Billionaire Republican Campaign Donor Buys "Now Public" Site

Subsequently posted at the Francis L. Holland Blog.

Phillip Anschutz, the new owner of Now Public, has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans and Republican causes, including $3,000 to Senator John McCain and the Colorado Republican Party, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).    

The world's 89th wealthiest billionaire, according to Forbes, has been a consistent giver to Republican candidates and causes since at least 1999.  The FEC Contributions to Political Committees report says that Phillip Anschutz of Denver, Colorado gave:

• $58,900 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee between 2008 and 2009;
• $1,000 to John D. Ashcroft, who was President George W. Bush's Attorney General from 2001 until 2005 and was a fiercely anti-abortion Republican Senator;
  
• $10,000 dollars to the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania; 
• $1,000 to Larry E. Craig for US Senate (who subsequently left the US Senate after confessing to committing a sex crime in an airport bathroom);
• $1,000 to Elizabeth Dole
• $5,000 to the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PAC (US CHAMBER PAC);
• $1,000 to Friends of Sam Brownback, "the evangelical-turned-Catholic religious conservative who endorsed McCain shortly after ending his own presidential campaign in October [in 2007].  http://blog.beliefnet.com/godometer/2007/12/with-help-from-brownback-mccai.html
• And other Republicans listed in the Federal Election Commission's Contributions to Political Committees Report

The DailyKos blog is owned by Markos C. Alberto Moulitsas Zúñiga ("Kos), who says he started DailyKos during a two year training period with the CIA, after he worked for the election of Republican Congressman Henry Hyde, chief prosecutor in the House for Bill Clinton's impeachment.

Now, Now Public is owned by multi-billionaire Phillip Anschutz, who has been a consistent supporter and substantial contributor to Republican candidates and causes.

The FEC also lists the following contributions:

  ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY
12/30/1999 621.00 20036134782    MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY
12/30/1999 513.00 20036190432    NEW JERSEY REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE
12/30/1999 423.00 20036133646    NEW YORK REPUBLICAN FEDERAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
12/30/1999 927.00 20036190854    OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY STATE CENTRAL & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
12/30/1999 594.00 20036213059    REPUBLICAN FEDERAL COMMITTEE OF PENNSYLVANIA
12/30/1999 657.00 20036161321    REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA
12/30/1999 711.00 21037034107    REPUBLICAN PARTY OF KENTUCKY
12/30/1999 225.00 20036192419    REPUBLICAN PARTY OF VIRGINIA INC
12/30/1999 369.00 20036254141    WASHINGTON STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY
12/30/1999 315.00 20036351456

Recipient Total:    5580.00