Drunk On Money

A blistering article on Hillary Clinton's fundraising machine – from the BBC, believe it or not. This is not a paean to Hillary or her campaign by a rather long shot. In fact, It's pretty damning.

This election is being sewn up by a team of hard-nosed, big money brokers in the splashily wealthy salons of Georgetown, Washington's equivalent of Chelsea in London, where the streets are cobbled, the houses are painted in pinks and yellows, and the gardens are tended daily by teams of Mexican manicurists.

This is where Cindy calls Daisy, who once raised a cool $1 million (£500,000) for someone by getting a bunch of wealthy lawyers in a hotel ballroom and charging them $10,000 each for "surf and turf" (seafood and steak).

Cindy, who is already on the campaign, tells Daisy (who is probably resting on a chaise longue only three doors down the street), "I've spoken to Hillary or to someone close to her – and we must have you on board."

Daisy rather fancies the dashing young challenger, Barack Obama – fancies him literally and metaphorically – but is now reeled in by the thought of the social exclusion that could result if Hillary were to win and acts of disloyalty were to be punished.

The upshot is that the Hillary campaign is the biggest show in town by a long, long way. She reeks of money and power.

A recent party for Hillary people – a book launch – was held at the Corcoran art gallery in the centre of Washington, literally across the road from the White House.

Wonderful news – part of the proceeds from the book sales were going to this already staggeringly well-endowed gallery.

This in a city where infant mortality is at Third World levels.

It's a great, snarky read. Meanwhile Flip Pidot has not lost interest in Norman Hsu even if the MSM is doing its best to.

Two seizure warrants signed by a federal magistrate in the $63 million fraud case against Norman Hsu offer some new information about the finances of the Democratic fundraiser, convicted felon, and serial fugitive.  The warrants authorized the seizure of funds in four bank accounts in the name of Hsu and three of his companies at Bank of America and Philippines-based Metropolitan Bank and Trust.

• Metrobank Warrant (pdf)
• Bank of America Warrant (pdf)

An attachment to the Metrobank warrant shows the bank recently turned over an official check for just under $73,000, a small fraction of the tens of millions of dollars investors are hoping to recoup (and slightly less than the $83,000 said to be in one of Hsu's Bank of America accounts).  They must be feeling a little like Geraldo, circa 1986.

(Links removed – you'll have to visit Flip to read the documents.) Yes, Hillary's campaign is very much a fundraising machine. Not all of it is clean, however. That may come into play yet.