Majority of Barney Frank Donations from Outside Massachusetts

You would think that's relevant to this story about the Sean Bielat-Barney Frank race in Massachusetts. But of course the Boston Globe buries that news in the story and instead leads with the fact Bielat is also getting a large chunk of his money from outside Massachusetts, as if there's something nefarious about that. If Bielat had to rely strictly on donations from in-state Republicans he'd be on a shoestring budget.

A late surge in out-of-state donations is fueling Republican Sean Bielat’s stiff challenge of 15-term US Representative Barney Frank.

Seventy-six percent of Bielat donors who gave $200 or more within the last four weeks live outside Massachusetts. That’s up from about 41 percent for the prior five-week period that ended Sept. 30, a Globe review of Federal Election Commission reports shows.

The figures suggest that Bielat, who has made regular appearances on Fox News and conservative media outlets, has succeeded in his attempts to nationalize the race for the Fourth Congressional District seat.

The Brookline resident’s recent donors include country music star Hank Williams Jr. ($1,000), New York financier Carl Icahn ($2,400, the maximum for an individual), and a number of hedge fund and investment firm executives. US Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota and a favorite of the Tea Party movement, has donated $1,000 from both her congressional candidate committee and leadership PAC to Bielat.

In addition, Arizona Senator John McCain’s 2008 political committee donated $2,000, and McCain’s Country First leadership PAC gave Bielat the $5,000 maximum last week. Bielat has also attracted money from the conservative Citizens United and Freedom Project PACs, both of which contributed $5,000.

“He’s going on right-wing news shows and talk radio and raising a lot of money,’’ said Harry Gural, Frank’s spokesman. “It’s a huge resource when you have an audience of millions of people across the country, and parts of the Fox News audience and parts of the talk radio world, who have listened to Barney being vilified for years.’’

Funny, but last I checked those who listen to the radio and watch the evil Fox News are also Americans and are free to donate to whomever they please. But they way the sniveling Frank people talk it's as if these people don't have rights, they're non-citizens or something.

Apparently only when Republicans get money from outside the state it's relevant. Back in 2008 when Obama was getting millions in unidentified donations from the Middle East the media ignored the story. When Obama's thugs make unsubstantiated claims the Chamber of Commerce is using foreign money to contribute to the GOP, then it's news for three weeks (funny how that lame attack disappeared the past week, isn't it?).

Buried deep down they admit Frank also takes in the majority of his money from out of state. I'll assume that comes from people who get their news from left-wing news shows and NPR listeners.

Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has long relied heavily on out-of-state money, much of it from executives in the financial sector his committee oversees. He has consistently taken in nearly 60 percent of his money from non-Bay Staters during the campaign, records indicate.

Gee, isn't it a conflict of interest to take money from the financial sector? Is Frank being repaid for favors he's given? It's worth noting Frank has received over $40,000 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives over the years. Isn't that a conflict of interest consider he was the staunchest defender all these years?