I Find The Timing Of This Story Very Suspicious

ABC News is telling us that one of the Democratic Party's biggest contributors has mob connections. So what - the real story is, why did the Bush White House leak this now?!?!?

Well, I am just trying to get ahead of the Times here- nothing in the story actually suggests a White House leak (or any "new" news at all. Just shows what happens when you have a convention and let the press get bored.)

Here is a dirt sheet on Stephen Bing, the big contributor. And he is big (be sure to spell "Stephen" correctly) - but no recent Kerry contributions appear here (does Edwards count?).

And some lifestyle background on his buddy, Donnie Shacks. A 1987 sentencing here. More details in an appeal order here.

UPDATE: A contrast in styles - ABC story soundbites to "Father of Liz Hurley's love child hangs with mobsters and writes big checks to Dems". Bring it on!

The NY Times front-pages something written for the folks who turn to the sports section for coverage of NCAA investigations into recruiting violations - the confusing connections, in our new McCain-Feingold era, between the "independent" 527s, and the Democratic Party.

"A Delegate, a Fund-Raiser, and a Very Fine Line" is Responsible Journalism - serious, and seriously soporific. However, the closest the NY Times comes to admitting that their cheerleading for McCain Feingold was utterly naive is this:

When the new campaign finance law was debated in Congress its supporters argued that it would cut the tie between big money contributors and lawmakers. Its opponents countered that it would drive that money away from the national parties and into other, more opaque, affiliated groups that would operate like shadow political parties.

No kidding. This article shows some of the ways that happens. But no, there is no acknowledgement of the Times editorial position.

Comments

[Sven]

And he knocked-up Liz Hurley!

[capt joe]

I remember the fight between him and Sean Penn. He dropped Penn after Penn went to Iraq. Penn then claimed his dissent was being stiffled.

Maybe the whole thing was a putt on.

[George]

Well FundRace.com comes up with several Bings; most are Demos.

[HH]

What did Bush know and when did he know it about this? TIMING OF THE LEAK!!!

[HA]

Is Bing connected to the mob? What do you think the Democrats are?

[Crank]

I think the Dems' compulsive leak-hunting means they literally can not handle the truth.

Does this mean Chandler was also in with the mob?

[Forbes]

I like the Kerkorian/Lisa Bonder/Steve Bing story best. Kerkorian's estranged wife Bonder sues for child support, Kerkorian hires detective to get a DNA sample from Bing's trash--in order to prove Bing's paternity, Bing sues Kerkorian for privacy invasion, Bing drops ("settles") suit after the 84 year old Kerkorian explains that he's sterile and couldn't fathered child. I wonder where Kerkorian got the idea that Bing father Bonder's child? (This all happened before the Liz Hurley episode. Talk about spreading the seed around!)