President Looking Through Romney Donor's Divorce Records

[mudwhistle]

Obama never seems to surprise me anymore. I've never seen such a low-life in politics.

Here's what happens when the president of the United States publicly targets a private citizen for the crime of supporting his opponent.

Frank VanderSloot is the CEO of Melaleuca Inc. The 63-year-old has run that wellness-products company for 26 years out of tiny Idaho Falls, Idaho. Last August, Mr. VanderSloot gave $1 million to Restore Our Future, the Super PAC that supports Mitt Romney.

Three weeks ago, an Obama campaign website, "Keeping GOP Honest," took the extraordinary step of publicly naming and assailing eight private citizens backing Mr. Romney. Titled "Behind the curtain: a brief history of Romney's donors," the post accused the eight of being "wealthy individuals with less-than-reputable records." Mr. VanderSloot was one of the eight, smeared particularly as being "litigious, combative and a bitter foe of the gay rights movement."

About a week after that post, a man named Michael Wolf contacted the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho Falls in search of court records regarding Mr. VanderSloot. Specifically, Mr. Wolf wanted all the documents dealing with Mr. VanderSloot's divorces, as well as a case involving a dispute with a former Melaleuca employee.

Mr. Wolf sent a fax to the clerk's office—which I have obtained—listing four cases he was after. He would later send a second fax, asking for three further court cases dealing with either Melaleuca or Mr. VanderSloot. Mr. Wolf listed only his name and a private cellphone number.

Some digging revealed that Mr. Wolf was, until a few months ago, a law clerk on the Democratic side of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He's found new work. The ID written out at the top of his faxes identified them as coming from "Glenn Simpson." That's the name of a former Wall Street Journal reporter who in 2009 founded a D.C. company that performs private investigative work.

The website for that company, Fusion GPS, describes itself as providing "strategic intelligence," with expertise in areas like "politics." That's a polite way of saying "opposition research." Strassel: Trolling for Dirt on the President's List - WSJ.com

 

[Dick Tuck]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

 

[daveman]

The politics of personal destruction.

That's what Democrats use because they can't defend their policies.

 

[daveman]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

 

[mudwhistle]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

This is a private citizen. This kind of thing only happens in corrupt societies. It is purely an intimidation tactic.

How would you like it if every time you gave to your candidate of choice somebody started looking through your personal files??

 

[mudwhistle]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

 

[mudwhistle]

There have been accusations that Vandersloot is a homophobe.....this is meant to harm his business.

This is not the first attack on Mr. VanderSloot. While the executive has been a force in Idaho politics and has helped Mr. Romney raise money, he's not what most would consider a national political power player. Through 2011, nearly every mention of Mr. VanderSloot appeared in Idaho or Washington state newspapers, often in reference to his business.

That changed in January, with the first Super PAC disclosures. Liberal bloggers and media have since dug into his past, dredging up long-ago Idaho controversies that touched on gay issues. His detractors have spiraled these into accusations that Mr. VanderSloot is a "gay bashing thug." He's become a national political focus of attention, aided by the likes of partisan Salon blogger Glenn Greenwald and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. Bloggers have harassed his children, visiting their social media accounts and asking for interviews and information.

Mr. VanderSloot has said his attackers have misconstrued facts and made false allegations. In February he wrote a long reply, publicly stating that he has "many gay friends whom I love and respect" who should "have the same freedoms and rights as any other individual." The Obama campaign's response, in April, was to single out Mr. VanderSloot and repeat the slurs.

Political donations don't come with a right to privacy, and Mr. VanderSloot might have expected a spotlight. Then again, President Obama, in the wake of the Gabby Giffords shooting, gave a national address calling for "civility" in politics. Yet rather than condemn those demeaning his opponent's donors, Mr. Obama—the nation's most powerful man—instead publicly named individuals, egging on the attacks. What has followed is the slimy trolling into a citizen's private life.

Mr. VanderSloot acknowledges that "when I first learned that President Obama's campaign had singled me out on his 'enemies list,' I knew it was like taping a target on my back." But the more he's thought it through, "the public beatings and false accusations that followed are no deterrent. These tactics will not work in America." He's even "contemplating a second donation."

Still. If details about Mr. VanderSloot's life become public, and if this hurts his business or those who work for him, Mr. Obama will bear responsibility. This is what happens when the president makes a list.

 

[naturegirl]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

And Sarah Palin and Jack Ryan and any one else that dared challenge the messiah. He's a creepy guy, can't run on his record so he must ruin his opponents. It's the Chicago way.

Problem is too many people know him now. They know what comes out of his mouth is nothing but lies and rhetoric. He doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself and what he can get out of it, like his personal private plane........Air Force One.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

No one has a "right" to know anything.

 

[daveman]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

Not quite -- that was some random Democrat, as I recall.

This is the Obama Campaign.

 

[Dick Tuck]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

This is a private citizen. This kind of thing only happens in corrupt societies. It is purely an intimidation tactic.

How would you like it if every time you gave to your candidate of choice somebody started looking through your personal files??

This is someone running a campaign, from behind the curtain, and using the door opened by the idiotic Roberts court to directly campaign against Obama and for Romney, using as much money as they feel like, with no disclosure.

Soros is also a private citizen, but that didn't stop Bush from digging up dirt on him. You act like this is something new in politics.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

Not quite -- that was some random Democrat, as I recall.

This is the Obama Campaign.

What evidence do you have for that?

 

[daveman]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

No one has a "right" to know anything.

I would disagree -- the defendant in a criminal case has the right to know what the prosecution knows.

 

[Dick Tuck]

This bothers you why exactly? First, I thought the right wings answer to campaign finance reform was full disclosure. Second, I doubt if you were very concerned Bush's op-research investigated private citizen George Soros.

If someone is using the stupid shield given by Citizens United, to pump millions into influence our elections, I think we have right to know who the hell they are.

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

No one has a "right" to know anything.

Wrong. Anyone has the right to examine public records.

 

[mudwhistle]

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

Not quite -- that was some random Democrat, as I recall.

This is the Obama Campaign.

Sure....some random DNC Delegate who worked for public records.

Purely random.......

 

[theDoctorisIn]

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

No one has a "right" to know anything.

I would disagree -- the defendant in a criminal case has the right to know what the prosecution knows.

Ok, that's true.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

You don't have a right to know about their divorces.

No one has a "right" to know anything.

Wrong. Anyone has the right to examine public records.

Nevermind. It's simply a semantics argument.

 

[naturegirl]

So why can't we see Obama's College transcripts?? Why can't we see the passport he used to go to Pakistan??

 

[daveman]

The same thing happened to Joe The Plumber.

Not quite -- that was some random Democrat, as I recall.

This is the Obama Campaign.

What evidence do you have for that?

'Joe the Plumber' loses appeal regarding records search

On Oct. 16, 2008, four days after Wurzelbacher publicly questioned Obama at a campaign event, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley authorized an inappropriate search of three confidential state databases that keep track of welfare, child support enforcement and unemployment benefit records.
Jones-Kelley and two other state officials were disciplined. Eventually, she and a second official resigned and a third was fired.​

 

[blackhawk]

This is typical politics this just happens to be the Chicago version I'm sure people in the Romney camp will do this if there not already and if some of it comes to light I'm sure the left on here will give us a fine display of fake outrage over it.