itsmeeeeeee

has hillary REALLY been vetted? no.

Daily Kos: Hillary Clinton. Sweatshops. Abramoff. She has not been vetted!

In the course of his work, Abramoff would meet all types of people, but of all Jack’s many clients and patrons, there is one that made Jack and his Party look like good guys by comparison. That would be Tan Family of Hong Kong and Saipan.

Saipan is the largest island in the US Territory known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). In the 1980s, a loophole in the agreement to establish the CNMI as a US Territory was exploited to create an economy based on sweatshops, human trafficking, forced prostitution, labor abuse, money laundering and other forms of global trade allowed to flourish in the shadows of our collective neglect.

Since 1995 Abramoff and his Party blocked all efforts to end the abuse and reform the immigration and labor laws of the CNMI.

We defeated that obstruction when we won the 2006 mid-term elections! Last week the long DeLayed CNMI reform legislation became Public Law: 110-229. It was a great victory (Senator Clinton missed the vote).

In 2006 we used the most horrific stories of Saipan sweatshops, brothels and forced abortions to hold many Republicans accountable for their support of Jack Abramoff and the sweatshops of Saipan. We used the tragedy, horror and personal stories of these workers to WIN seats and take control of Congress and the Senate...

...A hard link to Jack Abramoff is bad news, but even worse news (morally and ethically) would be those politicians with a connection to the Tan Family.

Jack’s bad reputation was created—in great measure—because he was willing to take the money from scoundrels like the Tan Family. He knew their fortune was made off of stolen labor, sweatshops and abuse, but it was OK. It was OK because Jack wanted their money to help his Party meet their political goals. And for Abramoff and those like him, the ends always justify the means.

There are many others in Washington who are like Jack Abramoff. These are the folks who will bend the rules to fit their needs of the day. These are the folks who will take in money from known scoundrels if it might help them get and maintain power.

For them, the ends always justify the means and money from any source is just fine.

And the number two recipient of Tan Family donations is Senator Hillary Clinton of New York:

KIM LAM, PEK, Homemaker; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, JOISE, N/A/Homemaker; 10/2/2005; $2,000
TAN, RAYMOND, Luen Thai/President; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, SIU L, Tan Holdings Corp./Chairman; 9/30/2005; $2,000
TAN, WILLIE, Luen Thai/COO; 9/30/2005; $2,000

Like Abramoff, Bush and DeLay, Senator Clinton has proven herself to be an "ends-justify-the-means" kind of gal...

But it is more than just one set of donations that form the links between Senator Clinton and the Tan Family (and through them, links to the Abramoff Scandal).

A few years ago, the Tan Family created a multi-national Corporation, Luen Thai, to expand the reach of their business and give it a patina of respectability. Richard Helfenbein is the fellow running Tan Family USA operations and he has added another $6,700 to Senator Clinton. His wife has matched his gift.

Oh, and for those of you who used to work in a textile mill in the USA, you can thank Richard for your new job as a greeter at Wal-Mart. The focus of Luen Thai USA is to "help" brands "outsource" their textile manufacturing for profits. The story of the rise of Luen Thai and the Tan Family is the story of How you lost your job, but I digress...

Helfenbein is a neighbor of the populist of Chappaqua. The Family is down with the HRC. Richard’s son is a big supporter of Senator Clinton. He served as her first Page, as an intern in her office, work with Bill and he is working on her Campaign for the White House.

There are more links between Senator Clinton and the Tan Family as well. Some go back to 1995 and a visit she made to Guam .

Despite repeated requests by me and many others, Hillary Clinton has not returned the Tan Family money. And it is a problem for two reasons:

1. It is money from stolen labor, sweatshops and abuse. It links her to that abuse, the Tan Family and Jack Abramoff.

2. Her acceptance of this money protects Republicans and provides them cover when their links to Abramoff are exposed. Hillary lets them use the everybody does it meme and muddy the waters. By hanging onto this tainted cash, she lets the Right and media gasbags link the Democratic party to the Republican Abramoff Scandal through her careless pursuit of cash from any source...

...Colorado is a case in point. There, the former GOP Congressman Bob Schaffer is taking a lot of heat for his links to the Abramoff scandal. What really links Bob to the scandal is not a direct link with Jack Abramoff, rather it is his work with and donations from the Tan Family and their employees. The Democratic Party is using the $7,300 he received as a hard link between Bob and the Tan Family, especially the $2,000 he received from Willie Tan’s brother, Jerry Tan.

And they should.

The money is part of the hard link between Schaffer and the sweatshops, human trafficking and labor abuse on the Mariana Islands. It should be tied around his neck and sink his campaign. Bob Schaffer is way too corrupt to get into the US Senate and the money from the Tan Family is evidence of that corruption. (for a lot more details: TPMMuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Jack Abramoff )

Schaffer is being defined by this issue. Others are getting involved, like Campaign Money Watch which has put up a Schaffer Facts web site and is already running ads in Colorado about his links to the Tan Family and Jack Abramoff.

They could run almost the exact same ad about Hillary Clinton.

And that is a problem. She always was the weakest Democrat in the race and we nominate her at our peril.

Her links to the Tan Family is just one of her many, many, many unreported news story waiting for after the Conventions. She has not been vetted. There are many new scandals waiting in the wings if we are foolish enough to follow her destructive path and add her to the Ticket.

It may be just me, but I do not think Democratic Party should have a Nominee linked to Jack Abramoff through the sweatshops of Saipan.

These donations and connections put Senator Clinton at odds with two key groups in the Democratic base, labor and women, and this money connects her to the sweatshops, the Jack Abramoff scandal and the Culture of Corruption in Washington.

Did I mention she is pro-lobbyist as well?

Oy!

As I said, she is our weakest candidate and we nominate her at our peril.

Fortunately, this will be avoided.

Barack Obama will be our Nominee and we can demand a Vice Presidential Candidate who is not connected to sweatshops and labor abuse. That would rule out Senator Clinton.

__________________

HarperLee

It is easier for the lazy MSM to cover Jeremiah Wright. This is far too complicated.

Also, please note that the Hillary supporters
will not post on this thread to defend her.