I wonder if Gary Grant is Gary Grant, Vice President of Public Affairs Co.?

"Vice President for Accounts Gary Grant delivers a wealth of policy acumen and grassroots know-how to the clients of PAC.

As the head of PAC's Des Moines office, Gary serves as the point-person for all client services leading up to the 2008 presidential caucuses in Iowa. He possesses extensive campaign experience and a robust public issue background.

Prior to joining PAC, Gary worked for 13 years in a number of capacities for U.S. Congressman Jim Leach. Over that span he served as District Director, Campaign Manager, and Legislative Assistant for veteran's affairs, defense, agriculture, steel, and trade issues.

Gary is an Army veteran and holds a B.S. S. in Philosophy and Politics from Cornell College."

I pasted a diary about Iowa Progress Project and Iowa Future Fund at Bleeding Heartland.

Why Iowa Progress Project? Because it is similar to Iowa Policy Project, a respectable undertaking. Iowa Future Fund was the name of a lapsed Iowa Democratic PAC. In 2006, Republican operative Roger Stone sent out pro-Rick Santorum campaign mailers to Pennsylvania voters using Progressive Policy Council which was very similar to the left-leaning Progressive Policy Institute.

Wanderindiana made this comment in a TPM MR post about AFF:

"Should I mention that Kochel was a DCI VP? Remember, DCI ran their own candidate for Congress in Iowa in 2006. Brian Kennedy, DCI lobbyist, ran in IA-1 and came in third in the GOP primary after raising $400,000, a huge sum for a first-timer candidate in a primary election."

From a George Washingtom U. website:

Leadership and Supporters
as of Nov. 7, 2006

THE REPUBLICANS

Frist VOLPAC Iowa Chairman Brian Kennedy
(announced July 13, 2006)

Attorney affiliated with the Davenport law firm of Gallagher, Millage & Gallagher, P.L.C.; resident of Bettendorf. Most recently competed in the June 2006 primary to be the Republican nominee in Iowa's First Congressional District (announced April 2005). In 2003, founded Campaign of One, a Republican committee dedicated to creating a new generation of political entrepreneurs in Eastern Iowa. A co-founder of Progress for America, a national grassroots issue advocacy organization working to support President Bush's legislative agenda. National political director on Lamar Alexander's 2000 presidential campaign, then joined the McCain campaign as national political consultant. Has served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, a member of the Republican National Committee, a Co-Chairman of the Republican National Convention Platform Committee, and Executive Director of the Republican Governors Association as well as a political advisor or campaign manager to former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and several other Republican candidates. Graduated from Iowa State University and Drake University Law School. Grew up in Eastern Iowa.

I wonder what Brian Kennedy is up to these days?

Kathy Pearson is possibly the former president of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women and the president and sole employee of Kaas Employment Services in Cedar Rapids.

IRFW President Pearson's Spring 2007 message here.

Interesting observation about Jennifer Dean.

Her FEC filing indicates an address of:
2479-B Old Trail Rd, Avon, CO

Avon appears to be another name or a neiboring town of Vail, CO, so I'd guess it's a winter home?

Eagle County (CO) assessor online records show that this address is owned jointly by Jennifer and Martha Dean.

Federal lawsuit filed in Northern Texas by Bruce Rastetter:

Faber et al v. Oil & Gas Managing Partners Corp et al

Plaintiffs: John W Faber and Richard L Prey

Defendants: Oil & Gas Managing Partners Corp, Michael Dannelly, Steven D Darocy, George A Pearce, Golden Triangle Energy Corp, Stacey L Harrison, Renegade Operating Company LLC and Bishop & Sons Dirt Contractors Inc

Intervenor Plaintiffs: Bruce Rastetter, Pamela Schlieman and Michael Taylor

Case Number: 3:2007cv01368
Filed: August 8, 2007

Court: Texas Northern District Court
Office: Dallas Office [ Court Info ]
County: XX US, Outside State
Presiding Judge: Judge David C Godbey

Nature of Suit: Real Property - All Other Real Property
Cause: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Breach of Contract
Jurisdiction: Federal Question
Jury Demanded By: None

List of Iowans who donated $500 or more to Rudy Giuliani on 12/31/07:

Wayne C. Anderson
Pokey Feeders
$2300

Cynthia Ellingson
Summit Farms (Rastetter)
$500

William J. Horan
Farmer/Teacher
$500

Steve M. Howard
Dale & Howard Auto Dealer
$2300

Randy G. Ives
Hawkeye Renewables (Rastetter)
$500

Kent Alan Krause
Pinnacle Managment (Rastetter)
$2300

Lori J. Krause
Jennings Real Estate Inc.
$2300

Tom Lynner
Darwin T. Lynner Real Estate
$2300

Fred W. Maifeld
Iowa State Bank
$2300

Scott D. Mikkelsen
Davis Brown Law Firm
$500

David R. Olson
Holmes Murphy & Associates
$500

Michael Mark Pearson
Student
$2300

Eric L. Peterson
Summit Farms (Rastetter) (IFF president)
$2300

Gale M. Peterson Jr.
Peterson Contractors
$2300

Brent Rastetter
Quality A.G. Inc.
$2300

Julie S. Rastetter
Research Farms LLC
$2300

Tim Recker
$500

Ann T. Richards
Retired
$2300

Alan D. Rosendahl
Iowa State Bank
$2300

Kelly M. Ryan
State of Iowa Research Analyst
$2300

Nicholas T. Ryan
Investor (Rastetter employee)
$2300

Robin Sampson
Hawkeye Renewables
$2300

Robert H. Schager
Self-employed/Agribusiness
$2300

Christeven Neil Schwarck
Self-employed/Insurance/Ethanol
$2300

Walter Wendland
Golden Grain Energy
$2300

Here's a reason why the Ethanol industry may be pushing for a GOP "more of the same" candidate:

Investment consultant Pete Davis blogs: "It's not often that a U.S. domestic policy change causes worldwide food riots, but that's what our ethanol subsidies have done according to a World Bank analysis. On December 19, 2007, President Bush signed H.R.6 into law with a five-fold increase in the mandated use of ethanol in gasoline. That stood on top of another large ethanol mandate in another H.R.6, enacted on August 8, 2005. Corn prices have jumped from $2/bushel in 2005 to $4/bushel last year, and they've just crested $6/bushel. In 2005, 6% of U.S. corn production went to ethanol; now it's up to 23%. Only now are we beginning to realize that we're not achieving any overall energy efficiency with our heavy ethanol subsidies and mandates, we're just helping U.S. corn growers and starving the world's poor."

-Dan Froomkin White House Watch Column, 04/15/08

Companies registered by Daniel L. Stockdale to Bruce Rastetter's address at 620 Country Club Road in Iowa Falls that have word "wind" in them:

Atlantic Wind, LLC
11/3/05

Big Wind, LLC
10/31/05

Day Wind, LLC
11/04/05

Down Stream Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Franklin Ridge Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Franklin County Small Wind Association, LLC
11/3/05

Great Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Hawkeye Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Howling Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Iowa Winds, LLC
7/14/05
(Delaware corp)

Little Win, L.L.C.
10/31/05

Narrow Wind, LLC
10/31/05

North West Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Pacific Wind, LLC
11/3/05

Short Wind, LLC
10/31/05

Star Wind, LLC
11/4/05

Strong Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Tall Wind, LLC
10/31/05

Top Wind, LLC
11/4/05

Ultra Wind, LLC
7/6/05

Whispering Wind of Iowa, LLC
7/14/05

Yosemite Wind, LLC
11/3/05

AFF issued a pro-Colombian TPA press release the other day. Pretty standard wingnut stuff but notice that it refers to Lindsey Graham's article in the "National Journal" and the article was actually published in the National Review. Sloppy. Whoever posted the link doesn't know how to do it.

Karl Rove is organizing 501(c)(4)s.

More DCI links.

In an earlier comment, I qouted an article that said Nussle formed Navigating Strategies LLC with his former chief of staff, Steve Greiner. But according to Legistorm, Greiner never worked on Nussle's staff.

Greiner reportedly was an advisor to Nussle's gubernatorial campaign.

I checked FEC records and Steven P. "Steve" Greiner is a DCI Group executive.

Navigating Strategies, registered on 1/4/07, is defunct.

About a week after NS was registered, Nussle was hired by Giuliani.

Steve Greiner is not listed as a partner on the DCI Group website. Per the FEC, his last contribution dated June '06 was made as a DCI exec.

Brian Kennedy and Jim Nussle were running in the fall of 2006. Greiner and his wife were on Nussle's campaign bus in the last week of the campaign.

Greiner and Nussle were going to be partners in a consulting business but Nussle joins Rudy's campaign in mid-January. In September, Nussle becomes OMB director.

What has Steve Greiner been doing?

Philip A. Musser's FEC contributions were given from the following addresses:

9 Phoenix Mill Place, Alexandria, VA
315 Kentucky Ave, Alexandria, VA

His most recent was a $2300 contribution to John McCain 2008 In on 02/29/08. Musser lists his occupation as New Fronter Strategy/Consultant.

According to Virginia State Business records, New Frontier Strategy ceased to exist as of 12/31/06.

North Hill Partners, LLC was registered to the 315 Kentucky Ave Address on 09/07/2007. The industry is "general." No officers are listed.

I googled "american future fund" and the fourth entry was from TechRepublican.com which is run by David All.

When you click on the google link, "American Future Fund" is the post heading. But it is not the heading if you access the post from the blog's home page.

The AFF heading guarantees that it shows up in Google. I don't know how this is done technically. Do you generate different page versions?

I left a comment for the hell of it.

I was curious about David All and it turns out that he is occupying space in Grover Norquist's ATR office.

David All is the co-founder and executive director of Slatecard.com PAC. I reviewed the PAC's FEC filings and what it is doing is raising money for candidates via telemarketing and the giving the candidates the money. The telemarketer, Infocision, so far, is the big winner.

Keith Davis of Huckaby Davis Lister is the Slate.com PAC treasurer. Davis is also the recently appointed treasurer of the beleagured NRCC.

I'm starting to get a little nervous about Republican dirty tech tricks.

American Future Fund is running an ad in Roll Call this week, according to the AFF website.

The ad calls for Nancy Pelosi to bring the FISA bill to a vote and asks the readers

You can see the lame ass ad at the AFF website. Pelosi is paired with Osama bin Laden.

The petition pops up when you access the site.

How much of an audience does a week of Roll Call ads get you? I would guess that readers of the hard copy of Roll Call is limited to those in DC who don't sign petitions and already have a position on FISA.

Sorry. TPM Cafe doesn't seem to like to link to "secure" sites.

The Missouri Secretary of State record for Progress For America can be found through this link:

(http://www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/)

PFA was founded in 2001 by Tony Feather "a close ally of Karl Rove. PFA changed from a 527 to a 501(c)(4) in 2006.

PFA apparently dissolved itself as a corporate entity on 12/3/2007.

The original registration lists the following officers:
Brian MF Kenney (President)
8816 Surrey Ct
Alexandria, VA

Jeffrey T. Larson
419 Galahad Rd
Hudson, WI

Tony Feather
2720 Tanglewood Dr
Jefferson City, MO

As of 2007, the officers listed included:

Brian S. McCabe (President)
157 Shaker Rd
Canterbury, NH

Ralph R. Brown (Secretary)
502 15th St
Dallas Center, IA

Collister Johnson (Treasurer)
1917 Euclid Ave
Menlo Park, CA

And the place of business for PFA is 1828 L St, NW Suite 400, Washington, DC.

Collister "Coddy" Johnson is the son of Clay Johnson, Deputy OMB Director and former roommate of George W. Bush's at Yale. Clay Johnson was also Chief of Staff to Bush when he was governor.

"Coddy" Johnson worked at the White House for Ken Mehlman as a regional political director. During that time, he was responsible for setting up a meeting at the White House between senior officials and convicted coin swindler/straw donor Tom Noe. "Coddy" later went on to work for the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign and was responsible for "voter turnout."

I've always suspected that "Coddy" was a key player in the 2004 Ohio voter disenfranchisement scheme.

Per Mike Allen's Playbook in 3/29/08 Politico:

"Chris "Fix" Cillizza and Shailagh Murray, in "GOP May Find Comfort in Soft Money," argue that congressional Republicans in the doldrums about retirements and fundraising woes will be saved by two developments:

—The emergence of the American Future Fund, which has begun running ads touting Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). "Staffers for the organization were also found on the ground in New Hampshire last week," suggesting a big player in highly competitive Senate contests.

—The hiring of Carl Forti, the Romney campaign's national political director, to take over the political operation of Freedom's Watch, the Blakeman-Fleischer group. That has also "stoked speculation, particularly among Democrats," that the group will spend heavily to prop up the Republican campaign committees.

I'm continuing these comments in my new post.