McCain Source: Corruption

Charlie Black: Architect Of Negative Campaigning

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McCain Praised His Advisor Charlie Black's Campaign Experience

McCain Said He Was "Proud" Of Charlie Black's Campaign Experience. McCain said, "I'm proud of the record of many of my advisers. One small example, Charlie Black. Charlie Black was involved in the first Reagan campaign, and he's been involved in every national presidential campaign since." [Associated Press, 2/22/08]

Timeline: Black's Experience Is Saturated With Negative Campaigning

1984: Black Bragged About Linking Opponent To Gay Strippers. The Washington Post reported, "Black, who served as campaign strategist for [Phil] Gramm's successful fight for a Texas Senate seat against Democrat Lloyd Doggett in the recent election, recalled: ‘Doggett got the endorsement of the big gay PAC in San Antonio. That wasn't unusual, but then we got onto the fact that the gays had a male strip show at some bar and Doggett takes that money. That became a matter of his judgment, so we rolled it out there.'" [Washington Post, 4/7/85]

Woodruff: Black Said Gay Rights Have No Place In GOP. In 1992, Judy Woodruff reported that, "Campaign official Charles Black and Pat Buchanan have both said in the last 24 hours, ‘Those who favor rights for homosexuals have no place in the Republican Party." [MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, 8/19/92]

1984: Black Advised Helms On Senate Re-Election Bid And Bragged About Victory. The Washington Post reported, "‘It's a tremendous victory for conservatives,' Helms' strategist Charles Black said. ‘It enhances his clout and influence in the Senate in the eyes of the press and his colleagues. He'll be even more effective than he has been.'" [Washington Post, 11/8/84, emphasis added]

Black And Helms Used "Racist Appeals" To Win. Politics reporter Bill Peterson wrote in the Washington Post, "Lesson: A vicious new electronic form of negative politics has evolved and matured. And it is frightening. It is a politics of distortion, half truths and character assassination. Ends are used to justify means. Truth often takes a back seat. ... Helms and the National Congressional Club, a political action committee run by his allies, had used negative advertising long before the Senate race began. ... Racial epithets and standing in school doors is no longer fashionable, but 1984 proved that the ugly politics of race are alive and well. Helms is their master. A case in point was the pivotal event of the campaign: Helms' filibuster against a bill making the birthday of the late Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday. ... Helms campaign literature sounded a drumbeat of warnings about black voter-registration drives. His campaign newspaper featured photographs of Hunt [his opponent] with Jesse L. Jackson and headlines like ‘Black Voter Registration Rises Sharply' and ‘Hunt Urges More Minority Registration.' Helms shamelessly mined the race issue." [Peterson, Washington Post, 11/18/84, emphasis added]

Black And Helms Linked Opponent To "Homosexuals." The Washington Post reported, "Helms, on the final day of the campaign, linked Hunt to ‘homosexuals, labor union bosses and crooks.'" [Washington Post, 11/7/84]

1986: Black Ran Negative Attacks In Senate Florida Race Described As "An Embarrassment." The Washington Post reported on the 1986 Florida Senate race, for which Black was "chief political consultant" for the Republican candidate, "But the contest never lived up to expectations. It was waged largely on the TV screen with harsh, negative commercials that disappointed supporters of both candidates. Even voters in Hawkins' home precinct here complained about it as they went to the polls today. ‘I thought it was an embarrassment,' said Beth Crocitto, an English professor. ‘It degenerated into mudslinging and name-calling.' ‘The campaign was awful, first on Hawkins' side, then Graham jumped into it too,' said Bill Royal, a lifelong Republican. ... On the television screen, Hawkins tried to destroy Graham's credibility, charging that he favored paroling drug pushers and voted to freeze Social Security benefits at a National Governors Conference. In fund-raising letters, speeches and ads in Jewish newspapers she said Graham was ‘anti-Israel.'" [Washington Post, 11/5/86, emphasis added]

1988: Boston Globe Described Black As The "Strategist Credited With Formulating Bush's Assault." The Boston Globe described Charlie Black as "a strategist credited with formulating Bush's assault on the Democratic nominee, Michael S. Dukakis, in 1988." [Boston Globe, 2/17/92]

Bush's 1998 Willy Horton Ad Called A "Veiled Racist Attack." In Bush's campaign against Michael Dukakis, the Willie Horton television ad used by the Bush campaign has been referred to as a "widely criticized as a thinly veiled racist attack on Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis" in the Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles Times, 10/14/92]

1988: Black Defended Campaign Ads Called "Dirtiest Since 1964." The Los Angeles Times reported that Black went on "Meet the Press" to defend the Bush campaign's television ads: "Blasting the media ads of both candidates, one leading political analyst said the 1988 race has set a new mark for distortion of an opponent's record, and called Vice President George Bush's media campaign the dirtiest since 1964. ... ‘The fact is, we have presented assertions and facts that are well documented, and they're all true,' Charles Black, a senior Bush campaign adviser, said on the NBC program. ‘If we present a specific fact or assertion that's not true, Gov. Dukakis can come back and prove that. He hasn't. He's making a general denial because the specifics are all true,' Black said." [Los Angeles Times, 10/24/88, emphasis added]

1989: Black Ran Race For Virginia Governor. In 1989, Black worked on Rep. Stan Parris's unsuccessful campaign for the GOP nomination for governor of Virginia. The Washington Post reported, "Paris has called on longtime friend Charlie Black of Campaign Consultants Inc. in Alexandria. Black is a well-known Republican strategist who was among the inner circle in the Reagan and Bush campaigns. Black and partner Lee Atwater, who is on leave from the firm to serve as chairman of the Republican National Committee, are known for a take-no-prisoners approach to campaigning. ‘Charlie and I have worked together 20 years,' said Parris, ‘literally since the first time I ran for public office.'" [Washington Post, 3/29/89]

Black And Parris Ran Negative Campaign Described As "Subtly Racist." The Washington Post reported, "Most of the criticism echoed themes of the negative television commercials that have been aired by all three candidates as part of a $5 million-plus advertising campaign. ... Negative advertising was a concern for several Shouse Drive residents, and the candidate these people complained about most was Parris. ... several people questioned a Paris commercial that emphasizes his fight against statehood for the District [of Columbia]. Gwen Kaltman said she thinks Parris' spots may be subtly racist." [Washington Post, 6/10/89, emphasis added]

1990: Black Advised Jesse Helms As He Ran Controversial "Hands" Ad Against Black Candidate. Newsday reported that Helms, "through a series of blistering advertisements unleashed just days before, had beckoned the long-simmering issue of race to the surface of this senatorial contest. In doing so, Helms had hurled the campaign into its most bitter and acrimonious phase to date, namely by labeling his opponent, falsely, an advocate of racial job quotas and accusing him of conducting a ‘secret campaign' in the black community. ... On the television commercial, the camera zones in on a white man's hands, crumpling what apparently is a job rejection letter. The announcer then intones: ‘You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is,' the message continues. ‘Gantt supports Ted Kennedy's racial quota law that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications.'" Black, an adviser to the campaign and a consultant for the Congressional Club - Helms's political machine - insisted the race would come down to turnout: "‘What it's going to come down to is turnout,' said Charles Black, chairman of the Republican National Committee and a Helms adviser. ‘It's, no question, the biggest challenge at this point.'" [Newsday, 11/4/90]

Black Defended "Hands Ad." Black defended Helms's "Hands" television ad, which featured white hands crumpling a job rejection letter and linking Helms's black opponent to racial job quotas. Asked about the ad on the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, Black said, "Well there is nothing racial about the campaign." When asked if there was anything improper about the ad, Black said, "Of course not." Another guest on the show, DNC Chairman Ron Brown, pressed Black again, saying, "You are a principal adviser of Jesse Helms. Would you advise him to run that kind of ad, Charlie? Do you approve of that ad, Charlie?" Black responded, "I advised Jesse Helms to do what he's always done." [MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, 11/5/90]

2000: Black Worked With Rove On South Carolina Primary Where "Allegations About McCain Surfaced." The Baltimore Sun reported, "Charlie Black, a longtime Republican strategist and informal Bush adviser who has worked alongside Rove, said Rove is "willing to play tough and hard on issues." Black, who worked with Rove in the 2000 South Carolina primary, where the allegations about McCain surfaced, said Rove "never did anything out of bounds." [Baltimore Sun, 11/7/04]

McCain Was Accused Of Having Illegitimate Black Child. In a 2004 op-ed in the Boston Globe, current McCain campaign manager Rick Davis explained how McCain was smeared in 2000 in South Carolina: "Having run Senator John McCain's campaign for president, I can recount a textbook example of a smear made against McCain in South Carolina during the 2000 primary. ... Anonymous opponents used ‘push polling' to suggest that McCain's Bangladeshi born daughter was his own, illegitimate black child." [Boston Globe, 3/21/04]

Black Built His Career As A Master Of Negative Campaigning

Black's Firm Mastered Art Of "Driving Up The Opposition's Negatives." In 1985, the Washington Post reported, "One of the key talents they [Black and his partners] bring to a campaign is a killer instinct for what is known in the trade as ‘driving up the opposition's negatives.'" [Washington Post, 4/7/85]

Black "Is A Firm Believer" In Negative Ads. The Washington Post reported, "Black is a firm believer in the kind of hard-hitting negative television advertising that became NCPAC's trademark in the late 1970s and rose to a vicious form in Helms' 1984 reelection campaign. ‘I don't see any evidence that negative advertising doesn't work,' he said on the night of [Florida Senator Paula] Hawkins' defeat. Black campaigns are typically rough-and-tumble affairs." [Washington Post, 12/1/86, emphasis added]

1989: Black Reminisced About Good Old Days When You Could Say "All Kinds Of Outrageous Things" In An Ad. In 1989, the Washington Post reported, "‘In terms of being able to distort or mislead people, you're never running in the clear,' said Republican consultant Charlie Black, one of the few who think the standards of truthfulness have become tighter. ‘Back in the 1970s, you could say all kinds of outrageous things. Now, in almost any state you go into, you've got at least one, maybe four or five state newspapers that will call your hand. Some of these state capital press corps are tougher than the national guys." [Washington Post, 1/17/89]

Black Is An Expert In The Politics Of Division. Newsweek reported, "Black is an expert in the use of ‘wedge issues,' like crime and the flag, to split off conservative white males from the Democratic Party." [Newsweek, 12/16/91]

Washington Post: Black Has Worked For Most Controversial Republican Candidates & Groups. The Washington Post reported, "Black's roots are in the right wing of his party. He has been deeply involved in politics and business with some of his party's most controversial groups, campaigns and personalities. ... few people in American politics have been associated with as many controversial campaigns or groups. ... He once was executive director of Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative student group, and was founding chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee, one of the New Right's most controversial groups." [Washington Post, 12/1/86]

Black is Master "Spin Doctor." The Washington Post reported, "Black is a master media manipulator, or ‘spin doctor,' as it is called in the political trade. He seems able to put a ‘spin' on almost any event, no matter how unfavorable, to cast his client in a favorable light." [Washington Post, 12/1/86]

Charlie Black: Lee Atwater's Mentor

Black Described As Lee Atwater's "Mentor." In 1988, the New York Times reported, "Mr. Atwater, the manager of Mr. Bush's presidential campaign, has a reputation for playing hardball politics, and he freely concedes that. ... In his job, he consults regularly with a group he calls the ‘best political minds in the country,' which includes Charlie Black, his mentor." [New York Times, 5/30/88]

Black, Atwater's "Best Friend," Took Over RNC When Atwater Fell Ill. In 1990, the Washington Post reported, "Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater has named his best friend, GOP consultant Charles Black, to serve as his ‘designated spokesman' while Atwater continues to battle a brain tumor. ... Describing Black ‘as my best friend and political eyes and ears,' Atwater said: ‘I've not asked him also to be my mouthpiece. ... Charlie speaks for me and for the party.'" [Washington Post, 7/22/90]

Black Was Behind Ideas Credited To Atwater. The Boston Globe reported, "Without Atwater, who died of cancer last year, and Ailes, the media specialist who is considered too controversial after the 1988 campaign's heavy use of attack ads, Bush would appear to be lacking experienced bare-knuckle fighters. ... He could be aided on attack themes by Charles Black, an Atwater associate, who is a key member of Teeter's team. Black, a wealthy lobbyist and consultant, is credited by one friend as ‘coming up with many of the ideas Atwater got credit for.'" [Boston Globe, 2/2/92, emphasis added]

Black And Atwater Described As The "Champions" Of Dirty Politics. In 1990, the New York Times reported that Black and his partner Lee Atwater had gotten their education in dirty politics from Senator Jess Helms. "‘If this is a dirty little business, they certainly are the champions of it,' said Harrison Hickman, a Democratic pollster and North Carolina native. ‘They're always at ground zero. They have the research to know what to say, and they know exactly how to say it. They sort of bypass, the cognitive dimensions of human decision making.'" [New York Times, 10/28/90]

Black and Atwater, Similar Backgrounds, Similar Dirty Tricks. The New Republic reported, "The backgrounds of many of the GOP strategists who would inherit and refine Wallace's divisive tactics were very different from those of their Democratic counterparts ... Perhaps the two most famous examples were products of the segregated South, Charlie Black and Lee Atwater." [The New Republic, 9/25/06]

Atwater Joined Black's Firm. The Washington Post reported, "On the day after President Reagan defeated Walter F. Mondale, H. Lee Atwater was a rich man. The deputy campaign manager of the Reagan-Bush '84 Committee became a full partner in the political consulting arm of Black, Manafort and Stone, a firm that exemplifies a key element of the vitality of the Republican Party: the potential for young tough, savvy political operatives to move the political market and make big bucks. In just five years, Black, Manafort and Stone - and now Atwater - has become a major new presence in the capital, specializing in connections, influence and hardball politics." [Washington Post, 4/7/85, emphasis added]

Atwater Helped Karl Rove Become National Chairman of the College Republicans. The New York Times reported, "In the early 1970's [sic], when Mr. Rove was a student active with the College Republicans, a national organization, he became friendly with another rising political operative, Lee Atwater, who went on to serve as the principal strategist for the successful 1988 presidential bid of Mr. Bush's father. In fact, Mr. Atwater was the southern coordinator for Mr. Rove's campaign for chairman of the College Republicans in 1973. Mr. Rove won." [New York Times, 1/11/00]

Black Also Came From College Republican Pedigree. The San Francisco Chronicle reported, "Today, the College Republican National Committee has 250,000 members on 1,800 campuses. The list of high-profile alumni includes Ralph Reed, Karl Rove, Lee Atwater, Charlie B lack, Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist, who in 2005 told a room full of college Republicans that McCain was a ‘nut job from Arizona.'" [San Francisco Chronicle, 3/22/08, emphasis added]

Black And Atwater Pioneered Politics Of Division. The Washington Post reported, "The shared talent of the three premier GOP campaign strategists - Lee Atwater, Charlie Black and Roger Stone - is the calculated ability to seize on the weaknesses of opponents and ‘drive up their negatives.' For Atwater and Black, key training has been in Southern political fights, where the central goal is to drive wedges in what had been a deeply rooted Democratic dominance. ‘Republicans in the South could not win elections simply by showing various issues and talking about various issues. You had to make the case that the other guy, the other candidate, is a bad guy,' Atwater said, describing his approach to elections. ‘You simply could not get out in a universe where 60 percent of the people were Democrats and 28 percent Republicans, and win by talking about your issues.'" [Washington Post, 9/14/86, emphasis added]

Atwater Smeared Senate Candidate As Elitist For Harmless Joke. The New Republic reported, "Atwater, who grew up in South Carolina, first came to prominence in that state's 1978 Senate race between Democrat Pug Ravenel and Republican Strom Thurmond. Ravenel had attended a fund-raiser in Manhattan where he reportedly bragged that, if elected, he would act like a senator from New York. For Atwater, the subsequent attack ad must have practically written itself. "We need Strom Thurmond," the commercial said, "instead of a third senator from New York." [The New Republic, 9/25/06]

Black Was Protégé Of Jesse Helms And Worked On Race Noted For Overt Racism

Black Was An Advisor To Helms' 1990 Campaign. According to the New York Times, Charlie Black served as "Political director of Jesse Helms's first Senate campaign in 1972 and advised his 1990 re-election effort." [New York Times, 12/6/91]

Newsweek: Black is Helms Protégé. In 1991, Newsweek described Black as "an old Jesse Helms protégé." [Newsweek, 12/16/91]

HELMS' 1990 CAMPAIGN AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICAN CANDIDATE DEMONSTRATED HIS "WILLINGNESS TO USE RACE AS A CAMPAIGN THEME"

New York Times Reported On Racial Tactics In Campaign Against Black Candidate. The New York Times reported, "There have also been allegations from some Democrats, including the state Democratic chairman, E. Lawrence Davis 3d [sic], that the Helms campaign has included ‘a subtle color message' in some of its advertising and fund-raising literature. Democrats cite the heavy use of Mr. Gantt's and Mr. Helms's photographs in the Helms advertising, the use of phrases like ‘extremely different' to describe Mr. Gantt, and the frequent references to other blacks. One Helms television commercial uses footage of Mr. Gantt's campaign manager, who is black. One of the Helms campaign's bumper stickers declares, ‘Jesse - Helms, that is.' A Helms fund-raising letter, made available by the North Carolina Democratic Party, talks about the joy that a Helms defeat would bring to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, ‘liberal reporters,' the Soviets and the Rev. Jesse Jackson" [New York Times, 9/23/90]

Black Defended Helms' Campaign Tactics. According to a New York Times report that discussed Helms' racially charged tactics, "‘North Carolina is basically a state where the majority hold conservative values,' said Charles Black, a Republican consultant who is advising Senator Helms. ‘If they understand the difference they'll go with the conservative.'" [New York Times, 9/23/90, emphasis added]

Black Rejected The Notion that Race Was Part of Campaign. The New York Times reported, "Charles Black, the chief spokesman for the Republican National Committee, denied that Mr. Helms was injecting race into the campaign." [New York Times, 11/5/90]

Black Dismissed Racial Criticism as Sign of Democratic Anxiety. The Associated Press reported that Black said, "You can always tell when the Democrats are about to have a bad political year because the weekend before the election they start acting like martyrs and screaming racism and voter intimidation." [Associated Press, 11/5/90]

Washington Post: Helms "Use[s] Race As A Campaign Theme." The Washington Post reported, "More than any other incumbent senator, Helms represents the old South. ‘He's a Republican version of George Wallace,' said Emory University political scientists Merle Black. And like the former Alabama governor, Helms has demonstrated a consistent willingness to use race as a campaign theme. This history extends from the 1960s when he denounced as ‘humbug' the civil rights chant of freedom now' to the warnings in his current direct mail that black civil rights leader Jesse L. Jackson ‘will soon have thousands of Rainbow Coalition ‘activists' roaming the streets of virtually every small town.'" [Washington Post, 10/5/90, emphasis added]

Helms Campaign Ran Commercials Playing On Race And Homophobia. The New York Times reported, "After putting Mr. Helms on the defensive on issues like education and the environment, Mr. Gantt has suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a vintage Helms attack. The new Helms commercials accuse Mr. Gantt of running a ‘secret campaign' in homosexual communities and of being committed to mandatory gay rights laws' including ‘requiring local schools to hire gay teachers.' ... A similar commercial being broadcast on radio accuses Mr. Gantt of running another ‘secret campaign' aimed at black radio stations. ‘Why doesn't Harvey Gantt run his ad on all radio stations, so everyone can hear it, instead of just on black radio stations?' the announcer asks. ‘Doesn't Harvey Gantt want everyone to vote?'" [New York Times, 10/31/90]

Helms Falsely Accused Black Candidate Of Using Affirmative Action Program. The Washington Post reported, "At the core of the Helms attack has been the charge that a partnership that included Gantt made use of a Federal Communications Commission racial preference program to obtain a television license," however "the racial preference program played no part in the FCC's final decision, according to William Johnson, deputy administrator of the mass media division." When it was brought to light that two Helms advisers had advised other clients of theirs "to use the same FCC racial preference rules," Black came to their defense, arguing that the two Helms advisers didn't have "a financial interests in the radio station license application" in question, unlike the black candidate he and Helms had attacked. [Washington Post, 11/4/90]

UNC Political Scientists: Helms Ads "Tied To The Racial Issues." Newsday reported, "And in a race awash in irony - a man who got his political start working for a segregationist candidate struggling against one who could become the first black U.S. senator in North Carolina since Reconstruction - hardball it has been. ‘It's been an onslaught, really,' marveled Thad Beyle, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In fact, he said, ‘A lot of people who thought Harvey Gantt might sneak this one away [from Helms] are now sort of re-evaluating it...Helms' ads have been so constant and so consistently tied to the racial issue that, frankly, they're just hard to blunt.'" [Newsday, 11/4/90]

Helms Campaign Compared To That Of David Duke. The New York Times reported, "Mr. Helms has transformed his neck-and-neck battle with Mr. Gantt, who is seeking to become the South's first black Senator since Reconstruction, with a barrage of racially explicit advertisements and campaign speeches. Much of the message differs little from Mr. Duke's campaign theme that blacks are getting preferential treatment at the expense of more qualified whites. ... In speeches, he has accented other racial messages, like an accusation that Mr. Gantt is waging his own racial campaign by advertising on black radio stations. ‘Everything's a smear campaign,' to Mr. Gantt, Mr. Helms told reporters last week. ‘He just can't take it.'" [New York Times, 11/5/90]

1990: Helms Ran Infamous Racially-Charged Ad, "Hands." Newsday reported, "On the television commercial, the camera zones in on a white man's hands, crumpling what apparently is a job rejection letter. The announcer then intones: ‘You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is,' the message continues. ‘Gantt supports Ted Kennedy's racial quota law that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications.'" [Newsday, 11/4/90]

Ad Text:

"You needed that job and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority, because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is. Gantt supports Ted Kennedy's racial quota law, that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications. You'll vote on this issue next Tuesday. For racial quotas: Harvey Gantt. Against racial quotas: Jesse Helms." [Helms Campaign Ad, 1990]

BLACK DEFENDED HANDS AD ON THE MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR:

JIM LEHRER: Mr. Black how would you characterize what Jesse Helms has done in the last few days?

CHARLIE BLACK: Well there is nothing racial about the campaign. The people of North Carolina don't care what color the candidates are. This has been a classic contest between an orthodox liberal in Harvey Gant a strong conservative in Jesse Helms. They have fought out and openly debated many issues, educations, environment, national defense, spending, taxes and the so called civil rights bill which has been issue in the whole country for the past month.

LEHRER: So you don't see anything improper about bringing up the ad that we just saw on quotas, racial quotas?

BLACK: Of course not. This has been one of the biggest issues in the country recently. It was Ted Kennedy's Bill. President Bush vetoed it because it required mandatory quotas. It was something that the whole Congress has to vote on and by the way Harvey Gant first attacked Senator Helms on this issue. Senator Helms did not start that fight. ...

DNC CHAIR RON BROWN: I'm not hiding behind anything. You are a principal adviser of Jesse Helms. Would you advise him to run that kind of ad, Charlie? Do you approve of that ad, Charlie?

BLACK: I advised Jesse Helms to do what he's always done, which is take strong principled positions and then run on them, and that's what he's done. [MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, 11/5/90]

HELMS' HANDS AD RECIVED MEDIA CRITICISM

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Headline: "GOP Deserves Shame For Not Booting Helms." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/9/90]

Time Magazine: Helms Engaged In "Racial Politics." Time reported, "The contest between Republican Jesse Helms and his black Democratic challenger Harvey Gantt attracted more national attention than any other Senate election because it posed a primal question: Was Helms' brand of racial politics finally obsolete? In electing Helms to a fourth term last week, North Carolina gave a clear answer: not yet, not even in a state regarded as one of the most progressive in the South. ... The most effective blow came eight days before the election. A widely broadcast commercial that was quickly dubbed the ‘white hands' spot showed the hands of a worker crumpling a letter of rejection. ... Said professor Merle Black of Emory University: ‘It was a 1990s version of ‘Wake up, white people,'' a motto of white supremacists 40 years ago." [Time, 11/19/90]

Richard Cohen: Helms "Donned The Sheet That Could Not Be Seen." In a Washington Post editorial, Richard Cohen wrote, "Helms was not discussing affirmative action at all -- not in a way that makes sense. Instead, he was attempting to polarize his state along racial lines, something he has done before. A clear opponent of every civil rights bill ever to come down the pike, a racial trouble-izer of the first order (Jesse Jackson is a-coming, he warned his constituents), Helms was in no way discussing affirmative action. Instead, he donned the sheet that could not be seen." [Washington Post, 11/8/90]

Michael Kinsley: Ad Promoted "Simple Racism Against Gantt." In an essay in Time, Michael Kinsley wrote, "No doubt these ads were intended in part to promote simple racism against Gantt, who is black, and no doubt they succeeded." [Time, 11/19/90]

Boston Globe: Helms Engaging in "Racially Divisive Tactics." The Boston Globe reported, "Fighting for his political life, Republican Jesse Helms has returned to the racially divisive tactics that characterized his start in politics 40 years ago." [Boston Globe, 11/4/90]

John McCain's Iraq Policy Is Good For Lobbyists & Defense Contractors

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Senator John McCain's support for spending trillions of dollars in Iraq over the next century would bankrupt America, but his proposals would mean billions in profit for the nation's top defense contractors. Already, big defense firms have lined their pockets with lucrative contracts for infrastructure projects and security in Iraq. Another group that has profited handsomely from the Iraq war is the crop of Washington lobbyist insiders who represent the defense contractors and have made millions securing contracts for their clients. McCain has recruited these lobbyists, who wholeheartedly support continuing a war that has earned them so much money, to run his campaign. And the defense firms and their executives know who their friends are. Realizing a McCain presidency will continue the war that has made them rich, the defense contractors have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to McCain to bolster his bid for the White House. Having been in Washington for 25 years, McCain knows how to return a favor. McCain repaid his defense contractor pals by voting against efforts in Congress to investigate defense contractor waste, fraud and abuse.

Charlie Black And Iraq

Beginning in 1999 and continuing throughout the years leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Charlie Black's lobbying firm represented Ahmed Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress (INC), the most vocal Iraqi group calling for regime change [Los Angeles Times, 7/14/04]. Chalabi clearly had a lot to gain personally from a U.S. invasion. Living in exile from his homeland and viewed by many in Washington "as a possible successor to Saddam Hussein," regime change would allow him to return home and take a leadership role in rebuilding Iraq [BBC, 10/3/02]. Charlie Black's lobbying firm pushed Chalabi's interests in Washington and allowed him to gain access to the highest levels of government. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the fact that Chalabi was meeting in the Pentagon with high-level officials pushing for an invasion of Iraq nine days after 9/11 [New Yorker, 6/7/04]. It has since come to light that Chalabi helped engineer the claims that Saddam Hussein had W.M.D. and is very much responsible for helping bring about the U.S. war in Iraq. He has also been accused of passing American secrets to Iran.

Charlie Black and his lobbying firm had a lot to gain from their connection to Chalabi, too. In the early days of the Iraq war, Black and his firm were touting their connection to Chalabi and their experience dealing in Iraq [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/1/03]. Black clearly saw his work prior to the 2003 invasion as laying the groundwork for new business opportunities for him and his clients. In August 2003, just months after the invasion, Black said:

"Due to our past representation of the INC, we know and have worked with a lot of people who will be in the provisional government. We have a number of clients who are interested in doing business in Iraq." [National Journal, 8/2/03]

Black even said he was "strongly considering" opening an office in Baghdad [National Journal, 8/2/03]. Over the past five years, Black and his firm have used their prior experience working in Iraq to help their clients gain lucrative contracts, and the firm has used its experience to draw new clients. Now, it's clear that a McCain presidency would be in Black's best interest, as an endless war in Iraq and future wars across the region will continue to bring in the big bucks for the lobbying firm that still bears his name.

Black's Firm Worked for Ahmed Chalabi and the INC

Black And BKSH Represented Iraqi National Congress. Newsday reported, "BKSH & Associates, headed by longtime Republican insider Charles Black, represents Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, his former exile group, in Washington." [Newsday, 10/5/03]

Black Touted Connections To Chalabi. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, "BKSH & Associates, the lobby firm run by GOP strategist Charlie Black, touts its connections to Ahmed Chalabi (until recently a Pentagon sweetheart), who formerly headed the exiled Iraqi National Congress and is currently on Iraq's governing council." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/1/03]

BKSH's Lobbying Gave Chalabi Inside Access To The Bush Administration. Roll Call reported that Chalabi got help from "BKSH & Associates, the Washington firm founded by Charles Black, a longtime ally of President Bush. Those contacts have paid off: At this year's state of the union address, Chalabi sat in the VIP Box with first lady Laura Bush." [Roll Call, 2/24/04]

BKSH Developed INC's Communications Strategy. According to The Hill, BKSH "won a State Department contract to help develop a communications strategy for the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in the years before the war." BKSH had a lobbyist in Baghdad in 2003 "to help the INC build a communications operation in Iraq." [The Hill, 2/7/06]

Chalabi's Role Leading up to the War

Chalabi Helped Engineer WMD Claims And Pushed Bush Administration To Attack Iraq. According to the New Yorker, Meeting at the Pentagon nine days after the 9/11 attacks, Chalabi urged the Defense Policy Board, which advised Secretary Rumsfeld, "to skip any intervention in Afghanistan, where the Taliban had harbored Al Qaeda, and to proceed immediately with targeting Iraq. A participant at the meeting, who asked not to be named, recalled that Chalabi made a compelling case that the Americans would have an easy victory there: ‘He said there'd be no resistance, no guerilla warfare from the Baathists, and a quick matter of establishing a government.' Soon afterward, however, Chalabi began to clash with the Administration. Chalabi told me that he would have preferred to sell the war to the American people on philosophical grounds, as a fight against genocidal tyranny and in favor of bringing democracy to the Arab world, but that this approach was rejected by the Bush Administration. ‘Look, our focus was on Saddam's crimes, moral crimes, genocide,' Chalabi said. ‘We were not focused on W.M.D. The U.S. asked us. We didn't bring these people up; they asked us! They requested this help from us.'" [New Yorker, 6/7/04, emphasis added]

BKSH Employee Helped Sell WMD Claims. Francis Brooke, who "worked with Mr. Chalabi since 1990 - first as a consultant paid by the CIA and most recently as a consultant for BKSH and Associates, a company run by Charlie Black, a Republican Party veterain," helped focus on WMDs in the case for war. According to the New Yorker, "Francis Brooke said that nobody had ordered the I.N.C. to focus solely on W.M.D.s. ‘I'm a smart man,' he said. ‘I saw what they wanted, and I adapted my strategy.'" Brooke and "the I.N.C. was enlisted to promote the danger posed by Saddam's regime. Brooke said, ‘I sent out an all-points bulletin to our network, saying, ‘Look, guys, get me a terrorist, or someone who works with terrorists. And, if you can get stuff on W.M.D., send it!''" [New Yorker, 6/7/04; Sunday Telegraph, 6/6/04]

Lawmakers Said Chalabi Gave False Info To U.S. Leading Up To War. In 2005, CNN's Kyra Phillips reported, "Well, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi is stirring controversy again. Once the favorite of the Bush administration, Chalabi is in the U.S. on a trip some see as an attempt to rebuild his reputation. Critics, including some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, vilify Chalabi for allegedly feeding false pre-war intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons." [CNN, 11/14/05, emphasis added]

Chalabi Helped Spur U.S. Invasion With False Information. Knight Ridder described Chalabi as "the former exile who helped spur the U.S.-led invasion by feeding false intelligence to Washington about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction, and who returned to Iraq after Saddam's fall to craft himself into a political leader." [Knight Ridder, 1/14/06, emphasis added]

Chalabi's Shady Character

Chalabi Investigated For Passing American Secrets To Iran. The FBI investigated Chalabi, raiding his home and his office, "for allegedly passing classified information to Iran." According to CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "The FBI assistant director, John Miller, just put out a statement the other day saying they've interviewed a lot of people on the accusation that Ahmed Chalabi may have provided Iran with classified information about U.S. codes, code breaking equipment." [CNN, 11/14/05]

Chalabi Accused Of Passing U.S. Secrets To Iran. The Washington Post reported, "Once tabbed by some U.S. officials as a future leader of Iraq, Chalabi suffered a series of blows following the U.S.-led invasion, beginning when intelligence he provided to the Pentagon about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction proved false. He was later accused of passing U.S. secrets to the government of Iran." [Washington Post, 12/31/05, emphasis added]

FBI Investigated Chalabi. In 2005, the Washington Post reported, "Chalabi remains a lightning rod for the Iraq war. An FBI probe into allegations that Chalabi provided highly sensitive U.S. intelligence to Iran - involving U.S. intelligence breaking a secret Iranian code for transmitting encrypted messages - is still ‘open and active,' FBI spokesman Bill Carter said. Several current and former government officials have been interviewed as part of the investigation he added." [Washington Post, 11/10/05]

Chalabi Convicted Of Embezzlement In Jordan. The Washington Post reported that Chalabi "was convicted in absentia in Jordan more than a decade ago of embezzlement and fraud and sentenced to 22 years in prison." [Washington Post, 11/10/05]

Chalabi Wanted For Fraud In Jordan. According to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Chalabi "makes it clear he doesn't like the government of King Abdullah because he's wanted in Jordan for fraud. Supposedly, accused of stealing some $50 million over the year[s]." [CNN, 11/14/05]

Charlie Black: War Profiteer

Black's Firm Involved "Pushing For The War." Washington Monthly reported, "BKSH had a special interest in Iraq. The firm was a key member of the coterie of talking heads, lobbyists, and politicians pushing for the war in Iraq that centered around Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress (INC), the anti-Saddam exile group, which was itself a BKSH client." [Washington Monthly, 6/1/05]

Black's Firm Was Compared to Operators Who Got Rich In The Gold Rush. Washington Monthly reported, "In the gold rush of 1849, they say, it was not the miners who got rich, but the operators who sold the picks and the shovels and the wagons and the denim. So it was in Iraq, with the likes of Peg Bartel, the INC, and BKSH." [Washington Monthly, 6/1/05]

Black Said He Was "Strongly Considering" Opening Lobbying Office In Bagdad For His Clients Who Were "Interested In Doing Business in Iraq." National Journal reported, "Over the past four years, BKSH has been boosting the interests of the Iraqi National Congress, whose leader, Ahmed Chalabi, was a key anti-Saddam opponent and now sits on the newly formed Iraqi Governing Council. ... ‘Due to our past representation of the INC,' says Black, ‘we know and have worked with a lot of people who will be in the provisional government. We have a number of clients who are interested in doing business in Iraq.' Black adds that his firm is ‘strongly considering' opening an office in Baghdad." [National Journal, 8/2/03, emphasis added]

Black Planned To Set up Iraq's First Lobbying Firm. According to the New Yorker, "Another top Republican lobbyist in Washington, Charlie Black, told me that his firm, BKSH & Associates, has plans to help Iraqis set up their own affiliated public-relations and government-relations firm; the company would become perhaps the first lobbying shop in Baghdad. Black is excited by the opportunities in Iraq, but he, too, has complaints. ‘The problem in Iraq so far is it's slow and very confusing for people to figure out how to do business there,' he said. ‘One week you go to Baghdad, and they say the decisions are being made at the Pentagon. Then you go to the Pentagon, and they say the decisions are being made in Baghdad. Only Halliburton is making money now!' He laughed. ‘Is there too much cronyism? I just wish I could find the cronies.'" [The New Yorker, 2/16/04, emphasis added]

A Lobbyist For Black's Firm Said They Had A "Leg Up" In Iraq Because Of Work For INC. Newsday reported, "BKSH & Associates, headed by longtime Republican insider Charles Black, represents Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, his former exile group, in Washington." Said one of the lobbyists working for Black: "What I think gives us a leg up, and I think we have a leg up, is the fact we have been working this issue for four-and-a-half years, and we know a lot of Iraqis that have been involved in the political process." [Newsday, 10/5/03]

Black's Clients Could Expect To be Well-Served In Seeking Iraq Contracts Because Of Firm's History In Iraq. According to Energy Compass, "BKSH Associates is attracting similar interest. The company, which says its lobbyists include individuals who have worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations, has over the years promoted the interests of Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC). Since Chalabi and other INC members are on the governing council, BKSH's clients can expect to be well-served. They include, among others, Fluor, which has bid for work in Iraq, as well as US telecoms and engineering firms." [Energy Compass, 10/16/03]

Black's Firm has Represented 8 Of Top 60 Defense Contractors. Charlie Black's firm, BKSH, has lobbied for 8 (or roughly 13%) of the top 60 companies receiving DOD contracts during 2007, including the top DOD contractor (Lockheed Martin) and six of the top 16 contractors. BKSH has represented Lockheed Martin, ranked first with over $36 billion in FY 2006 defense revenue; United Technologies, ranked 10^th with over $7 billion in contracts; Thales, ranked 11^th with nearly $7 billion in contracts; General Electric, ranked 14^th, with over $4.5 billion in defense contracts; Honeywell, ranked 15^th with $4.4 billion in contracts; Rolls-Royce, ranked 16^th with over $4 billion in contracts; Harris, ranked 38^th with $1.5 billion in contracts; and NEC, ranked 59^th with over $700 million in contracts. [Army Times, accessed 5/16/08; Senate Lobbyist Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Black And His Firm Have Earned Between $4,402,500 & $4,522,488 Lobbying For 11 Iraq War Contractors:

Lockheed Paid Black's Firm Over $625,000 From 2002 to 2007. Between 2002 and 2007, Lockheed Martin paid Black's lobbying firm between $627,500 and $637,499 to lobby the Department of Defense, the CIA, the Office of Management and Budget, the House and the Senate. Black himself is listed as one of the lobbyists working on Lockheed's behalf for a portion of the firm's work. All of the lobbying done by the firm for Lockheed was on defense issues. [Analysis of Senate Lobbyist Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

United Technologies Paid Black's Firm $690,000 since 2003. Since the middle of 2003, United Technologies has paid Black's lobbying firm $690,000 to lobby on its behalf. Charlie Black is listed as having personally handled this client. The filing for the First Quarter of 2008 reveals that Black continued to lobby for United Technologies over the first three months of 2008 while he was serving as senior adviser to McCain's campaign. Specifically, Black's 2008 work for the company focused on Defense procurement and appropriations. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 5/22/08]

Thales Inc. Paid Black's Firm $1,015,000 From 2000 To 2007. Between 2000 and 2007, Thales Inc. paid Charlie Black's lobbying firm $1,015,000 to lobby on its behalf. Lobbying Disclosure Reports show Black's firm has charged the contractor higher fees since the beginning of the Iraq war. From 2000-2003, the firm charged an average of just over $120,000 yearly. Since then, the firm has charged an average of approximately $160,000 per year. On April 17, 2008, just weeks after Black announced he was leaving BKSH, his firm submitted a filing to the Secretary of the Senate that Thales was terminating its long-standing contract with the firm. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 5/22/08]

General Electric Paid Black's Firm Nearly $1 Million Between 1999 And 2008. Since 1999, General Electric and General Electric Capital Services have paid Charlie Black's lobbying firm between $940,000 and $980,000 to lobby on its behalf. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Honeywell Paid Black's Firm $140,000 Between 2000 And 2001. Between 2000 and 2001, Honeywell paid Black's lobbying firm $140,000 for its services. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Rolls-Royce Paid Black's Firm At least $240,000 from 1999-2001. Between 1999 and 2001, Rolls-Royce paid Black's lobbying firm between $240,000 and $250,000. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Harris Corp. Paid Black's Firm $40,000 In 2006. In 2006, Harris Corp. paid Charlie Black's lobbying firm $40,000 for lobbying services. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

NEC Paid Black's Firm $660,000 Between 2001 and 2005. Between 2001 and 2005, NEC USA, the U.S. branch of the Japanese defense contractor, paid Charlie Black's lobbying firm $660,000 to lobby Congress and the Department of Homeland Security. Charlie Black personally worked on the account. [Analysis of Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Several Black Clients Got Lucrative Iraq Contracts. An analysis of the Center for Public Integrity's (CPI) list of Iraq contractors and of the Senate's Lobbyist Disclosure Database shows that at least four of BKSH's clients have received lucrative government contracts for Iraq reconstruction. According to CPI, BKSH client Fluor has received over $3.7 billion in Iraq contracts; Harris Corporation has received $165 million; General Electric has received an unknown amount; and new client Blackwater - the notorious security firm - has received over $21 million. [Center for Public Integrity, accessed 2/29/08; Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database, accessed 2/29/08]

Black Helped Fluor Corporation Become Top Contractor. The American Prospect reported, "Through his lobbying firm, BKSH & Associates (a division of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller), Black represents Fluor Corporation, an engineering and construction firm that is one of the top contractors for post-war reconstruction in Iraq." [The American Prospect, 1/2006]

Fluor Knowingly Over-Charged DOD And Dept. Of Energy. The American Prospect reported, "Last November, Fluor agreed to pay the government $12.5 million to settle a whistleblower suit alleging that the company had knowingly overbilled the Departments of Defense and Energy on contracts for tens of millions of dollars of illegal costs, including executive bonuses, land investments, construction and building improvements, luxury condos, fine art, a Mercedes driven by the company's president, and an antique Chippendale chair." [The American Prospect, 1/2006]

BKSH Lobbied For Firm That Handled Propaganda Articles In Iraqi Newspapers. The Hamilton Spectator reported, "The Lincoln Group, a previously little-known business intelligence company headed by a heretofore little known young Briton and Oxford graduate, Christian Bailey, now at the centre of controversy surrounding the Bush administration's covert propaganda war in Iraq. It was recently revealed that Bailey's company got the lion's share of a $100-million contract from Donald Rumsfeld's Department of Defense for buying space in Iraqi newspapers to place deliberately one-sided stories written by U.S. ‘psy-ops' troops." Additionally, the Lincoln Group was paid $20 million to place misleading stories in Anbar providence about U.S. forces running up to Iraqi elections. "The Lincoln Group has Republican links. Its lobbyists include Charles Black, an adviser to Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr. and Marlin ‘Buzz' Hefti, a former Pentagon director." [Hamilton Spectator, 1/7/06]

Black's Firm Hired By "Psychological Warfare" Firm. Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter reported, "BKSH & Assoc. has been hired by the Lincoln Group. One of three firms selected last month by the U.S. Special Operations Command, to wage psychological warfare on behalf of the Pentagon in Iraq and other hot spots." [Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter, 7/27/05]

Wye Oak Technology Hired BKSH To Help Contractor Get Contracts In Post-Invasion Iraq. Washington Monthly reported, "In April of 2003, after the United States invaded Iraq, Stoffel retained the lobbying powerhouse BKSH, the firm headed by the influential Republican lobbyist Charles Black, to provide ‘assistance in defense contract procurement,' for Wye Oak." [Washington Monthly, 6/1/05]

Wye Oak Was "Proudly And Openly In Iraq To Make A Fortune." According to Washington Monthly, Dale Sfoffel, the founder and head of Wye Oak Technologies, "was a self-professed man of action, who was proudly and openly in Iraq to make a fortune." [Washington Monthly, 6/1/05]

Blackwater Enlisted Black To Repair Reputation. The International Herald Tribune reported, "Blackwater Worldwide, its reputation in tatters and its lucrative government contracts in jeopardy, is mounting an aggressive legal, political and public relations counterstrike." The work was "landed by BKSH...led by Charles Black Jr." A "BKSH associate had worked briefly in Iraq and met several Blackwater personnel." [International Herald Tribune, 11/2/07]

Beyond Black: 22 Top McCain Advisers & Fundraisers Lobbied For Top 10 Firms

John McCain has very close ties to the nation's top private defense contractors. The top 10 defense contractors alone have funneled $216,259 in political contributions to John McCain. And McCain's top advisers and fundraisers - those whom McCain turns to for advice and who speak on his behalf - have been paid millions of dollars to lobby the Pentagon, the White House and Members of Congress - like Senator McCain - to ensure their clients get their fair share of defense money. 8 of the top 10 defense contractors have hired McCain advisers to win them lucrative defense pork. In all, at least 22 of McCain's top advisers and fundraisers have lobbied for at least one of the top ten defense contractors. So when McCain says he's against special interest pork, he's clearly not talking about pork for the defense industry.

McCain's Ties to the Top 10 Defense Contractors

Contractor Rank*	Contractor Name	Number of McCain Lobbyists	2006 Defense Revenue*	Names of Lobbyists	Contractor Donations to McCain +
1	Lockheed Martin	8	$36.09 B	Charlie Black - Senior Political Adviser Doug Davenport - Regional Campaign Manager Randy Scheunemann - Top Nat'l Security Adviser Eric Burgeson - Fundraiser & Energy Adviser Steve Phillips - Fundraiser James Courter - Fundraiser Alfonse D'Amato - Fundraiser Vicki Hart - Fundraiser	$44,400
2	Boeing	3	$30.8 B	Rob Chamberlin - Fundraiser Ashley Davis - Women for McCain Steering Cmt. Mary Kate Johnson - Women for McCain Steering Cmt.	$42,519
3	BAE Systems	--	$23.65 B	N/A	$16,075
4	Northrop Grumman	1	$23.65 B	Rob Chamberlin - Fundraiser	$28,465
5	Raytheon	3	$19.5 B	Judy Black - Fundraiser Steve Phillips - Fundraiser Rob Chamberlin - Fundraiser	$30,700
6	General Dynamics	2	$18.77 B	Rob Chamberlin - Fundraiser Juleanna Glover-Weiss	$18,850
7	EADS	7	$13.2 B	Thomas Loeffler - National Co-Chairman** John Green - Congressional Liaison Susan Nelson - National Finance Director Aleix Jarvis - Fundraiser Kirk Blalock - Fundraiser Kirsten Chadwick - Fundraiser William Ball III - National Security Adviser	$14,500
8	L-3 Communications	1	$9.99 B	Al D'Amato - Fundraiser	$5,950
9	Finmeccanica	--	$9.06 B	N/A	mce_marker
10	United Technologies	5	$7.65 B	Charles Black - Senior Political Adviser Jeffrey Weiss - Fundraiser Peter Madigan - Fundraiser Rob Chamberlin - Fundraiser Alfonse D'Amato - Fundraiser	$14,800

Total Campaign Contributions Taken From Top 10 Defense Contractors: $216,259

+ Contractor Donations according to Congressional Quarterly's MoneyLine **Lobbyist forced to resign from the McCain Campaign because of lobbyist ties. Note all three are also fundraisers, and *Contractor rank and revenue according to list of top DOD contractors in 2007 by DefenseNews, a publication of the Army Times.

Charlie Black's Defense Clients Have Given Hundreds Of Thousands To McCain

An analysis of Charlie Black's lobbying clients in the defense industry over the past 10 years shows that they have funneled large campaign contributions to McCain. Ten of those clients, listed below, have contributed nearly $200,000 to McCain.

Client	Amount Paid to Black's Firm Since 1999	Amount Company Gave to McCain
Lockheed Martin	$627,500 - $637,499	$44,400
United Technologies	$690,000	$14,800
General Electric	$940,000 - $979,996	$41,600
Honeywell	$140,000	$30,800
Rolls Royce	$240,00 - $249,999	$2,400
Harris Corporation	$40,000	$21,044
Fluor	mce_marker - $49,995	$13,900
Lincoln Group	$40,000 - $49,999	$2,300
Blackwater	N/A**	$500
Accenture	$990,000 - $1,009,998	$23,500

	Total Paid to Black's Firm by These Clients: $3,707,500 - $3,847,486	Total Donations to McCain: $195,244

[Senate Lobbying Disclosure Records, accessed 5/22/08; CQ Moneyline, accessed 5/22/08]

** BKSH signed Blackwater up as a client in late 2007, and no filings are yet available

McCain's Advisers Lobby For Defense Contractors, Defense Contractors Give McCain Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars... And He Votes Against Investigating Waste, Fraud And Abuse In Defense Contracting

McCain's Rhetoric On Accountability For Federal Spending

McCain: "Accountability" Needed For Spending. McCain said, "I've long believed that real budgetary reforms won't happen until the American people demand greater accountability for how their tax dollars are being spent. [JohnMcCain.com, 2/2/07, emphasis added]

But McCain's Record Doesn't Match His Rhetoric When It Comes To Holding Defense Contractors Accountable

McCain Voted Against Investigating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would establish a committee to investigate waste, fraud and abuse in the awarding contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the reconstruction after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The amendment failed 44-54. [HR 3058, Vote #259, 10/19/05; HR 2862, Vote #228, 9/14/05; S 1042, Vote #316, 11/10/05; S 2766, Vote #176, 6/20/06]

McCain Voted Against Creating A Committee To Investigate Defense Contractors. In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment that would have established a Senate committee to investigate awarding and carrying out of contracts to conduct activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and to fight the war on terrorism. The amendment failed 44-53. [HR 2862, Vote #228, 9/14/05]

McCain Voted Against Holding Defense Contractors Accountable. In 2006, McCain voted to table an amendment that would make several changes to federal contracting and procurement laws and call for the suspension and debarment of unethical contractors, disclosure of audit reports by the head of each executive agency outlining unjustified contractor costs, and publication of information regarding federal contractor penalties and violations. It would bar monopoly contracts by requiring competition in contracting, ensure protections for whistleblowers and eliminate the revolving door between federal personnel and contractors. The motion to table passed 55-43. [S 2766, Vote #169, 6/14/06]

McCain Voted Against Stricter Penalties For War Profiteering And Fraud. In 2004, McCain against the Leahy amendment that would make profiteering on contracts in connection with military or rebuilding activities in Iraq, Afghanistan or other countries punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and $1 million in fines. Amendment rejected 46-52. [S 2400, Vote #120, 6/16/04]

McCain Voted Against Allowing Competition For Defense Contracts. In 2002, McCain voted to kill a Kennedy amendment that would allow private and public agencies to compete for new Defense Department contracts based on current department standards. It also would codify a contracting prohibition on work currently performed in the public sector unless the agency can show a savings of at least 10 percent. Motion to table passed 50-49. [S2514, Vote #162, 6/25/2002]

McCain Voted To Protect Administration War Profiteering. In 2003, McCain voted against prohibiting the use of Iraqi reconstruction funds for any contract or financial agreement with an entity that pays deferred compensation to the president, the vice president, or a Cabinet-level official, or any entity in which the president, vice president, or Cabinet-level official holds options to purchase more than 1,000 shares of stock. It would be effective 90 days after the bill's enactment. Motion to table passed 65-34. [S 1689, Vote #386, 10/16/03]

Charlie Black Advanced and Defended Racial Tactics Under Jesse Helms

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Charlie Black got his start in politics in his native North Carolina, learning the tactics of hardball political warfare from the notoriously controversial Senator Jesse Helms. After helping get Helms elected to the Senate in 1972, Black moved to Washington to work in Helms's Senate office. He subsequently worked on or consulted every one of Helms's re-election bids. As Helms's top political operative, Black is experienced in engineering a campaign against a promising African American candidate after being an influential advisor during Helms' infamous 1990 campaign against Harvey Gantt. The campaign targeted Gantt with a barrage of racially charged attacks, drawing national attention for their shameful tactics.

Black Was Helms "Protégé"

Newsweek: Black is Helms Protégé. In 1991, Newsweek described Black as "an old Jesse Helms protégé." [Newsweek, 12/16/91]

Black Worked On All Of Helms's Campaigns And In His Senate Office. The Washington Post reported, "A native of Wilmington, N.C., Black has been a key player in each of Helms' campaigns and worked several years on the North Carolina Republican's Senate staff." [Washington Post, 12/1/86]

New York Times: Black Got His Political Education From Helms. In 1990, the New York Times reported, "It's probably no accident that both Lee Atwater, the head of the Republican National Committee and the man often credited for George Bush's hardball strategy in 1988, and Charles Black, who is filling in for Atwater while he battles an inoperable brain tumor, got much of their political education from Helms." [New York Times, 10/28/90]

Black Got Helms's Political Machine To Back Kemp In 1988. According to the Associated Press, Charlie Black, as Jack Kemp's 1988 campaign manager, helped the presidential candidate score "a much-needed coup by winning the support of the arch-conservative National Congressional Club. The organization that raised $18 million for co-founder Jesse Helms' re-election campaign in 1984 will make Kemp's presidential campaign its top priority next year, executive director Carter Wrenn said." Charlie Black described the endorsement as "a tremendous boost" for Kemp. [Associated Press, 9/3/87]

1990: Black Served As Helms' Senior Advisor During Infamous "Hands" Campaign

Ad Text:

BLACK DEFENDED HANDS AD ON THE MACNEIL/LEHRER NEWSHOUR:

JIM LEHRER: Mr. Black how would you characterize what Jesse Helms has done in the last few days?

LEHRER: So you don't see anything improper about bringing up the ad that we just saw on quotas, racial quotas?

DNC CHAIR RON BROWN: I'm not hiding behind anything. You are a principal adviser of Jesse Helms. Would you advise him to run that kind of ad, Charlie? Do you approve of that ad, Charlie?

BLACK: I advised Jesse Helms to do what he's always done, which is take strong principled positions and then run on them, and that's what he's done. [MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, 11/5/90]

HELMS' HANDS AD RECIVED MEDIA CRITICISM

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Headline: "GOP Deserves Shame For Not Booting Helms." [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/9/90]

Helms' 1990 Campaign Against African American Candidate Demonstrated His "Willingness To Use Race As A Campaign Theme"

Black Defended Helms' Campaign Tactics. According to a New York Times report that discussed Helms' racially charged tactics, "‘North Carolina is basically a state where the majority hold conservative values,' said Charles Black, a Republican consultant who is advising Senator Helms. ‘If they understand the difference they'll go with the conservative.'" [New York Times, 9/23/90, emphasis added]

Black Dismissed Racial Criticism as Sign of Democratic Anxiety. The Associated Press reported that Black said, "You can always tell when the Democrats are about to have a bad political year because the weekend before the election they start acting like martyrs and screaming racism and voter intimidation." [Associated Press, 11/5/90]

Helms Campaign Ran Commercials Playing On Race And Homophobia. The New York Times reported, "After putting Mr. Helms on the defensive on issues like education and the environment, Mr. Gantt has suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a vintage Helms attack. The new Helms commercials accuse Mr. Gantt of running a ‘secret campaign' in homosexual communities and of being committed to mandatory gay rights laws' including ‘requiring local schools to hire gay teachers.' ... A similar commercial being broadcast on radio accuses Mr. Gantt of running another ‘secret campaign' aimed at black radio stations. ‘Why doesn't Harvey Gantt run his ad on all radio stations, so everyone can hear it, instead of just on black radio stations?' the announcer asks. ‘Doesn't Harvey Gantt want everyone to vote?'" [New York Times, 10/31/90]

Helms Falsely Accused Black Candidate Of Using Affirmative Action Program. The Washington Post reported, "At the core of the Helms attack has been the charge that a partnership that included Gantt made use of a Federal Communications Commission racial preference program to obtain a television license," however "the racial preference program played no part in the FCC's final decision, according to William Johnson, deputy administrator of the mass media division." When it was brought to light that two Helms advisers had advised other clients of theirs "to use the same FCC racial preference rules," Black came to their defense, arguing that the two Helms advisers didn't have "a financial interests in the radio station license application" in question, unlike the black candidate he and Helms had attacked. [Washington Post, 11/4/90]

The Quotable Charlie Black

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Yesterday, McCain senior adviser Charlie Black caused a firestorm because of his candied comments that he thinks a terrorist attack on U.S. soil would be helpful to the candidacy of John McCain. Black is a GOP operative with a long history in negative, hardball tactics and with a lucrative career in lobbying. Here is a collection of the most quotable quotes by or about Charlie Black.

"Certainly it would be a big advantage to him."

-- Charlie Black on the impact of a terrorist attack on US soil during the campaign on John McCain's candidacy [Fortune, 6/23/08]

"I'm proud of the record of many of my advisers. One small example, Charlie Black. Charlie Black was involved in the first Reagan campaign, and he's been involved in every national presidential campaign since."

-- John McCain [Associated Press, 2/22/08]

"I've got access to just about anybody in the government."

-- Charlie Black [Washington Post, 8/12/89]

"Black is a master media manipulator, or ‘spin doctor,' as it is called in the political trade. He seems able to put a ‘spin' on almost any event, no matter how unfavorable, to cast his client in a favorable light."

-- [Washington Post, 12/1/86]

"As long as you comply with all the rules and regulations, your past activities shouldn't be criticized."

-- Charlie Black [Associated Press, 9/29/93]

"Black said he does a lot of his work by telephone from McCain's Straight Talk Express bus."

-- Washington Post [2/22/08]

"Charlie will pat you on the back one moment, stab you in the back the next."

-- Former Black associate [Los Angeles Times, 10/7/90]

"I don't see a problem in the world with it. ... People are entitled to exercise their First Amendment right to work in any particular campaign they want."

-- Charlie Black, on the "revolving door" between lobbying and government [Washington Post, 10/8/92]

"You can always tell when the Democrats are about to have a bad political year because the weekend before the election they start acting like martyrs and screaming racism and voter intimidation."

-- Charlie Black [Associated Press, 11/5/90]

"The technical term for what we do - and law firms, associations and professional groups do - is lobby ... For the purposes of today, I will stipulate that, in a narrow sense, some people may term it influence-peddling."

-- Paul Manafort, Charlie Black's partner [Washington Post, 6/21/89]

"‘There was a general feeling of resistance or rebellion among white southerners to LBJ Lyndon B. Johnson [sic], to the things he was doing,' Black said. ‘I wasn't conversant with the policies, or why the civil rights act was bad, but it caused me to focus on it.'"

-- Charlie Black [Washington Post, 4/7/85]

"The most egregious examples of influence-peddling lobbyists."

-- Charles Lewis, Center for Public Integrity, on Bush ‘92 advisers Charlie Black and James Lake's role on the campaign. [Star Tribune, 10/22/92]

"‘I think there is a great advantage in dealing with people who you personally know and trust ... most importantly, can they [officials] trust you [the lobbyist] to tell the truth. ... I think there is an advantage to the client and to the person in position of authority to deal with someone they know and trust,'"

-- Charlie Black on lobbying [Washington Post, 8/12/89, ellipses original]

"Doggett got the endorsement of the big gay PAC in San Antonio. That wasn't unusual, but then we got onto the fact that the gays had a male strip show at some bar and Doggett takes that money. That became a matter of his judgment, so we rolled it out there."

-- Charlie Black on his role during Phil Gramm's campaign against Democrat Lloyd Doggett

[Washington Post, 4/7/85]

"In terms of being able to distort or mislead people, you're never running in the clear ... Back in the 1970s, you could say all kinds of outrageous things. Now, in almost any state you go into, you've got at least one, maybe four or five state newspapers that will call your hand. Some of these state capital press corps are tougher than the national guys."

-- Charlie Black [Washington Post, 1/17/89]