If you're confused by the scandal surrounding the Ponta Negra hedge fund and its Biden landlords, don't blame yourself: it's really confusing stuff. If you have the patience for it, just read John Hempton's archives: start here, and then run through this, this, this, this, and this. (Don't worry, there's more to come, but we're up to something over 6,000 words already.) Alternatively, Alphaville is running its own series, of which the first two parts are now up: 1,700 words on 650 Fifth Avenue, and 1,250 words on the Biden connection. The Alphaville posts are quite hard to follow, partly because the FT lawyers have stripped them of links, and partly because this whole thing is just very opaque and complex.
The one thing which is abundantly clear is that Jeffry Schneider (always mistrust people who can't spell their own name) is a very shady character indeed, who was fired from various financial-sector jobs before ending up selling fraudulent hedge funds and seemingly working out of the Bidens' hedge-fund hotel. Schneider was a "marketer" for hedge funds, including Ponta Negra -- which means he sold them to rich individuals, and took a commission for so doing. How did he find the rich individuals? Lots of ways, but one was that he paid upwards of $10,000 a month for access to lists of people who were rich enough to qualify as hedge-fund investors.
That $1.6M expense report for hair care products must have raised some eyebrows. And the child support payments ...
Two-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is acknowledging a federal inquiry into his campaign funds.
Edwards said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday that he is confident no campaign funds were used improperly. He says he has made people and information available to resolve the issue in a timely manner. The News & Observer of Raleigh was first to report that Edwards acknowledged the investigation.
A range of nonprofit and political groups that have been linked to Edwards have been under public scrutiny, including payments his political action committee made to a woman with whom he had an affair. Edwards acknowledged the affair in August. Thank you Rielle. You are the gift that keeps on giving.
U.S. Attorney George Holding has said he won't confirm or deny whether an investigation is ongoing.
Posted by: ed ||
05/03/2009 12:37 ||
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I wasn't surprised Edwards had an affair. I was surprised it was with a woman
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/03/2009 13:09 Comments ||
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Your next mission Rielle, should you choose to accept it, is a well known, keenly narcissistic pol with Kenyan roots......
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is considering running for the Republican Senate nomination in his home state, according to a senior Republican aide with knowledge of the situation.
National and Keystone State Republicans have been publicly and privately urging Ridge to consider a Senate bid since Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) announced earlier this week that he was switching parties and would run for re-election as a Democrat in 2010.
Specter said he switched parties because he could not win a primary against conservative former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is popular with the party's base but whom many national Republicans believe cannot win the general election -- especially against a 29-year incumbent who is viewed favorably and gets high marks from Democrats. Ridge's moderate politics and national profile would make him a more viable candidate in the general election.
A former six-term House Member, Ridge is still popular in Pennsylvania, where he served as governor from 1995 to 2001. He left office to be President George W. Bush's first secretary of Homeland Security but retired from the Cabinet in 2005 and joined the private sector.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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I doubt he could win a GOP primary against Toomey unless PA allows crossover voting in primaries.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
05/03/2009 7:50 Comments ||
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I suspect Ridge is being put up to this by "moderate" Republicans, far more opposed to a conservative than to a Democrat.
#3
I'll bet that's right. Still, I think Ridge has a better chance in the general election than Toomey, and Ridge versus Specter would be an election I'd enjoy watching here on the Burg.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/03/2009 14:14 Comments ||
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Yeah he'll REALLY stir up the base and get the GOP vote out.
He's is pro big government, pro-abortion (And he claims to be Catholic - another 2faced a-hole like Sebelius, Kennedy, Biden, Pelosi), anti-gun, pro-kyoto/global-warming (with a few reservations), and in general a "Bush" guy (Big Government).
You sure he's running in the GOP primary?
More of the same of what they already have there, RINO are DIRC (Democrat in Republican Clothing).
His running serves only to fracture the PA GOP further, ensuring Dem control to go on.
The GOP Beltway idiots are shooting the party in the head again by pushing this guy.
I think its time for the Republican party to simply die. It no longer stand for anything other than powermongering by its Beltway controllers.
#6
Specter comes across as a self-serving political opportunist that will do anything to keep a job in Washington. He was doubtful about winning the Republican primary so he jumped ship. Hope Ridge runs and kicks his butt.
Six months after Election Day, Al Franken is a man in limbo, preparing for an office he's not entirely sure he's going to get, chained to a fundraising treadmill for a legal battle that goes on and on, and champing to get to work while precious committee assignments and pitched policy battles pass him by.
He has hired a Minnesota state director -- Alana Peterson -- but she's working for free because he can't draw on any money budgeted for a Senate seat that has no winner. His office? Most days it's his Minneapolis townhouse. On Friday, it was the back corner of the Egg and I, a venerable breakfast and lunch joint on University Avenue near the line between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The restaurant is a few dozen feet away from a darkened office with a forlorn "For Lease" sign in the window and slightly peeling red letters that announce "United States Senate Office, 100 N" -- the former digs of Norm Coleman, who occupies a similar nether state as both sides prepare for oral arguments before the state Supreme Court in June.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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Illustrates the need for a run-off when no one gets a majority of the vote in the first round. No way Al beats Norm in a run-off particularly if Bambi is not on the ballot.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/03/2009 2:43 Comments ||
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Great article that addresses Frankens weakness his lack of legislative experience.
Lets applaud Franken for meeting with proponents of both sides and for his desire to work with all the other members of the Minnesota delegation that may be trickier than working in the Senate after all Congressman John Kline (R-MN-02) actually suggested to have deceased Democratic Senator Paul Wellstones name taken off The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
Regarding the comment that Coleman would have beaten Franken in a revote, that is just not provable. First off, another Democrat would have beaten Coleman quite easily just look at the Klobuchar margin over Kennedy in 2006 and the Obama margin over McCain. Franken has personality problems not issue problems. Klobuchar has good Favorability ratings and I doubt there are any significant votes that her vote would have been different than Franken. On the issues, Minnesota sides with the Dems.
On the other hand, Colemans problem is that he did not maintain the MN-GOP votes. His reach-out to the Independent voters (marked by his support for SCHIP and climate change while opposing drilling in ANWR) lead to hardcore conservatives to advocate throwing Coleman under the bus as they saw no difference between Coleman and Franken.
The third-party candidates vote tally that typically was in the 75,000 range went to 437,505 which was people driven by people that did not want either Franken or Coleman. In a revote, there is no guarantee that these people would bother to vote.
IF Franken follows the path of working hard for Minnesota while not seeking the spotlight, he has a chance to be a productive Senator, develop the legislative experience that he lacks and be re-elected.
Posted by: Minnesota Central ||
05/03/2009 8:17 Comments ||
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C'mon, Minnesota Central Al, if you're going to praise yourself here, at least man up and use your own name.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/03/2009 10:09 Comments ||
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I don't see the word 'buffoon' anywhere in M.C.'s post.
#7
"I don't see the word 'buffoon' anywhere in M.C.'s post."
See, Steve - I told you it was Al! :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/03/2009 13:30 Comments ||
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IF Franken follows the path of working hard for Minnesota while not seeking the spotlight, he has a chance to be a productive Senator, develop the legislative experience that he lacks and be re-elected.
#11
O.S.
If Rochester Minnesota is any indicator, people were gorging on all the worst life has to offer, might explain there politics.
Inebriation and heavy smoking is du jour. Having the Mayo Clinic nearby might afford one good healthcare down the road? Oh, and of course, one would be surrounded by open fields, Winnebagos, truck stops and some of the worst weather imaginable. Pretty depressing.
#16
Regarding the comment that Coleman would have beaten Franken in a revote, that is just not provable.
Certainly not without actually holding a revote, which is why people are proposing actually performing the experiment, dear Minnesota Central. Probability only talks about what might happen after all -- one still must actually flip the coin to find out which side lands facing up.
One day after saying he wouldn't travel in tight quarters because of the swine flu scare, Vice President Joe Biden rode a train Friday from Washington to Delaware.
Known for speaking freely, Biden told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday that he had urged family members to avoid airplanes and subways for fear of contracting the H1N1 flu virus.
"I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now," Biden said.
The comments infuriated the travel industry and triggered several revisions from the Obama administration, whose official advice is less severe.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano commented, "If he could say that over again, he would say if they're feeling sick, they should stay off of public transit or confined spaces."
By Friday night, Biden seemed ready for his own do-over. A longtime rider of Amtrak, he took a train from Union Station to his Delaware home, his office said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/03/2009 00:00 ||
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What the ham slice? Short Bus would be a fitting mode of transportation for Mr. B.
#2
I'm sure it went like this:
Obama: "nice job, idiot"
Joe: "whut?"
Obama: "stirring up the rubes. Now you get to try and walk it back. Your limo's in the shop. Take the train. And have Gibbsy give the our lapdogs a 'head-up' so we get coverage. Oh, and Joe?"
Joe: "yessir?"
Obama: "STFU.Before you say anything, I want it run by me first. Just like I've told you a thousand times before"
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/03/2009 8:51 Comments ||
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Frankk G. has it nailed. Since we have a Commander in Chief who has no clue (except how to manipulate the sheeple) Biden is the obvious choice for court jester.
The "American Idol" contestants have enough pressure dealing with the critiques of Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon and if "Idol's" harshest judge gets his way, they'll be performing for President Obama.
"We would put out an invitation on a daily basis," Simon Cowell told The Hollywood Reporter about "Idol's" attempt to get the Commander in Chief to appear on the hit FOX show.
"I'd love him to come on, his wife to come on, kids to come on." Simon said of the First Family. "I could only picture now what it would be like if he actually turned up."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
