The company's Washington address is another UPS store mailbox in Georgetown.

Since Blackburn's most recent uncontested victory, Political Concepts LLC has received regular payments through Dec. 31 totaling $65,678 from Marsha Blackburn for Congress Inc. for political consulting, administration and fund-raising, salaries and overhead.

Also since the 2004 election, the company has received payments of $10,422 from Wedge PAC, a political action committee Blackburn created last year.

Tennessee Division of Business Services records show Ketchel founded Political Concepts in June 2002, six months before Blackburn won her congressional seat, and listed as its address a $107,250 single-family Brentwood home owned by Charles and Marsha Blackburn.

Federal Election Commission records indicate Ketchel is the treasurer of Wedge PAC, Blackburn's leadership political action committee created last year, which has raised $95,683 and spent $53,756 in the current election cycle.

Before becoming the senior political adviser to Blackburn's successful 2002 run for office, Ketchel worked for Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., in what a Frist spokesman called "computer technology oversight." He also worked as a Washington lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company based in Seattle. He is an August 1998 graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in political science.

Before the 2002 victory, FEC records show Paul Ketchel -- not his company -- received $1,000 from the Blackburn campaign in July 2002 for "Web site development fees."

For the 2004 campaign, in which Blackburn was unchallenged in both the primary and general elections, her campaign paid Political Concepts LLC $15,433 and paid a company listed in FEC records as LLC Political Concepts an additional $31,502.95, or a total of $46,935.95.

Blackburn's committee paid another $9,497 to her daughter and son-in-law for travel reimbursement, computer equipment and other expenses.

Registered lobbyist

As a principal of Ketchel & Associates, Paul Ketchel is registered with the U.S. House of Representatives to lobby in behalf of three clients. Two of the three are based in Blackburn's district and their presidents are Wedge PAC contributors.

Marsha Blackburn for Congress Inc. has its own staff, and has listed Mary Ketchel as a director. FEC reports show the committee had $643,321 in cash on hand at the end of December. It has spent $319,185 in the current election cycle.

FEC records show that, in addition to the political consulting and fund-raiser work for which Blackburn's campaign committee has paid Political Concepts, it pays a monthly $500 fee for campaign management to Complete Campaigns of San Diego, Calif. Wedge PAC has also paid for administration, salary and overhead to Complete Campaigns.

In addition to paying her son-in-law's company in the months leading up to the uncontested 2004 victory, Blackburn's campaign also paid $30,969 to Bellwether Consulting Group of Alexandria, Va.

Unlike 2004, Blackburn's re-election bid won't be uncontested this year. Bill Morrison, a Southwind Middle School social studies teacher, has filed to challenge her as a Democrat.

Contact Washington correspondent Bartholomew Sullivan at (202) 408-2726.

PAC Overgave to Blackburn Campaign

2006-04-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

From the Memphis Commercial-Appeal:

PAC overgave to Blackburn campaign

By Bartholomew SullivanContact April 6, 2006

WASHINGTON -- A political action committee created by U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., exceeded legal contribution limits when it sent $5,000 to her own congressional campaign committee last year, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

In a letter to Paul J. Ketchel III, Blackburn's lobbyist son-in-law and then-treasurer of Wedge PAC, FEC campaign finance analyst Ryan J. Lanz wrote that Wedge PAC appeared to have exceeded the $2,100 limit with a $5,000 contribution to Marsha Blackburn for Congress Inc. on Dec. 30.

Lanz wrote that the commission "may take further legal action regarding the excessive contributions(s)," but that a prompt request for reimbursement from the Blackburn campaign would be taken into consideration. Wedge PAC acknowledged the error and wrote that its request for return of $2,900 of the $5,000 payment had been made, according to an unsigned memo dated Feb. 17.

The last item in Wedge PAC's list of itemized receipts for February, filed March 20, show the reimbursement was made.

Ketchel, 31, has been replaced as Wedge PAC's treasurer by George Johnson of Brentwood, Tenn., according to a March 8 filing.

Calls and e-mail messages to Blackburn's congressional office press secretary, to a Nashville lawyer for Wedge PAC and Blackburn for Congress, and to an Atlanta lawyer for Ketchel were not returned Wednesday. Johnson also did not respond to a phone message.

In a story on Feb. 19, The Commercial Appeal reported that Blackburn's campaign committee and Wedge PAC had paid more than $123,000 to a company Ketchel runs from his home since Blackburn was first elected in 2002. Paying relatives for campaign services is legal and commonplace, campaign finance experts say.

The $5,000 contribution made Dec. 30 exceeded legal limits because Wedge PAC had failed to file documents indicating it supports or opposes multiple federal candidates. That error has also been corrected, the filings indicate. Records show Wedge PAC has made contributions to candidates running in Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Indiana, Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the past year.

Meanwhile, The Hill newspaper this week sought to find out whether Blackburn would join a group of 13 House Republicans who have returned or plan to return contributions from lobbyist Tony Rudy, the former aide to U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who pleaded guilty to bribery last Friday.

Welcome to Stop Marsha!

2006-04-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of the extreme rightwing antics of U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn? Join the crowd. Over the next few months, we will be posting all sorts of information about Blackburn to help you make the right choice on November 7.

Please share your comments with other readers of this blog. If you have a personal anecdote or find something in a news article or see something at a campaign event, by all means tell us!

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