Uncle Ruckus Cain

Uncle Ruckus has been a very busy man the past few weeks, in his 8 minutes of fame as a “leader” of the Republican President wannabe herd…

So here is a” cainipption”,  three issues in one post.

This one has Cain stuffing his own pockets with campaign money, not dissimilar to the way Michael Steele paid himself during his runs in his home state of Maryland…

Cain Used Campaign Funds to Buy Autobiography From His Company

Republican presidential contender Herman Cain used campaign funds to buy his own books from his motivational speaking company, Federal Election Commission records show.

Although his autobiography was published by a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., Cain paid Stockbridge, Georgia-based T.H.E New Voice Inc. $36,511 for books. His campaign spent $4 million through Sept. 30, including more than $64,000 paid to his motivational speaking company for airfare, lodging and supplies, as well as the books.

“They are buying my books and my pamphlets,” Cain said in an interview in between appearances in Arizona yesterday. “The campaign is buying them from T.H.E New Voice.”…

The books are being given away to supporters to help Cain acquaint them with his life story, part of his “unconventional approach” to his candidacy, he said, adding that his campaign has seen a $2 million windfall in donations in the last two weeks after a surge in the polls.

The FEC has let campaigns buy candidates’ books as long as they don’t profit by the sale. In 2001, the commission said the campaign committee of then-Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania could buy the lawmaker’s autobiography to give to donors, provided the he didn’t receive royalties or count those books in calculations of future payments. The FEC issued a similar ruling in 2004 concerning Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent…

Another 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, faced ethics issues over a $4.5 million book advance he was offered in 1994 from a publishing unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., shortly before becoming House speaker. Amid criticism from lawmakers from both parties, Gingrich agreed to forgo the advance and just take royalties.

On news that Mr. Cain is a long time Koch sucker…

Herman Cain: ‘I’m Very Proud Of The Relationship That I Have With The Koch Brothers’

I know the Koch Brothers. The Koch Brothers helped to start to an organization called Americans for Prosperity. And I did some speaking when they were starting that organization, and I’m very proud of the relationship that I have with the Koch Brothers, as well as Americans for Prosperity. I have also attended some of their seminars and have found them very informative. So I don’t have a close relationship with the Koch Brothers, but I know them and I respect them, and they know me and respect me.

This one is ripping through the conservative blogsphere. Martin Bashir is drawing more than a little ire from the white right for this one (Follow the link to see the video) –

Bashir: Cain Doesn’t Want To Be “Associated With African-Americans”

MARTIN BASHIR, HOST: Mr. Cain was supposed to attend the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial on Sunday. I like many people watched it, was moved by it, but he failed to attend. Now there’s been some surprise at his absence. But being honest, isn’t this consistent for a man who really doesn’t want to be overtly associated with African-Americans…

MICHAEL STEELE: Oh no, that’s…

BASHIR: and certainly not a man as dangerous as the greatest civil rights leader in the history of the country? He doesn’t want to be associated with those…

MICHAEL STEELE: No, come on, no, I reject that and on his behalf resent that.

BASHIR: You do?

STEELE: Yeah, because I know first off, you know…

BASHIR: But this is a man, Michael, who says racism virtually doesn’t exist.

Come on down, Herman… And get your award!

Herman Cain Black Conservative Tea Party Supporter of the Year Award

 

Former Florida GOP Head Arrested, Charged With Embezzleing Republican Party

So, with the recent 5-4 Surpeme Court Ruling – I wonder if he had to read his Miranda Rights to the Police?

What is interesting about this is that Jim Greer was forced to resign from his Party Chairmanship when information about his high-spending lifestyle and extravagant spending utilizing the Party’s credit cards surfaced. Also ensnared in that scandal was Tea Party darling, and current Republican nominee for US Senate, Marco Rubio.

Does Jim turn “states evidence” to avoid spending the next 30 years of his life behind bars?

Hmmmmmmm… I’m beginning to believe Representative Meeks may have a shot after all!

Jim Grier - Former Florida GOP Head, Candidate For Illuminati Noir Orange Jumpsuit Award

WDBO Local News – Former GOP head jailed, charged with stealing from party

Jim Greer is facing several felony charges. He was arrested around 9:00 Wednesday morning by the FDLE at his home in Oviedo.

Greer is charged with one count of organized fraud, one count of money laundering and four counts of grand theft.

“Mr. Greer developed a scheme to take money from the Republican Party of Florida through a shell company that he created called Victory Strategies,” said Florida Statewide Prosecutor Bill Shepherd.

Greer is accused of entering into a vendor contract with the company.

“Victory Strategies then was paid 10 percent of major donor funding that came in to the party through contributions,” said Shepherd.

He says the company also received more than $60,000 dollars that was simply paid at Greer’s request. In all, he’s accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the state GOP.

If convicted of all counts, Greer could spend the rest of his life in prison. He’s being held under $105,000 bond at the Seminole County Jail.

Being Sized Up for an Orange Jumsuit Award!

 

Republican Candidates For The Orange Jumpsuit Awards

Stylish Orange Jumpsuits - Suitable for Groups

Not one, but two leading Republican/Tea Party figures under invetigation this AM for financial improprieties (theft). In one case it seems that may have been Republicans themselves who dropped the dime.

Caught in the Florida probe is Marco Rubio – the leading candidate for an open US Senate seat in Florida, and Tea Party darling…

FBI, IRS raid NY state senator’s Bronx clinic

NY Republican Senate Majority Leader, Pedro Espada

Federal authorities raided a government-funded clinic run by the state Senate’s majority leader, one day after New York’s attorney general accused him of siphoning money from it.

About a dozen FBI and IRS agents appeared Wednesday at the Soundview Healthcare Network in the Bronx, where a big canopy above the front door lists Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. as its president and CEO.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced a lawsuit accusing Espada of siphoning $14 million from the clinic. It said the money was used for lavish restaurant meals, trips to Las Vegas and Espada’s campaign.

Espada called it a litany of falsehoods. On Tuesday afternoon, he accused the Democratic attorney general of a politically motivated attack. He also accused Cuomo of tapping the phone lines used by himself and his relatives and of taking a “steamroller approach” against political enemies, a reference to the term disgraced and former Gov. Eliot Spitzer once used for himself.

 

Philly Charter School Doubles as Nightclub, Possible Embezzlement Ring

Those of you familiar with Field Negro know he is based in Philly. I imagine he’ll have a few kind words on this one…

As for Club Damani at Harambee in the Philly Fun Guide

This is a link to the Philly Fun Guide…

School said to double as nightclub to be investigated

School district officials will visit the Harambee Institute Charter School today to find out firsthand about allegations that the West Philadelphia school has been selling alcohol on weekends.

“We are going to seriously look at the charges and do what we have to do up to closing the school, if we have to,” Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman said yesterday.

Earlier in the day City Controller Alan Butkovitz accused Harambee of running a school by day but a nightclub after hours. The school was “found to be operating a nightclub and serving alcohol illegally” on weekends, he said. Harambee Charter is on 66th Street near Media.

But Butkovitz focused his news conference yesterday on his findings that a woman working as Harambee’s chief financial officer, Rhonda Sharif, was – at the same time – employed in a similar capacity at two other charter schools: the Math, Civics and Sciences Charter, at Broad and Spring Garden streets, and the Khepera Charter School, on Carpenter Lane, near Cresheim Street, in Mount Airy.

Butkovitz said that Sharif first worked for Harambee in 2003, at a salary of $33,046.

In 2008, Sharif made $183,108 from all three schools, and had put in for having worked 463 days, the controller said.

In addition, a construction company owned by Sharif’s husband, “Str8-Hand Construction Inc.,” received an estimated $7.5 million in maintenance contracts at the same three schools where Sharif worked.

No one answered the phone at Harambee yesterday. The school published an open letter on its Web site calling media reports a “misrepresentation” and “a very one-sided and unbalanced view of what charter schools represent. ”

Butkovitz said that he was prompted to investigate financial operations at several charter schools following the federal probe of Philadelphia Academy Charter School, in Northeast Philadelphia. The school’s founder, Brien Gardiner, committed suicide in May 2008 before his trial.

Benjamin Rayer, the district’s official in charge of charter and Renaissance schools, said last night that he will visit Harambee today. He said the school’s CEO told him that the building operated a banquet hall for weddings and birthdays. A Web site touts the facility as the Damani Banquet Hall.

“There has been a liquor license assigned to the property since 1936, to what at the time was the Overbrook Italian-American Democratic Club,” said Stacey Witalec, spokeswoman for the state Liquor Control Board. But the license, transferred to the Harambee Institute Corp. in 2002, expired Oct. 31, 2008, Witalec said.Harambee School was incorporated on Aug. 8, 1997, and received $14.7 million in public funds in 2005-2007.

Now – the Nightclub thing is an issue of propriety more than anything else, as theoretically the building is either owned by, or leased by the Charter School and not the School District. The Liquor license issue is serious, but these guys can’t be the first operators in Philly to have issues with the liquor board…

That double and triple billing, and the inside contracts though…

If true, is criminal.