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By MajorityAP Posted in Congress — Comments (20) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
DailyKos strips Foster divorce records from website
According to Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, founder and publisher of the Democrat activist website DailyKos, “tens of thousands of regular Americans have used Daily Kos to lend their voice to a political world once the domain of the rich, connected, and powerful.”
But sometimes, it seems, even liberals need to appease the rich, connected and powerful.
Within hours of a majorityap.com report that a DailyKos user had posted court records from the contentious divorce proceedings of Illinois millionaire Bill Foster, the link was deleted.
Foster is the Democrat candidate in the race to succeed former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. A special election will be held Saturday, March 8, to fill the remainder of Hastert’s term.
Read on . . .
The race has received a great deal of attention among Democrat activists, including those at DailyKos. According to website postings, a number of DailyKos followers supported Foster’s Democrat primary opponent, John Laesch, who they claimed was more sympathetic to the on-line community’s progressive political views. Laesch was active in several Democrat campaigns before seeking office himself in 2006, when he opposed Hastert.
Foster is a first-time office seeker who has moved in and out of the district, and has rarely voted in general elections. Foster did not vote in 2006 - the last Congressional election - when Laesch was a candidate.
One of those preferring Laesch was a user who goes by the name of Deerborneblue. The writer posted portions of Foster’s publicly-available divorce records, claiming they were forwarded to him by “a former reporter, who sent me some stuff that didn't print before leaving that job.”
The link has since been removed
Foster’s divorce records include several embarrassing, and potentially damaging, revelations. Among them, Foster’s then-wife Ann claimed under oath that the millionaire politician “pushed, shoved and caused physical abuse and emotional harm…putting her in fear for herself (and the couple’s) minor children.”
Foster was also admonished by Circuit Court Judge Keith Brown, who presided over the couple’s divorce, for including a provision that would penalize his wife if she moved out of the Batavia, IL, school district.
The couple’s divorce settlement stipulated that if Ann Foster moved prior to their daughter’s eighteenth birthday, “wife shall pay to husband the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000).” Circuit Court Judge Keith Brown, who presided over the couple’s divorce, seemed stunned.
“I have never seen a provision as this, such as $50,000 payment if someone moves out of the school district,” the judge said to Foster in a transcript obtained by majorityap.com. “I’m not sure if that’s – let’s say when that day comes, the enforceability of that provision would be an issue.”
Contrary to that exchange, Foster claims on his campaign website that the couple “agreed to live within a few blocks of each other” following their divorce.
Foster also notes on his campaign website that his ex-wife “works as a software engineer for (his) company in Wisconsin.” According to the divorce settlement, Foster was required to continue employing his ex-wife.
“You understand that under the terms of this agreement, she reserves the right to maintenance (formerly alimony) if she is no longer employed by your family’s business or if her current income level decreases through no fault of her own,” Foster’s attorney reminded his client during court proceedings.
As part of the agreement, Foster was also required to pay $150 a month in child support, which Ann Foster’s attorney noted in that same transcript was “under the statutory minimum.”
This is not the first time DailyKos has responded to reporting done by the Majority Accountability Project. In August, a writer at the site openly expressed frustration with majorityap.com’s success in shedding light on the activities of the Democrat majority in Congress.
The entry called for a “counter-attack to groups like Majority AP,” and the “need to pass legislation that disbands” the website.
The records should be released for all candidates or none of them.
As for Kos - of course they would eliminate the link. Same thing for this site if the tables were turned.
What records of which candidates are you particularly intrested in? YOu answer could be telling.
"I believe we must adjourn this meeting to some other place." - The last recorded words of Adam Smith.
behave in the same way as KOS.
Socialism doesn't work. It looks nice on paper, but it's been tried and it's failed miserably every time (usually accompanied by widespread death and suffering).
Proud member of the V.R.W.C.
I (was) with Fred!
Don't you recall a certain Idaho Senator being flayed alive on this website. (hint, rhymes with Greg)
Erik
From what I have seen of Redstate and Kos - this site is far more level headed and even handed in applying the same standards to folks from both parties.
And you base this opinion of us on... what, precisely?
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
See my above post. Upon further recollection I have seen far more of even handed treatment over here compared to Kos.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
The thing with Ryan was a sealed record, not open to the public. (And, honestly, IIRC, it was pretty mild as these things go.) This one's a matter of open, public record, and apparently pertains to a number of claims made by Laesch, if the above is correct. (I neither know or personally care, not being from the People's Republic of Chicagistan, or the surrounding area of Outer Illinois.) The two situations are substantially different. Essentially, fair isn't fair, and it's asinine to conflate the two situations as though they're the same thing.
As to DailyKos, I'm not at all surprised that they're trying to shove it all down the memory hole as quickly as possible. Disappointed? Sure. But about as surprised as when I discover that the sun has risen in the morning.
A favorite expression of our friends the liberals who can't get enough of the stuff,power that is. "Reality" at it's best. No sin that can't be forgiven, no outrage that can't be forgotten, no inconsistency that can't be woven into the tattered framework of what passes for their minds.
What's that word they use to describe us, bizzaroland ?
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
If the records are public trying to hide them by deleting links won't do much good. That having been said, judging a human being on what is said about him/her in divorce records can be a tricky game. Lots of stuff gets said between couples fighting for custody and assets during a divorce. Not to mention the fact that they are not terribly interested in being charitable to their soon-to-be former spouse at that moment.
NC
but even most politicians know better than to try to spin court rulings they have obviously lost into positives for themselves. Or if they don't know, they at least have a better sense of self-preservation than that.
Daily Kos is so far to the left that they have lost all touch with reality. That site is overrun by Obamatrons and Hillbots.
Check out my blog: http://therightway.blogspot.com
I would have thought that the McCainiacs would have had more of a footing over there.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. --Voltaire
...for being a Republican.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
I was making fun of the statement about how all of the folks over at Kos were for either Hillary or Obama.
Never mind.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. --Voltaire
is in office mostly because sealed court records of the Republican were unsealed because it was in the 'public's interest' to know.