Hillary Clinton Raking in Big Bucks from Chinese Busboys and Dishwashers in NYC
More questions about Chinese funny money and fundraising for Hillary Clinton:
An unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton
The senator's campaign drew substantial donations from New York's Chinatown. The candidate's unparalleled fundraising success relies largely on the least-affluent residents of New York's Chinatown -- some of whom can't be tracked down.
By Peter Nicholas and Tom Hamburger,
Los Angeles Times
October 19, 2007
NEW YORK -- Something remarkable happened at 44 Henry St., a grimy Chinatown tenement with peeling walls. It also happened nearby at a dimly lighted apartment building with trash bins clustered by the front door.
And again not too far away, at 88 E. Broadway beneath the Manhattan bridge, where vendors chatter in Mandarin and Fujianese as they hawk rubber sandals and bargain-basement clothes.
All three locations, along with scores of others scattered throughout some of the poorest Chinese neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, have been swept by an extraordinary impulse to shower money on one particular presidential candidate -- Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Dishwashers, waiters and others whose jobs and dilapidated home addresses seem to make them unpromising targets for political fundraisers are pouring $1,000 and $2,000 contributions into Clinton's campaign treasury. In April, a single fundraiser in an area long known for its gritty urban poverty yielded a whopping $380,000. When Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) ran for president in 2004, he received $24,000 from Chinatown.
At this point in the presidential campaign cycle, Clinton has raised more money than any candidate in history. Those dishwashers, waiters and street stall hawkers are part of the reason. And Clinton's success in gathering money from Chinatown's least-affluent residents stems from a two-pronged strategy: mutually beneficial alliances with powerful groups, and appeals to the hopes and dreams of people now consigned to the margins.
Clinton has enlisted the aid of Chinese neighborhood associations, especially those representing recent immigrants from Fujian province. The organizations, at least one of which is a descendant of Chinatown criminal enterprises that engaged in gambling and human trafficking, exert enormous influence over immigrants. The associations help them with everything from protection against crime to obtaining green cards.
Many of Clinton's Chinatown donors said they had contributed because leaders in neighborhood associations told them to. In some cases, donors said they felt pressure to give.
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So basically, Hillary went to the Chinese Mafia and said "pay up or else."
Talk about an offer impossible to refuse!
The L.A. Times has been at the forefront of the latest Chinese funny money scandal. Here are some previous stories:
Not all Hsu-linked funds are rejected
Hsu is accused of Ponzi scheme
Donor Hsu projected wealth, likability
Hsu thrived in 'bundling' system
Campaigns feel the effects of Hsu case
Clinton to cut ties with fundraiser
The Clinton Chinese Connection: Roots in Little Rock Past
Fu Lin's Chinese Restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. The early nexus of Clinton connections to Chinese funny money.
Need a refresher on the roots of corruption that run deep throughout the Clinton story? Mike's America did the footwork in September and took readers on this tour of sites in Little Rock Arkansas that featured prominently in the early Clinton scandals. Uncovering the Clinton scandals, one fact leaps out: Hillary Clinton's fingerprints are all over more them.
http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/10/19/hillary-clinton-raking-in-big/
