Billionaires Secretly Met in Aspen to Defeat Bush

Garuda

Banned
Jun 15, 2004
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In the days following the Democratic Convention in Boston this past August, several billionaire Democratic activists secretly met at the famed Aspen Institute in Colorado.


The purpose of their clandestine meeting was "to use their fortunes to engineer the defeat of President George W. Bush in the 2000 election,? the New Yorker magazine reports in its most recent edition.


Details of the meeting remain sketchy, but the magazine described the Aspen conference this way: "Five billionaires joined half a dozen liberal leaders in a lengthy conversation about the future of progressive politics in America.?


For sure, there were differences of opinion in the group, but they all shared one goal: to get George Bush this November.


The Aspen meeting was supposed to have been a top secret within Democratic party circles.


When The New Yorker inquired about the meeting, an assistant to one of the attendees was surprised by the call.


"No one was supposed to know about this,? the aide told the magazine. "We don?t want people thinking it?s a cabal or some sort of Masonic plot!?


Apparently the leader of the secret cabal is billionaire Peter B. Lewis; the chairman of the Cleveland, Ohio-based insurance company, the Progressive Corporation.


Like another attendee, George Soros, the wealthy financier, Lewis has poured millions into Democratic 527 groups, including Americans Coming Together and Moveon.org.


One of Lewis? top agenda items has been the decriminalization of marijuana, a policy position also shared by Soros.


Another billionaire who attended was John Sperling, founder of the online University of Phoenix.


Also present were Herb and Marion Sandler from California. The couple founded the Golden West Financial Corporation, a California Bank reportedly worth $17 billion.


The key agenda items for the Sandlers has been "preserving progressive income taxes and inheritance taxes, ? the magazine reported.


Still, the wealthiest and most notable of those attending the meeting was George Soros, the 74-year-old Hungarian immigrant who desperately wants to defeat George Bush and has even compared him to the likes of Adolph Hitler.


Apparently, all was not roses at the billionaire confab, according to The New Yorker.


"The billionaires spent much of the time moaning the superior powers of the GOP,? the magazine said, and the group even needed some cheerleading from Harold Ickes, a former top aide to Bill Clinton who is involved in the 527 efforts.


There was disagreement about some of the issues and policy positions the group should take.


Sperling, for one, argued that the main target of their efforts should be Wal-Mart. He wants to push for unionizing the giant retailer.


That idea was apparently vetoed by George Soros who reportedly told the group he had no desire to support union initiatives and that his only single goal at this point was "ousting Bush.?


Though not the leader of the group, Soros holds the largest bank account and as such is the 800 pound gorilla, having given more than $18 million to the 527s in an effort to defeat Bush.


The magazine said Soros had planned to keep a low profile in the closing months of the election, but suddenly changed course this summer when he decided to "jettison the strategy in favor of waging his own media-grabbing political campaign.?


Soros hired a publicist and began a 12-city, $3 million personal crusade to defeat George Bush.


According to the magazine, Soros has nothing but contempt for Bush, who he considers "an ignorant fool.?


More than that, he sees Bush as the face man for a secret cabal. "Bush was just chosen as a figurehead, an acceptable face for sinister group,? Soros told The New Yorker, adding, "Cheney is the Capo.?


Clearly Soros knows a thing or two about secret cabals and Capos.


http://www.newsmax.com/archive...004/10/19/131508.shtml
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
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Don't they realize that by getting Kerry elected they will have to pay more taxes? I guess that's a true example of putting your money where your mouth is!

BTW, Newsmax is not a reliable source.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Don't they realize that by getting Kerry elected they will have to pay more taxes? I guess that's a true example of putting your money where your mouth is!

BTW, Newsmax is not a reliable source.
Understatement of the year!
 

Todd33

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 2003
7,842
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newsmax...

Evildoers, they should be sent to gitmo! If I had billions, I'd spend some toget rid of Bush too, freedom of speech and all.
 

Shelly21

Diamond Member
May 28, 2002
4,111
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Yes, maybe he's one of the majestic sevens that really rules this country. As if just one man can change the course of this country.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: Garuda
It's NewsMax paraphrasing an article in the New Yorker.
Therein lies the problem. Newsmax distorts facts in EVERY article and their headlines are as bad as Drudge's.
 

cwjerome

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2004
4,346
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Nader is right in some areas... the Dems are as rich and corporate (and scheming) as anyone, the Reps are just more honest about it.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: cwjerome
Nader is right in some areas... the Dems are as rich and corporate (and scheming) as anyone, the Reps are just more honest about it.
I think you meant to say the Reps are just more adept at it.
 

cKGunslinger

Lifer
Nov 29, 1999
16,411
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Originally posted by: dmcowen674
What's so "disturbing", that some of the resident Neocons in here weren't invited??? :confused:

Indeed, I was waiting for my invitation for weeks. After all, I benefitted from Bush's tax cuts, so that means I'm rich, right? Apparently not rich enough - maybe if I sell my double-wide...
 

Infohawk

Lifer
Jan 12, 2002
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A med student (although I'm starting to think this is heartsurgeon reborn) who can't distinguish facts from fiction... uh-oh. For the sake of your future patients, don't get your new medical studies from sites equivalent to newsmax (e.g., herbal roots cure cancer). Usually huge fonts and tacky web design suggest something is not right.
 

Bumrush99

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2004
3,334
194
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Wow, I'm shocked by this!! Almost as shocked as when I found out Cheney?s buddies over at Halliburten got a no bid contract during a war that was fought on false pretenses.
 

cwjerome

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2004
4,346
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Halliburten had no-bid contracts under Clinton also... as many companies have and had. It's easy to invent conspiracies -and lies- when you're cheese has slipped its cracker.
 

Chadder007

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
7,560
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Originally posted by: dmcowen674
What's so "disturbing", that some of the resident Neocons in here weren't invited??? :confused:

Yeah...whats disturbing about this?? Everyone knows these kind of strategy with big money meetings happen on both sides.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,960
6,802
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I believe devil worship and the eating of babies was also discussed. I just don't know how a bunch of dumb millionaires discussing the overthrow of God couldn't meet in deep secrecy without being found out.

It's amazing when people can't tell wen they are reading propagandistic garbage.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
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Originally posted by: Moonbeam
I believe devil worship and the eating of babies was also discussed. I just don't know how a bunch of dumb billionaires & 6 liberals discussing the overthrow of God couldn't meet in deep secrecy without being found out.

It's amazing when people can't tell wen they are reading propagandistic garbage.

Fixed it for you...

 

daveshel

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,453
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This is somehow disturbing and Bush'd 'base' isn't?

This 'fixing' business is a sleazy tactic:


Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
I believe devil worship and the eating of babies was also discussed. I just don't know how a bunch of dumb billionaires & 6 liberals discussing the overthrow of God couldn't meet in deep secrecy without being found out.

It's amazing when people can't tell wen they are reading propagandistic garbage.

Fixed it for you...

 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
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Originally posted by: daveshel
This is somehow disturbing and Bush'd 'base' isn't?

I just made it more accurate & admitted it too, wasn't like I tried to pass it off as the original... I enen italicized the edit.

& yes, it bothers me that billionaires met to discuss how to alter the election.

Unfortunately the campaign finance rules aren't tight enough to keep this kind of crap from happening.

It should bother everyone, if the Conservatives did it, I'd be pissed @ them too.

IMHO, Soros is just this side of a real life amoral Bond villan.

Cue Soros stroking an angora cat & music...
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
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Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Don't they realize that by getting Kerry elected they will have to pay more taxes? I guess that's a true example of putting your money where your mouth is!

BTW, Newsmax is not a reliable source.

There is more to life than taxes and money. Lewis and Soros are both hugely pro-marijuana legalization (a policy I very much support). The morality legislations of the Republicans imply that the Bush Administration will only escalate the failed and expensive war on drugs, incarcerating and ruining the lives of even millions more whose only crime is harming themselves.
On the money issues though, Sperling is concerned that the Bush Administration will continue to tighten down on financial aid to to private for-profit educational institutions, and the Sandlers are rightly concerned that Bush's sky-high budget deficits will lead to rapidly rising interest rates.
 

BBond

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
8,363
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Originally posted by: cwjerome
Halliburten had no-bid contracts under Clinton also... as many companies have and had. It's easy to invent conspiracies -and lies- when you're cheese has slipped its cracker.

Conspiracies, lies, no-bid contracts doled out to those folks who are 'connected'. It is easy to invent them when you're Dick Cheney and your cheese and cracker are bought and paid for by U.S. taxpayer dollars.

It all started in 1985. Then in 1992 while, guess who, Dich Cheney was Secretary of Defense, he paid KBR $9 million to work out a program for contractors to take over all of the military's civil logistics. KBR, a contractor, at the request of the head of DoD, telling DoD how to hand out no-bid contracts to contractors.

Nice work if you can get it.

In 1995 Cheney became head of Halliburton, of which KBR is a wholly owned subsidiary. Cheney instituted policies at Halliburton which put Halliburton in line with LOGCAP along with KBR.

2000. Cheney as VP of the USA along with his merry band of neocon madmen take over the DoD once again. Within less than eight months America suffers its greatest terrorist attack in history. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith et al use this attack as their springboard for the invasion of Iraq, a nation which had NOTHING to do with the terrorist attacks of September 11, but where Halliburton and KBR pick up BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in no-bid LOGCAP contracts. Halliburton and KBR cheat American taxpayers out of almost $200 million 'fulfilling' those contracts.

Yes, under the existing Cheney DoD program no-bid contracts were given to contractors under President Clinton. But it took Cheney and Bush to trump up false evidence used to invade Iraq and hand out the billions upon billions in no-bid contracts Halliburton and its subsidiaries are collecting today.

LOGCAP Military Contract

Halliburton's largest government contract is with the United States Army. Under the contract, known as "LOGCAP" (or Logistics Civil Augmentation Program), Halliburton is responsible for providing supplies and services to the military on a global basis. Some of the typical civil logistics carried out under the contract are the construction of military housing for the troops, transporting food and supplies to military bases and serving food at military cafeterias.

The military has always used private contractors to carry out civil logistics, but not to a great extent. In 1985, the military created LOGCAP with the purpose of privatizing more of the duties involved in civil logistics. The military first used LOGCAP in 1988 to construct and maintain two petroleum pipeline systems in Southwest Asia in support of contingency operations. But most of the military's civil logistics activities were still not privatized.

It was Dick Cheney, as defense secretary in 1992, who spearheaded the movement to privatize most of the military's civil logistics activities. Under the direction of Secretary Cheney, the Pentagon paid $9 million to Halliburton's subsidiary, KBR, to conduct a study to determine whether private companies like itself should handle all of the military's civil logistics. KBR's classified study concluded that greater privatization of logistics was in the government's best interest. Shortly thereafter, on August 3, 1992, Secretary Cheney awarded the first comprehensive LOGCAP contract to KBR. The Washington Post reported "The Pentagon chose [KBR] to carry out the study and subsequently selected the company to implement its own plan." Three years later, in 1995, Halliburton hired Cheney as its CEO.

In 1997, two years after Cheney became CEO of Halliburton, KBR's LOGCAP contract was not renewed and the government alleged the company engaged in fraudulent billing practices. The independent auditing arm of Congress, the GAO, had criticized KBR's performance during America's war in the Balkans. GAO said KBR's cost-overruns in the Balkans inflated the original contract price by 32 percent. After KBR was effectively fired by the Army in 1997, the LOGCAP contract was awarded to Halliburton competitor DynCorp. But, after Cheney became vice president in 2001, DynCorp was fired and KBR was re-awarded the contract.

Today, 90 percent of KBR's work under LOGCAP is being done in Iraq. Over 24,000 Halliburton employees and subcontract workers are employed to carryout LOGCAP in the Iraq-Kuwait region.

Halliburton's revenue from LOGCAP increased from $320 million in the second quarter of 2003 to over $2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2003. As of May 2004, the federal government had spent nearly $5 billion on LOGCAP since KBR became the sole contractor in 2001. The original value of LOGCAP in Iraq was estimated at over $4 billion, but the value of the contract is now over $8 billion and could reach $18 billion. These values can change as war conditions change. The $8 billion figure for Iraq does not include KBR's LOGCAP business in dozens of other countries around the globe, including Guantanimo Bay, Cuba, where it constructed the prisons used to house prisoners from Afghanistan.

KBR also performs duties under a second military contract called "Restore Iraqi Oil" (RIO). This contract, valued at $1.2 billion, is unrelated to LOGCAP. Under RIO, KBR is repairing Iraq's dilapidated oil industry in the southern part of the country.

In the 12 months following the fall of Saddam Hussein, KBR had built 64 dining facilities in Iraq and Kuwait, served more than 40 million meals to troops, washed more than a million bundles of laundry, collected over 1.5 million cubic meters of trash and delivered more than 8 million bags of mail.

KBR has more than 700 trucks in the region for delivering supplies to the U.S. military.

In the 13 months following President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech, thirty Halliburton's employees and subcontract workers in the Iraq-Kuwait region had been killed by violent ambushes orchestrated by Iraqi insurgents. The workers had been performing duties under the LOGCAP contract.