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Robert Krulwich looks into the money givers funding the 1992 presidential campaigns and the access and influence they gain as a result.

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00:00Frontline is a presentation of the Documentary Consortium.
00:11One of the rules that I apply before I support a candidate,
00:15I like to know him, I like to talk to him, I like to ask him questions,
00:18I like to know how he thinks, and I like to be able to talk to him after he wins.
00:23Tonight on Frontline, who are the big money campaign donors?
00:28Are you a fat cat?
00:29He has over $9 million through this event alone.
00:33Correspondent Robert Crowich investigates who these contributors are and what they want in return.
00:39We asked Mr. Andreas, why did you give the money to President Trump?
00:42I can give you an awful lot of money, millions of dollars,
00:46at the same time that I want enormous help from the government.
00:50Tonight, the best campaign money can buy.
00:59With funding provided by the financial support of viewers like you.
01:06And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
01:09This is Frontline.
01:18This program is a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting.
01:23Additional funding provided by these funders.
01:25This is Middleburg, Virginia, horse country,
01:46where the local gentry take their riding very seriously,
01:49where they still gather on weekends to go fox hunting.
01:52Middleburg is just an hour's drive from Washington, D.C.,
01:58but it seems a world apart.
02:01A bastion of old money and sprawling estates.
02:03A world where pedigrees and bloodlines matter most.
02:08It's not exactly the sort of place you'd expect to find a lot of Democrats,
02:11and yet this is the town where the Democratic Party began its presidential campaign.
02:24We were very pleased to be hosted by Pamela Harriman,
02:28who has been a stalwart of the Democratic Party
02:30and has been a supporter of so many of the elected officials that are here with me today.
02:35Chairman Ron Brown and the Democratic Party rely heavily on Mrs. Harriman's generosity.
02:42When her husband, Averill Harriman, the diplomat and presidential advisor, died in 1986,
02:47Pamela Harriman inherited $75 million and this Middleburg estate,
02:52the ideal site for a private retreat,
02:55where high-powered Democrats could meet to figure out how they might recapture the White House.
03:00We've developed a strategy, a preliminary strategy for the 1992 general election campaign.
03:06The strategy was endorsed by a group of about 25 wealthy donors,
03:10who call themselves the Managing Trustees.
03:14Each one contributes at least $200,000 to the party.
03:18The man standing behind Ron Brown, Steve Grossman, is one of the donors.
03:22We went through a whole exercise where we wrote a values statement.
03:26Some of the leaders in the party, Elida Messenger, Jay Rockefeller's sister,
03:31Peter Lewis from Cleveland, Al Checky, chairman of Northwest Airlines.
03:36These people got together and said,
03:38let's define what we, the Managing Trustees, believe should be the values of the Democratic Party.
03:42What do we stand for?
03:43What are the defining issues that we're going to take to the American people and say,
03:46let's write a new chapter?
03:48The Managing Trustees wanted to say that it can't simply be the party of labor.
03:56It can't simply be the party of this or the party of that in the traditions and history that the Democratic Party has had.
04:03That it has to represent business.
04:06The Managing Trustees say they learned a painful lesson in 1988.
04:11They helped the Democrats raise more than $50 million for the Dukakis campaign,
04:16matching what the Republicans raised for Bush.
04:18And they say they got nothing in return.
04:22To compete effectively with the Republicans,
04:24the Managing Trustees concluded they would have to raise money early and spend it on research.
04:30And by way of example, if you've got two companies making a product, widgets,
04:35and one company spends $3 million on research and development,
04:39and the other company spends $17,000, and the products aren't that different,
04:42it's very obvious who's going to win the market share.
04:44In the search for this year's widget, or candidate,
04:48Mrs. Harriman favored Senator Jay Rockefeller.
04:50She also liked Bill Clinton.
04:52But the Managing Trustees did not want to anoint a particular candidate.
04:56They just wanted to make sure that whoever won the nomination
04:59would play by the rules established at Middleburg.
05:02And one of the questions that we had, that one of the questions I had, frankly,
05:06was to ask each of the potential candidates,
05:09okay, if the party invests, and if we invest in the party at this point,
05:16at this stage in the game, in a general election strategy,
05:20and we underwrite the expenses of it,
05:23will each one of you, and I looked in the eyes of each one of them who were there,
05:26will you then step in and use that strategy?
05:30Will you use the structure that the party puts in place?
05:33Will you use the information that has been gathered and gained there?
05:37One of the, and the answer from every one of them was yes.
05:41Governor Clinton, if you were to run for president,
05:44could you win on this secret strategy that you all talked about the last two days?
05:48Well, let me, I don't even know how to answer that question,
05:53but I will say this, I believe that...
05:55How much money did you give to the campaign?
05:58I have given about $300,000 into the Democratic Party
06:07to get a Democratic nominee elected president.
06:12I raised and gave some...
06:13You sometimes rub your eyes and think,
06:14did I just give $300,000 to some politicians?
06:17Oh, my God.
06:18Absolutely. Absolutely.
06:20And, you know, if we are successful,
06:24and the Democrats win this time,
06:25it will have been well worth it.
06:27You know, I can't say, hey, Jerry, you need to do more,
06:29because, frankly, you've done a tremendous amount.
06:32But I want to let you know,
06:33if there's any way you could squeeze it out,
06:35I'd be grateful.
06:37We'll spend it well, and we will always remember you.
06:40After Middleburg, the managing trustees hit the phones.
06:42Yeah, it's $10,000 a table and, you know, $1,000 a ticket.
06:47And I would, like, love you guys to do a table or whatever you could do.
06:51As the fundraisers say, money is the first primary.
06:54I guess the goal is to raise as much as it takes to win.
06:58Bill Clinton recruited this man, Robert Farmer, to his campaign.
07:02Farmer had raised $50 million for Dukakis in 1988, a record for Democrats.
07:07In the waning days of the 1988 campaign,
07:12my job really was meeting with and calling on
07:16who could give personal checks for $50,000 or $100,000.
07:21And in the beginning days of this campaign,
07:23I remember talking to somebody very important on the phone,
07:26and my secretary came in and said,
07:28so-and-so is on the line,
07:29and I said to the very important person on the phone,
07:31I've got to hang up.
07:32There's a guy who might give me $250.
07:35I don't believe that.
07:36That's a true story.
07:37I mean, that's how the difference is at the beginning and at the end.
07:42How are you doing?
07:42In the beginning, Bill Clinton, governor of a small and poor state,
07:46did not seem to have great fundraising potential,
07:49but he surprised nearly everyone.
07:51How did he do it?
07:53It was high society and high-stakes politics,
07:55as Governor Bill Clinton enjoyed the single largest fundraiser in Arkansas history,
08:01$500 a plate and plenty of takers.
08:03You can't imagine how important you are to this campaign.
08:09The most important man of all was Jackson Stevens,
08:14who, oddly enough, is a Bush supporter, a Republican,
08:17and one of the richest men in Arkansas.
08:19But he does a lot of business with the state government in Little Rock.
08:23And a bank in which he's the largest shareholder gave Clinton a $3.5 million line of credit,
08:30one of the biggest ever given to a presidential campaign.
08:32In his search for early money, Clinton also invaded Republican territory in New York,
08:40looking for big donors on Wall Street.
08:43You know, as Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks,
08:47he said, that's where the money is.
08:49Ken Brody is an investment banker with Goldman Sachs.
08:53He's the man who, as he puts it, exposed Clinton to Wall Street money.
08:57And we ran him from early morning to late night.
09:02And, of course, as everybody has seen now, he's got the stamina of a horse.
09:09But just as Brody and his friends were organizing their biggest New York fundraiser
09:13on the eve of the all-important New Hampshire primary,
09:16they were blindsided by scandal.
09:18It was a media circus of the highest, some might say lowest, order.
09:23Reporters and camera crews falling over one another to get closer to Jennifer Flowers.
09:28Yes, I was Bill Clinton's lover for 12 years.
09:33And for the past two years, I have lied to the press about a relationship to protect him.
09:38What happened when Jennifer Flowers hit?
09:41Well, what happened was a lot of people would call up and say,
09:43this is very concerning, maybe we should drop it.
09:46Maybe he can't last.
09:49Maybe we can't get people.
09:50People are saying they're not going to come or they're not going to give money.
09:54Brody sent faxes to every potential donor.
09:57They said, stick with us, we're going to make it.
09:58Now keep your attention focused on the fundraiser.
10:02And the result was clear.
10:05We raised $700,000.
10:07That amount, I have been told, is the most
10:11that any Democrat pre-New Hampshire has raised in Manhattan.
10:16And it was a spectacular success.
10:21You raised $700,000 before sex or after sex?
10:24During.
10:25During, so to speak.
10:28So to speak.
10:29I hope you're about half as happy as I am tonight.
10:33Clinton survived the scandal, finishing a respectable second in New Hampshire
10:37and enduring a grueling primary in New York.
10:40He emerged as the clear leader in the Democratic field.
10:49And not coincidentally, the man with the most money.
10:53If he didn't have money early, he wouldn't be where he is today.
10:58I can say that categorically, without reservation.
11:02The fact that he had money meant that he had organization
11:06and he had an ability to weather the storm.
11:11He would have never gotten through New York if he hadn't had the money
11:14and the ability to raise some during that very critical time.
11:19Having raised money from a leading Republican in Arkansas
11:23and traditional Republicans in New York,
11:26Clinton moved even deeper into Republican territory.
11:29This is a very, very happy day for a free Cuba.
11:32There's probably no group in America more loyal to Republican presidents
11:36than hardline anti-Castro Cubans in Miami.
11:39The very idea of giving money to a Democrat for them is almost unthinkable.
11:46But managing trustee Hugh Westbrook had a hunch, or maybe it was a prayer.
11:51Cuban Americans, in their heart of hearts,
11:54particularly on domestic issues, are Democrats.
11:57They're very concerned about the kinds of things
11:59that the Democratic Party is concerned about.
12:01But on a single issue of foreign policy,
12:04particularly as it related to Cuban Castro,
12:06the Republicans have been able to rule the day, as it were.
12:12Westbrook decided to help his friend,
12:14Democratic Congressman Robert Torricelli,
12:16introduce a foreign policy bill which would appeal to Cuban Americans.
12:20One day the Cuban people are going to live in freedom.
12:24The Torricelli bill would drastically tighten the U.S. embargo against Fidel Castro.
12:29So you recommended to all Democrats
12:31that they endorse this bill from Congressman Torricelli?
12:34I recommend it to the Clinton campaign and to the Kerry campaign.
12:38And the Clinton campaign took notice.
12:41It's a turning point in Cuban history.
12:44They learned that this man, Jorge Mas Canosa,
12:46a loyal ally of Ronald Reagan's,
12:49one of the most powerful men in Miami,
12:51was willing to help Clinton.
12:53But first, Clinton would have to endorse the Torricelli bill.
12:56Those were Canosa's terms.
13:00Not all Cuban Americans thought Clinton should ally himself with Mas Canosa.
13:05When you saw Bill Clinton and Mas Canosa sharing a cup of coffee
13:09at the Versailles restaurant here in Miami last summer,
13:12what did you think?
13:14Well, American politicians sure make strange bedfellows.
13:18The guy doesn't stand for anything that the Democrats stand for.
13:21Nothing.
13:21When Clinton comes knocking, we are certainly going to open the door.
13:26Although Mas Canosa would not speak to Frontline,
13:29his representative in Washington, Jose Cardenas, did.
13:32This probably marks the first high-profile outing
13:38for the Cuban Americans
13:41and a relationship with a Democratic candidate for president.
13:46No other Democratic candidate really made the effort
13:50to go down into the heart of Little Havana
13:55and start talking tough on Castro.
13:59Mas Canosa sent word to Clinton through Democrats in Congress,
14:03when we hear you say that you'll endorse our bill,
14:06then maybe you'll get some money.
14:08Once that deal was cut,
14:09Bill Clinton came to this restaurant,
14:11which is called Victor's Cafe on the south side of Miami,
14:14and on April the 23rd, for the very first time,
14:17he endorsed the Torricelli bill.
14:22Mas Canosa had put the word out
14:24that it's okay for Cuban Americans to come to this fundraiser,
14:27and about 300 people showed up.
14:30But until Clinton spoke,
14:31some were still a little nervous
14:33about being seen with a Democrat.
14:36Clinton walks in.
14:38Everybody was very happy, very enthusiastic,
14:40but you would see some of them to the side.
14:42They wouldn't take pictures.
14:43I would invite them.
14:44Come on over.
14:44Let's take a picture.
14:45No, no, no, no, no.
14:46Not now, not now.
14:47They were just waiting to see.
14:49They didn't want to have themselves photographed
14:50with the Democrats.
14:51No, no, no, no,
14:52because they're very, very loyal, again,
14:54to the Republicans,
14:55and they're very prominent people.
14:57Of course, in their hearts,
14:59we're all Cubans,
15:00so we wanted to see what he had to say.
15:03Clinton told the crowd
15:04he liked the Torricelli bill,
15:05and then he promised...
15:07...to put the hammer down on Castro and keep it.
15:10Once he said,
15:14I support the Torricelli bill...
15:15Oh, the whole place came down.
15:17That's it.
15:18Everybody forgot there were Republicans for that moment,
15:20and everybody was applauding.
15:22I mean, we became Cubans,
15:24and we were kind of all united
15:25and very thankful that he said it.
15:28And now it was okay
15:29to take your picture with a Democrat?
15:31Yeah.
15:32Clinton raised about $125,000 at the event.
15:36Why did Clinton do it?
15:37My opinion is that he did it in a very pragmatic way
15:40because he needed the cash
15:41for the Pennsylvania primaries,
15:43which was going to be a few days later,
15:45and the rumors are that he was short of cash
15:46for the publicity there.
15:48At least that's what I have.
15:50Whether Clinton did it for the money
15:51or for the votes or for both,
15:53Hugh Westbrook's strategy had paid off.
15:57And when you gazed out at Cuban-Americans
16:00smiling at a Democratic candidate,
16:02what went through your mind?
16:03My heart was warmed.
16:07If the Democrats have their managing trustees,
16:14the Republicans have Team 100.
16:18To be a member,
16:19you must contribute at least $100,000
16:21to the Republican Party.
16:23Well, this horse is a very proud horse.
16:25He's done so well with his own career,
16:29and now it's almost like he knows
16:32that his foes are doing well too,
16:34so that even makes him more proud.
16:37Alec Cortellis is one of the founders of Team 100.
16:40He breeds Arabian racehorses
16:42on his magnificent farm in Ocala, Florida.
16:46This is the office away from the office,
16:49and it was designed really to have
16:52a comfortable look to it and a feeling,
16:54which it does,
16:55and I have a lot of the paraphernalia
16:57that I'm very proud of.
16:59Cortellis has been bankrolling
17:01Republican presidents for 20 years.
17:03This is with President Reagan
17:05at the White House where we had lunch,
17:07and he, the man, was just extremely fit,
17:11and as I told you,
17:11I looked very carefully at his hair,
17:13and no question it's his own.
17:16No question about it.
17:17One of the rules that I apply
17:21before I support a candidate,
17:23I like to know him,
17:24I like to talk to him,
17:25I like to ask him questions,
17:26I like to know how he thinks,
17:28I like to know what he's going to do,
17:29and I like to be able to talk to him
17:31after he wins.
17:33George Bush qualifies on all counts.
17:36Cortellis is the president's friend
17:38and advisor,
17:39and in 1988,
17:40he raised an enormous war chest
17:41for the Bush campaign.
17:43Bob Marshbacher,
17:44who then was the chairman,
17:46our vice chairman,
17:47and the two of us
17:48and some others got together
17:50and we came up with the idea
17:51of Team 100,
17:53for no better name at the time,
17:56and within 90 days,
17:58we raised $25 million.
18:04Cortellis is also president
18:05of the University of Florida
18:07Board of Regents.
18:08Go!
18:12He and his wife
18:13are major contributors
18:14to the university,
18:15and he's an honored guest
18:17at the home football games.
18:19In 1989,
18:23after Cortellis had raised
18:24millions of dollars
18:25for the Bush campaign,
18:26the president named him
18:27chairman of a committee
18:28that recommended people for jobs
18:30in the Bush administration.
18:32Oh, there's been
18:33all kinds of conversations
18:34that Team 100 members
18:36became ambassadors.
18:38I can tell you myself,
18:39because I've been involved
18:40in the process,
18:41the only ones
18:42that became ambassadors
18:43were the ones
18:43that deserved to be ambassadors
18:45and the ones
18:45who could afford
18:46to be ambassadors.
18:48Since the 88 campaign,
18:5011 donors,
18:51who contributed $100,000
18:52or more
18:53to the Republican Party,
18:54were named by President Bush
18:56to be ambassadors.
18:58Did that bother Cortellis?
18:59Well, there's some people
19:01that love to be ambassadors.
19:02Now, I know I wouldn't.
19:04You know how hard
19:05a job it is
19:06to be an ambassador?
19:07Some of my friends
19:08that are ambassadors,
19:09they tell me
19:10they have to go
19:10to four or five parties
19:12a day.
19:13I can't think of anything
19:14worse that can happen
19:15to me than have to go
19:16smile for five parties
19:19a day.
19:20It's terrible.
19:21How are you doing?
19:22Good.
19:22How are you doing?
19:23If George Bush is re-elected,
19:25he will owe a major debt
19:26to Cortellis
19:27and all the Team 100 members
19:29and they will get
19:30special access
19:31to the president.
19:32They're all CEOs.
19:34That's why when we sit
19:35and sometimes we,
19:37the president will come
19:38at an event
19:39and they'll talk to him
19:40and give him input
19:41and they're from
19:42all over the country.
19:43This is an ideal thing
19:44for our president
19:44to be able to get input
19:46from people
19:46that are dedicated to him
19:47by virtue of the fact
19:49they're putting their own time
19:50and their money.
19:51Several Team 100 members
19:57have been accused
19:58of trading money
19:59for political favors.
20:01Consider the case
20:01of Howard Leach.
20:03He's a Team 100 member,
20:04a close friend
20:05of President Bush
20:06and a major investor
20:07in California agribusiness.
20:10Last February,
20:11Leach organized
20:12a fundraising luncheon
20:13for the president
20:14in San Francisco.
20:15He greeted Mr. Bush
20:16at the airport.
20:18The president
20:18and Mrs. Bush
20:19arrived in California
20:20for a fundraising lunch
20:22in San Francisco.
20:24And during that visit,
20:26the president was asking
20:27about what some
20:28of the problems
20:28were in California.
20:30So obviously,
20:31when the president
20:32asked what the concerns were,
20:33we talked about the economy
20:34and the water,
20:36water was mentioned
20:37as one of the problems.
20:39The problem of water
20:40in California
20:41is that it's scarce,
20:43especially after
20:43six years of drought.
20:45In California,
20:46water falls mainly
20:47in the north,
20:48while the agribusiness
20:49interests Howard Leach
20:50represents want
20:51the water sent south.
20:53That's where two prominent
20:54Team 100 members
20:55have their ranches.
20:57Please join me
20:58in welcoming
20:59our governor,
21:00Pete Wilson.
21:02Howard Leach's
21:03successful fundraiser
21:04on February 25th
21:05brought in
21:06one million dollars
21:07for the president's campaign.
21:09Nine days later,
21:10Howard Leach
21:11and his friends
21:11got what they wanted,
21:13water.
21:14Reversing Department
21:15of Interior policy,
21:16President Bush
21:17signed an emergency order
21:19sending 326 billion gallons
21:22of federally subsidized water
21:23to corporate farms
21:25in Central and Southern California.
21:27Leach and his friends
21:28were delighted.
21:32But environmentalists
21:34and people
21:34and businesses
21:35in the cities
21:36were angry
21:36and so were fishermen.
21:38Now there's one there.
21:40There's another one over there.
21:42In fact, there's two there,
21:43isn't there?
21:43Chinook salmon
21:46are dying in California,
21:47gasping for breath
21:48in the sun
21:49before they even
21:50have a chance to spawn.
21:52Probably a 15, 20 pounder,
21:55let me say.
21:55Yeah, when it was alive.
21:56When it was alive, yeah.
22:00The fish are dying
22:01because the cool water
22:03they need to stay alive
22:04was diverted
22:04by President Bush
22:06to corporate farms
22:07hundreds of miles
22:08to the south.
22:09The private interest
22:10contributes dollars
22:11so they can get their clout.
22:14Fish aren't going to vote
22:15with the few dead fish.
22:18But Howard Leach denies
22:19he got any political favors
22:21from the President.
22:22Now the fact
22:22that the Department of Interior
22:24found some way
22:25to balance the environmental
22:26and the farming needs
22:29a few days later
22:30may be totally coincidental.
22:32It may be that the President
22:33had some interest in it.
22:34I have no idea.
22:35But there certainly
22:36was no cause and effect
22:37as far as I know
22:38and it's a totally
22:39unfair characterization
22:40of the President's action
22:42and his concern
22:43over the people of California
22:44and their needs.
22:47This month
22:48the U.S. Congress
22:49passed a water bill
22:50which would reverse
22:51the President's order
22:52guaranteeing more water
22:54for the cities
22:54and for the fish.
22:56California agribusiness
22:57is urging Bush
22:58to veto the bill.
23:04Look at the way
23:06the American people
23:07view the political system today.
23:10a fixed system,
23:13a rigged system.
23:14Fred Wertheimer,
23:15President of Common Cause,
23:17a public interest group,
23:18has worked for 20 years
23:19to reform the campaign
23:20finance system.
23:21You have to understand
23:23the way this system works.
23:25This is a sophisticated system.
23:28People don't have to
23:30articulate the exchange
23:32of money
23:33for a quid pro quo.
23:36That's bribery.
23:38God,
23:39that's a crime.
23:41So we put this crime
23:42over here
23:43and we allow
23:44to unfold
23:45what can only be viewed
23:47as legalized corruption.
23:49A system where
23:51I can give you
23:52an awful lot of money.
23:54Millions of dollars
23:55as it turns out.
23:57At the same time
23:58that I want
23:59enormous help
24:00from the government.
24:02It wasn't supposed
24:03to be like this,
24:04not after Watergate.
24:0720 years ago,
24:08these men botched
24:09a burglary attempt
24:10at the Democratic Party
24:11headquarters in Washington.
24:13Watergate became
24:14the biggest political scandal
24:16in modern American history
24:17and led Congress
24:18in 1974
24:19to establish
24:20the Federal Election Commission,
24:22or FEC,
24:23now headed by
24:24Joan Akins.
24:26So you're
24:26a Watergate baby.
24:28Well, yes,
24:28basically.
24:29So what was the sin here?
24:31What was Congress
24:32trying to regulate against?
24:34The problem
24:35that Congress found
24:37was that there was,
24:38we'll call it
24:39laundered money
24:40or money under the table.
24:42There were cash contributions
24:43that were never
24:44accounted for
24:45and they felt
24:46that disclosure
24:48was the most important
24:51factor.
24:53Do you think
24:54that now
24:54that the Federal
24:55Elections Commission
24:55has been alive
24:57for a decade
24:58and a bit
24:58that things are better?
25:02I hope
25:03that the disclosure
25:06provisions
25:07are working well.
25:08Fred Wertheimer
25:09argues that
25:10simply publicizing
25:11the name of anybody
25:12who gives more than
25:13$200 to a campaign
25:14does almost nothing
25:16to stop corruption.
25:17The free flow
25:18of money
25:19is a formula
25:20for selling
25:21our government
25:23to wealthy people
25:24and special interests.
25:26But what about
25:27the power of embarrassment?
25:28Isn't that enough?
25:30It would be embarrassing,
25:31it seems to me,
25:32if I were a member
25:33of the House
25:33or a member
25:34of the Senate
25:34or an occupant
25:35in the White House
25:35to receive money
25:37and do favors
25:37for Harry Jones
25:39if Harry Jones' name,
25:40Harry Jones' money,
25:41and my favor
25:42are in the newspaper.
25:43You don't live
25:44in Washington, do you?
25:45No, I don't.
25:47Embarrassment
25:48in Washington
25:48is kind of
25:49an alien concept.
25:51Embarrassment
25:52is built into
25:53the system.
25:53I take the money,
25:54I smile,
25:55I take a little hit,
25:57and after all,
25:58we're all doing it.
26:00We're Democrats,
26:01we're Republicans.
26:02Most of all,
26:03we're incumbents.
26:04We're all doing it.
26:06Not just reformers
26:08are critical
26:08of the FEC.
26:09Old pros
26:10like Bob Strauss,
26:11former chairman
26:12of the Democratic Party,
26:13say the FEC
26:14just isn't working.
26:16People are not
26:17really worried
26:18very much
26:19about violating
26:19the FEC rules.
26:21They figure,
26:21what the heck,
26:22the election
26:22will be over
26:23six months
26:23before it ever
26:24comes up.
26:25So if I fail
26:26to follow the rules
26:28here, there,
26:29and yonder,
26:29I'll either be
26:31in offices
26:31and I can work it out
26:32or I'm out of office
26:33and won't give a damn.
26:35Is he right?
26:37That's Bob Strauss'
26:38opinion.
26:40It is an opinion
26:42expressed by
26:43several other
26:45political consultants
26:46and campaign managers.
26:50Does it embarrass you?
26:50No, we are
26:53administering the law
26:58and enforcing it
27:00to the best
27:02of our abilities
27:03under our budget
27:04with the number
27:05of people we have
27:06and it's a very
27:08difficult area
27:10to try to enforce.
27:11And she says
27:12Congress regularly
27:13tells her to do less.
27:14You have to sort of
27:15be slightly
27:16namby-pamby
27:17in this because
27:17they've given you
27:18namby-pamby instructions.
27:19They have given us
27:20instructions in the
27:21legislative history
27:22on almost every
27:23section of the law.
27:26Try, but not too hard.
27:29Well, in some cases,
27:30yes.
27:31Hey, hey!
27:32Ho, ho!
27:33Soft money
27:34has got to go!
27:35Hey, hey!
27:36Ho, ho!
27:36Today, of course,
27:37big donors have found
27:38a way to give as much
27:39money as they want.
27:40It's called
27:41the soft money loophole
27:43and that's what
27:44these people
27:44are upset about.
27:50Technically,
27:51big money donors
27:52can't give more
27:53than $1,000
27:54to a presidential candidate.
27:56But there's no limit
27:57on the money
27:58you can give
27:58to political parties.
28:00So the parties
28:01have their own fundraisers
28:03and they use the money
28:04they raise
28:04to help their candidates.
28:06The president's dinner
28:07held last April
28:08in Washington
28:09was the largest fundraiser
28:11in the history
28:11of American politics.
28:13Are you a fat cat?
28:14No, I'm not at all.
28:15I'm a skinny lady.
28:18I am a fat cat.
28:20Here's one.
28:21I'm losing weight
28:22though this year, guy.
28:23I'm losing weight
28:23this year.
28:24The price of admission
28:25was $1,500.
28:29Bush, man,
28:29there's money
28:30for everybody.
28:31Hi, are you a fat cat?
28:33If you could afford
28:34to pay $15,000,
28:36you were entitled
28:36to have a congressman
28:37sit at your table.
28:38Come on in!
28:39Come on in!
28:40$1,500?
28:40I don't have enough
28:41money.
28:42What are you buying?
28:44What are you buying?
28:45What are you buying?
28:47What are you buying?
28:49My friends,
28:50this sounds almost
28:51too good to be true,
28:53but together,
28:55you and I
28:56and 14,000 others
28:59have raised
29:00over $9 million
29:01through this event alone.
29:03Applause
29:04The president also
29:09seemed inspired
29:10by the $9 million
29:11event.
29:11I intend to win
29:14this thing
29:14and I intend
29:16to win it
29:17and with your help,
29:18we will win it big
29:19come November.
29:21Thank you all
29:21and may God bless
29:23the United States
29:24of America.
29:24The problem
29:39with the soft money
29:54loophole
29:54is you never know
29:55who's going to
29:56wander through.
29:58This man,
29:59Michael Kojima,
29:59was the biggest
30:00contributor that night
30:01at the president's dinner.
30:03He gave $500,000.
30:05He was rewarded
30:06with a seat
30:07at the president's
30:08head table.
30:09The president
30:09kissed Kojima's wife
30:11and on his way out
30:12shook Kojima's hand.
30:14But Mr. Kojima
30:15proved to be
30:16something of an embarrassment.
30:17Michael Kojima,
30:20the country's
30:21most wanted
30:22deadbeat dad,
30:23owes more than
30:23$100,000.
30:26Soon after
30:26the president's dinner,
30:27the district attorney
30:28in Los Angeles
30:29aired this
30:30public service spot
30:31and circulated
30:32wanted posters
30:33for Mr. Kojima
30:34who owed
30:35child support payments
30:36to two former wives.
30:40Kojima went underground,
30:41but this month
30:42he was arrested
30:43in Salt Lake City.
30:44He pled no contest
30:46to two counts
30:47of failure to provide.
30:48Mr. Kojima
30:49doesn't want to say anything.
30:51The Republican Party
30:52has placed Kojima's
30:53donation in escrow.
30:55The fate of the money
30:56will be determined
30:56by a court in Washington
30:58after the election.
31:00But the question remains,
31:02where did Michael Kojima
31:03get $500,000?
31:06My best guess is
31:08that he raised this
31:10through contributions
31:11from foreign businessmen
31:15with whom he's been
31:15actively engaged
31:17in the past.
31:19My guess is
31:20that he probably
31:20bundled a significant
31:21number of these contributions
31:23and passed them
31:23on to the Republican Party
31:24in order, again,
31:25to enhance his own
31:27appearance of importance.
31:33The second largest
31:34donation to the dinner,
31:36$400,000,
31:37came from this man,
31:38Dwayne Andreas,
31:39and his company,
31:40Archer Daniels Midland.
31:42In this presidential campaign,
31:44Andreas and his company
31:45are the top
31:45soft money contributors.
31:48People like that
31:48are important.
31:51They do important things.
31:54It's easy to criticize
31:54if somebody gave a ton
31:55of political money.
31:56He does give important
31:57political money.
31:59And when he phones,
32:00people tend to answer
32:01his phone calls.
32:02No question about that.
32:03Robert Strauss,
32:04the former chairman
32:05of the Democratic Party,
32:07is an old friend
32:07of Andreas's
32:08and used to be
32:09on the board
32:09of his company.
32:11He darn sure
32:11has an interest
32:12in seeing people
32:13he cares about
32:14get elected to office,
32:15people who he thinks
32:16understand his business problems,
32:20understand the problems
32:22they face.
32:22So it's,
32:23of course,
32:23it has a business aspect
32:24to it.
32:25This week with David Brinkley,
32:30brought to you by
32:31ADM,
32:33supermarket to the world.
32:35Andreas's company,
32:37ADM,
32:38is the world's
32:38biggest processor
32:39of agricultural products,
32:41a business heavily dependent
32:43on government subsidies
32:44and tax breaks.
32:46His company also makes
32:48ethanol,
32:49a gasoline additive
32:50derived from corn.
32:51This year,
32:53what Andreas wanted
32:54most from the White House
32:55was a waiver
32:56from the Clean Air Act
32:57so more ethanol
32:59could be sold
32:59across the country.
33:01Dwayne Andreas
33:02is a classic example
33:04of what is wrong
33:05with the system today.
33:06He is the thread
33:07that runs through
33:09this last quarter
33:10of a century.
33:12He was a huge giver
33:13to Hubert Humphrey.
33:14He was a huge giver
33:16to Richard Nixon.
33:18Dwayne Andreas
33:19has been friends
33:20with every president
33:21from Harry Truman
33:21to George Bush.
33:23His 1972 donations
33:25to Richard Nixon
33:26are linked
33:26to the Watergate scandal.
33:28Because people
33:28have got to know
33:29whether or not
33:30their president
33:30is a crook.
33:32Well, I'm not a crook.
33:33On a Florida golf course,
33:35Andreas handed
33:35over $25,000
33:37in cash
33:38to a Nixon campaign official.
33:40It is a fact
33:41that was established
33:42that money
33:44that originated
33:45with Andreas
33:46and then went
33:48through several
33:49intermediaries
33:50did find its way
33:51into the Watergate
33:52burglars' bank accounts.
33:55That $25,000
33:57later provided
33:58Watergate investigators
33:59with their first link
34:00between the burglaries
34:01and the Nixon campaign.
34:03And there's another
34:04curious contribution.
34:06Here at the National Archives
34:08in Washington, D.C.,
34:09we have discovered
34:10a five-page document
34:11which has never
34:12been made public.
34:13It's an interview
34:14with Rosemary Woods,
34:16President Nixon's
34:16personal secretary,
34:17conducted by the
34:18Watergate Special Prosecutor's Office.
34:21In it, she tells
34:21the prosecutors
34:22that in 1972,
34:24just before
34:24the presidential election,
34:26Dwayne Andreas
34:27came to the White House
34:28carrying a brown
34:29accordion folder
34:30surrounded by a rubber band
34:31looking something like this.
34:33And inside the folder,
34:34she says,
34:35was $100,000
34:36in $100 bills.
34:39She knows because later
34:40she counted the money.
34:41She was instructed
34:42to take the folder
34:43to the basement
34:44of the White House
34:44and put it in the
34:45president's private safe,
34:47which she did.
34:48About a year later,
34:49after the election,
34:50President Nixon told her
34:52to return the folder
34:53to Mr. Andreas.
34:54She gave it to a friend,
34:55Hobart Lewis,
34:56who brought it to Andreas.
34:58We asked Mr. Andreas,
34:59why did you give the money
35:01to President Nixon
35:02and how come
35:03you got it back?
35:05In a letter to Frontline,
35:07Mr. Andreas would only say,
35:09quote,
35:09my present recollection
35:11is that all of the matters
35:12referred to
35:13were thoroughly investigated
35:15without any adverse findings.
35:18We contacted Richard Nixon.
35:20His assistant wrote,
35:22he will not participate
35:23in your documentary.
35:25The man who arrived
35:27at the White House
35:27with $100,000 in 1972
35:30continues to be
35:31a welcome visitor there today.
35:34And I'm announcing today
35:36that the administration
35:36has decided
35:37to effectively grant
35:39a one-pound
35:40volatility waiver
35:41for ethanol.
35:43This month,
35:44President Bush,
35:44on his own authority,
35:46directed the Environmental
35:47Protection Agency
35:48to grant
35:49the ethanol waiver
35:50that Dwayne Andreas
35:51had lobbied for.
35:53Thank you all very much
35:54for coming down.
35:55Concludes a happy,
35:56happy event.
35:58An administration official
35:59said that because
36:00of the waiver,
36:01there would be
36:01an explosive increase
36:02in demand for ethanol,
36:04nearly doubling
36:05domestic consumption.
36:06No account of this election
36:17could totally ignore
36:18the appearance,
36:20the disappearance,
36:20and the reappearance
36:22of Mr. H. Ross Perot.
36:24Everybody's accusing me
36:25of buying the election.
36:30And my reply to them is,
36:31that's right.
36:33The Texas billionaire
36:34announced he would dip
36:35into his $3 billion
36:37personal fortune
36:38and pay for his campaign
36:39all by himself.
36:41He promised to spend
36:42$100 million
36:43or whatever it cost.
36:45I made that deal
36:46with you
36:47because you can't
36:48afford it.
36:49It's that simple.
36:52This was not
36:53Ross Perot's first
36:54venture into campaign finance.
36:56He's been a major
36:57political donor
36:58for 20 years.
37:00In fact,
37:00in 1974,
37:01he was the largest
37:02political contributor
37:03in the country.
37:05Over the years,
37:06he and his family
37:07have supported candidates
37:08Lloyd Benson,
37:09John Glenn,
37:10Richard Nixon,
37:11Ronald Reagan,
37:12and George Bush.
37:13The only difference
37:14this year
37:14is that Ross Perot,
37:15the donor,
37:16has made himself
37:17the candidate.
37:18But enough about Perot.
37:20When the summer
37:27convention season arrives,
37:29it's a special time
37:30for big political donors.
37:32In Houston,
37:33during the convention,
37:34golf tournaments
37:35were arranged
37:35for wealthy contributors
37:37at a local country club.
37:40While delegates
37:41at the Astrodome
37:42debated abortion,
37:44gay rights,
37:44and the economy,
37:45these donors
37:46were getting
37:46better acquainted.
37:47The Republican's
37:50Team 100
37:51stayed at an
37:52elegant Houston hotel.
37:54With the Team 100,
37:56we serve on
37:57various committees
37:58and are briefed
38:01and we select things.
38:03Of course,
38:03since I'm in
38:04banking software,
38:05I selected banking.
38:07Deanna is very...
38:09Education
38:09and the environment.
38:11Ken and Deanna
38:11Kirschman are Team 100
38:13members from
38:13Orlando, Florida.
38:15Well,
38:15I feel that Bush
38:16will win.
38:20We went through it,
38:21you know,
38:22earlier with the caucus
38:23and came through.
38:26We were over in Europe
38:27at the time
38:27and we thought...
38:29Not going home.
38:29Yeah.
38:30We didn't know
38:31whether we'd come home
38:31or not.
38:33But we feel good
38:35about Bush.
38:37Bob Mossbacher,
38:38the former Secretary
38:39of Commerce,
38:39is a founder
38:40of Team 100.
38:41He makes sure
38:42that the $100,000
38:43donors meet
38:44with the president
38:45at the White House
38:46and have meetings
38:47with cabinet officials.
38:49Team 100 members
38:50have even traveled
38:50together to the Soviet Union
38:52and to Eastern Europe.
38:55California businessman
38:56Howard Leach
38:57went on both trips.
38:58We had the opportunity
38:58to visit our ambassadors there.
39:03We had the opportunity
39:04to meet with some officials
39:06of the government
39:07that were basically
39:08wanting to encourage
39:10members of our group
39:11to consider private investment there.
39:13Larry Bathgate
39:14says Team 100
39:15is a kind of special club.
39:17If you ask the membership,
39:18what's the best thing about it?
39:20Are the friendships
39:20that develop.
39:22And I know Bob Farmer
39:23told you that.
39:24It's true.
39:25I feel that way
39:26and I know our members do.
39:28And that's really
39:28what I sell.
39:29I say to them,
39:31you're going to have...
39:32you're going to thank me
39:32a year from now
39:33and say this is one
39:34of the best investments
39:35you've ever made.
39:36Hello, Bob.
39:37How are you?
39:37I'm fine.
39:38I've been trying to reach you.
39:39Big Democratic donors
39:40also congregated
39:42in their own
39:42parallel universe.
39:43Folks,
39:44if we just form a line here,
39:45we'll get you
39:45as quick as we can.
39:47During the Democratic Convention
39:48in New York,
39:48they had their exclusive parties
39:50like this one
39:51in Manhattan's Upper East Side.
39:53It was so exclusive,
39:54they wouldn't even tell us
39:55who was hosting it.
39:56What is the event?
39:59No, they don't want press
40:00is what you're saying.
40:01Right.
40:01I understand that.
40:03I was just wondering
40:04if someone could tell us
40:05what the event was
40:06or whether it was connected
40:07to the Democratic Convention.
40:11Sponsored by the...
40:12I have to have that blank look
40:13on my face at this point now
40:14because I'm in there employed.
40:15All right.
40:17It's sponsored by
40:18the Stock Exchange.
40:20Again,
40:21now I feel like a politician
40:22trying to duck and dodge.
40:24Hi, ladies.
40:24Can I help you?
40:25Yes, we're invited to this.
40:27For which party?
40:27For the American Stock Exchange.
40:30There it is.
40:31The cat's out of the bag.
40:32Oh, sorry.
40:33Enjoy your show.
40:34That's what it is.
40:34I think that people
40:36do expect a certain amount
40:38of access.
40:38I think that they expect
40:39to be treated nicely
40:41at a convention
40:41and in fact,
40:42there are some major events
40:44that took place
40:45at the convention
40:45that were designed
40:47for trustees
40:47and managing trustees.
40:49Parties and other
40:50social events
40:51when people who are
40:52like-minded
40:52have a chance
40:53to come together.
40:54And that's fine.
40:54I mean, I believe
40:55people entertain customers,
40:57clients,
40:58and these are really
40:59the best clients
41:00of the Democratic Party.
41:01While the Republicans
41:07and Democrats
41:07entertain their big donors,
41:09private companies
41:10sponsor their own parties.
41:12This one in Houston
41:13was hosted by
41:13the Washington law firm
41:14Patton Boggs & Blow.
41:16Hi, Bill.
41:18Good to see you.
41:19Marilyn Quayle was there.
41:22Now, wait a second.
41:23Patton Boggs & Blow
41:24is Ron Brown's law firm.
41:26That's Ron Brown,
41:27chairman of the Democratic Party.
41:29Well, it didn't seem
41:30to bother Marilyn much
41:31and it didn't bother Ron
41:33who wasn't there
41:33but his Republican partners were.
41:36That, however,
41:37is how it works.
41:38More contacts,
41:39more business.
41:47One of the most active
41:48corporations
41:49at both conventions
41:50was Atlantic Richfield
41:51or Arco,
41:52the giant oil company.
41:54During this presidential election,
41:56Arco has given
41:57over $400,000
41:58to the Republican Party
42:00and even more
42:01to the Democrats,
42:02nearly $600,000.
42:04What Arco wants
42:05most from Washington
42:06is permission
42:06to drill for oil
42:08in a wildlife refuge
42:09in Alaska.
42:11In Houston,
42:12Arco chairman
42:12Lod Cook
42:13threw the biggest part,
42:15a $1,000-a-plate
42:16Republican fundraising.
42:17And now the man
42:19who took this gal
42:20from an idea
42:21and turned it
42:22into today's huge success,
42:24the chairman of Arco,
42:25the chairman of this gal,
42:27and the man of the hour,
42:29Mr. Lod Cook.
42:34We've achieved
42:35our fundraising goal
42:36for the gala.
42:38In fact,
42:39we've done better.
42:40We've raised
42:41over $4 million.
42:42Oh, now,
42:52ladies and gentlemen,
42:52I think I hear
42:53a train whistle.
42:54Yes,
42:55it's a 1992
42:56Republican victory train
42:58with a full head of steam
42:59for the White House.
43:03Clinton would have
43:05his bus tour,
43:06but Bush,
43:06at least for this
43:07one afternoon,
43:08could enjoy
43:08his whistle-stop train,
43:10trying out
43:11his Harry Truman imitation
43:12in front of
43:134,000 prosperous Republicans.
43:16At times,
43:17during the campaign,
43:18the Democrats
43:19seemed almost embarrassed
43:20about raising
43:21vast sums of money
43:22in public.
43:24Not the Republicans.
43:25This choreographed
43:26extravaganza
43:27was performed
43:28in full view
43:29of the assembled
43:30press corps.
43:34The president's
43:35top fundraisers
43:36were introduced
43:36like starting players
43:37on a Super Bowl team.
43:39Chairman of the
43:40Republican National
43:41Finance Committee,
43:42Mr. Larry Batcave.
43:49Former Secretary
43:50of Commerce
43:51and current
43:51General Chairman
43:52of the Bush-Quale
43:5392 campaign
43:54and all-around
43:55real guy,
43:56the Honorable
43:57Bob Mosbacher.
44:02The Victory Gala
44:03also had support
44:04from the Terminator.
44:07And you'll notice
44:08actor Bruce Willis.
44:09He's right in front
44:09of California
44:10fundraiser
44:11Howard Leach.
44:13On the floor,
44:14Howard Baker
44:15worked the crowd
44:16and businessmen
44:18got acquainted.
44:20In short,
44:20it was a gathering
44:21of the faithful
44:22and the affluent.
44:24And I look forward
44:24to this fight.
44:26I can feel it.
44:27I can feel it
44:28building in my blood.
44:30And one thing
44:31that is the most
44:32comfort is
44:33that through good times
44:34and bad,
44:35I have had you
44:36at my side.
44:38And we want
44:38to thank you
44:39for this fantastic
44:40show of support.
44:42May God bless
44:43this great nation
44:44of ours.
44:45Thank you for
44:45our many blessings.
44:47And may God bless
44:48the United States
44:48of America.
44:49Thank you very,
44:50very much.
44:50With the help
45:00of ARCO chairman
45:01Ladd Cook,
45:01the Republican
45:02treasury now had
45:03another $4 million
45:04and the president
45:05was ready to embark
45:06on the plight
45:07of his life.
45:07As soon as
45:14their conventions
45:15ended,
45:16each presidential
45:17candidate got
45:17a $55 million
45:19check from
45:20the U.S.
45:20Treasury.
45:21The idea,
45:22of course,
45:22is public financing
45:23is supposed
45:24to eliminate
45:25the need
45:25to raise
45:26any more
45:26private money.
45:28But both parties
45:29want more.
45:30So they go right
45:31on raising
45:31millions of dollars
45:32from corporations
45:33and from unions
45:34and from wealthy
45:35individuals.
45:36They've got it
45:37both ways now.
45:39George Bush,
45:40for example,
45:40or Clinton,
45:42they take
45:43$50 million
45:44in public money
45:46because this
45:48is being put up
45:49for a clean system.
45:50So I take it
45:51with one hand
45:52and that's what
45:53I run my campaign on.
45:54With my other hand,
45:55I'm out there
45:55raising all this money
45:57that this public money
45:59is substituting for
46:00and running it
46:00through the system.
46:01That's a rip-off.
46:02It violates the system.
46:04It undermines
46:05confidence
46:06in government
46:07to an incredible
46:08drugie today
46:09and we've got
46:09to fix it.
46:10Why is it still
46:11so important
46:12to raise more?
46:14Well,
46:14it's partly
46:15like the arms race.
46:16This is a huge country.
46:18So while a presidential
46:19candidate upon nominations
46:21gets $55 million,
46:22frankly,
46:24that barely
46:24scratches the surface
46:25of reaching a country
46:26of 260 million folks.
46:29Good.
46:29We want 10 times
46:30as much.
46:31Right.
46:31Yeah.
46:32So the parties
46:33go on
46:33trying to raise
46:34as much private money
46:35as they can.
46:36Usually,
46:37the Republicans
46:37are more successful,
46:39but this year,
46:39after the conventions,
46:41the Democrats
46:41did better.
46:42I will send you
46:43the stuff
46:44and if you can do it,
46:45great.
46:45And if you can't,
46:46I love you.
46:47Do me a favor
46:47when you're here,
46:48give me a call.
46:50One problem
46:51the Republicans had
46:52is that some
46:52of their Team 100 members
46:54who were flying high
46:55four years ago
46:56are now in financial trouble.
46:58Donald Trump
46:59is a Team 100 dropout.
47:01Even the co-founder
47:02of the team,
47:03Larry Bathgate,
47:04is having trouble
47:04this year
47:05making his $100,000 contribution.
47:08I, like many Americans
47:10who these last three years
47:14with the recession
47:15have suffered
47:16and I am a real estate
47:19investor and developer
47:20and for the last
47:21two or three years
47:22that has not been
47:23a business
47:24that one would choose
47:25to go into
47:26if you were starting out
47:26and so things
47:28have not been as good
47:29as they used to be.
47:31Sensing the possibility
47:34of victory
47:35for the first time
47:36since Jimmy Carter,
47:37big money donors
47:38now flocked
47:39to the Democratic Party.
47:41Pamela Harriman
47:42hosted a special briefing
47:43for $10,000 donors
47:45at the Red Fox Inn
47:46in downtown Middleburg
47:47and the place
47:48was packed.
47:50I'm a tassel-shoed lawyer
47:51who loves Bill Clinton.
47:53My wife's from Arkansas
47:54and she introduced me to him
47:56and I really fell in love
47:57with him
47:57so that's why I'm here.
47:58I think that the event itself
48:01is very important
48:03because it gives access,
48:05direct access
48:05to senior officials
48:06in the campaign
48:08to understand
48:10what they're trying to do
48:11in the next two months.
48:13The automotive industry
48:14has had meetings
48:14with both of the candidates
48:16both in Detroit
48:17and down in Washington
48:18and that will pursue that
48:21for the balance
48:21of this election
48:22I'm sure
48:22to make sure
48:23our views
48:23at the company level
48:24are incorporated
48:26as much as possible
48:27into their thinking.
48:29Stage two of the event
48:30was a $1,000 a plate dinner
48:32at Pamela Harriman's estate,
48:34Willow Oaks.
48:35Al Gore arrived
48:36with his motorcade
48:37We love you!
48:39We love you!
48:41And as night fell
48:43the candidate himself
48:44returned once more
48:45to Mrs. Harriman's.
48:46We love you!
48:47We love you!
48:48We love you!
48:49We love you!
48:49We love you!
48:51In the 80s
48:52Bill Clinton
48:52had been one of the first
48:53board members
48:54of Harriman's
48:55political action committee.
48:57Now her protege
48:58with her financial support
48:59seemed on his way
49:00to the White House.
49:03The Republicans
49:04were now scrambling
49:05to keep pace.
49:07Bob Mossbacher
49:08officially moved
49:09from the Bush campaign
49:10to the Republican
49:11National Committee
49:12so he could raise
49:13as much soft money
49:14as possible.
49:17And in October
49:18the president himself
49:20was still on
49:20the fundraising circuit.
49:22This city
49:23and this state
49:24have been good to us.
49:25When all the primaries
49:26and the presidential
49:27campaigns are considered
49:28the 1992 presidential
49:31campaign
49:31will cost
49:32in excess of
49:33400 million dollars.
49:36Thanks for coming.
49:38Thank you so much.
49:42And what did all
49:43those donations buy?
49:45I was at the
49:46Waldorf Towers
49:47in New York
49:48in a big suite
49:49because the ambiance
49:53of the environment
49:53is important
49:54in these things
49:54and the fellow
49:55came in
49:55and I made the pitch
49:58for the help
49:59and he pulled out
50:01his, reached into
50:02his pocket
50:02and pulled out a check
50:03and made it out
50:04for $100,000
50:05and he set it
50:07down on the coffee table
50:08and he said
50:09Mr. Farmer
50:10I want to ask you
50:11just one question
50:12and I didn't want
50:14to appear too
50:14actually
50:15I did have my
50:16eye on the check
50:16and I said
50:18go ahead
50:18and he said
50:19is this hello
50:20or is this goodbye?
50:23Now that's a very
50:23good question
50:24because people
50:26who give
50:26checks
50:27they want to feel
50:28that they
50:29have the opportunity
50:30for input on issues
50:31that the campaign
50:32cares about them
50:33not just as a fat
50:34walking wallet
50:35but as a real person
50:37and so I thought
50:39that was a very good
50:40one of the better
50:41questions I've heard
50:42asked
50:42how did you
50:42answer your business?
50:44I said
50:45this is hello
50:45Campaigns come
50:55and go
50:56but the relationships
50:57remain
50:58and for some
50:59of these big donors
51:00it really doesn't matter
51:01who wins this
51:01presidential election
51:02remember Dwayne Andreas?
51:05This is where
51:06Dwayne Andreas
51:06maintains his
51:07vacation residence
51:08he's got the top
51:09floor of this hotel
51:10here called
51:11the Seaview Hotel
51:11in Bow Harbor
51:12Florida
51:13with a view
51:13overlooking
51:14the Atlantic Ocean
51:14now as it happens
51:16in this very same
51:17building
51:17Senator Howard Baker
51:19owns an apartment
51:20and not only
51:21Senator Baker
51:21but also
51:22Robert Dole
51:23a man who's run
51:24for president
51:25a number of times
51:26and his wife
51:26Elizabeth Dole
51:27the former member
51:28of the cabinet
51:28not only the Doles
51:30and the Bakers
51:30but also Tip O'Neill
51:32former Speaker of the House
51:33just happens to have
51:34an apartment here
51:35and not only Baker
51:36and O'Neill
51:37and the Doles
51:37but also Jack Stevens
51:39a major contributor
51:40to the Republican Party
51:41and the Democratic Party
51:42not only Stevens
51:43and the others
51:44but also David Brinkley
51:45and also Bob Strauss
51:48ambassador to Russia
51:49now how do they all
51:50happen to live here?
51:52Well we're all
51:52very close personal friends
51:53and what happens
51:54is very simple
51:55it's not a complicated story
51:56I was down there
51:57visiting one time
51:5815 years ago
51:5912 years ago
52:00and I had a room
52:02at the hotel
52:03paying for my room
52:04and Wayne said
52:06you ought to buy
52:07an apartment here
52:08and so I looked around
52:09it was very small
52:11two rooms
52:11and Hal and I
52:13go there
52:13love it
52:13and we bought one
52:14I was telling
52:16David Brinkley about it
52:16he said we've been
52:17thinking about
52:17getting a place
52:18in Florida
52:18and I said
52:21well you ought to
52:21come down there
52:21and look at Seaview
52:23and he bought one
52:23and Dole
52:25I was telling
52:26Elizabeth and Bob Dole
52:27at dinner one night
52:28about it
52:28and they bought one
52:29so I said
52:30you're a damn fool
52:31not to buy one
52:32of these Bob
52:32you love going down there
52:33Seaview is a national
52:36monument of sorts
52:37to an informal world
52:38of golf clubs
52:39beach cabanas
52:40and political connections
52:41that don't show up
52:42on federal election
52:43commission disclosure forms
52:45it has nothing to do
52:46with being democrats
52:47or republicans
52:48these are people
52:48who have common values
52:50you know I have a theory
52:51about that
52:51that you have to keep
52:53in mind
52:53the good guys
52:55if you live to middle age
52:58you find out
52:59the good guys
53:00all manage to kind of
53:01get together
53:01and have a communication
53:02and the bad guys
53:04that don't fit in
53:05all fit outside of that
53:07and the good guys
53:09get together
53:10it doesn't have anything
53:11to do with race
53:12or creed
53:13or color
53:13or political philosophy
53:15or sex
53:15or anything else
53:16they're just decent
53:17nice people
53:18who have good
53:18sets of values
53:21that are comparable
53:22to your own
53:22and your friends
53:23those are
53:25after dark friends
53:28in Washington
53:28maybe
53:29you might be
53:30on opposite sides
53:31during the day
53:32but
53:32we're all good
53:34social friends
53:34personal friends
53:35they are more
53:37than friends
53:38Bob Dole
53:39went to bat
53:40for ethanol
53:40and got contributions
53:42from Dwayne Andreas
53:43Andreas
53:44contributed to
53:45Howard Baker's
53:46big fundraiser
53:47and to Tip O'Neill's
53:49big retirement dinner
53:50Andreas' firm
53:52ADM
53:52sponsors
53:53David Brinkley's show
53:54and ADM
53:55appointed
53:56Bob Strauss
53:57to its board of directors
53:58it's a cozy world
54:00and no matter
54:01who wins this election
54:02Strauss and his friends
54:03will have access
54:04to the White House
54:05I'm going to be in Russia
54:07when this show airs
54:09as our ambassador
54:11and I haven't taken part
54:13in this campaign
54:14but I think
54:15each of these candidates
54:16will run a good campaign
54:17they'll have good people
54:18around them doing it
54:19and the public will vote
54:21whoever gets elected
54:22the country will go on fine
54:23take my word for it
54:34and I'll see you next time
54:37and I'll see you next time
54:37and I'll see you next time
54:39While the South
54:51is the GOC
54:52and I'll see you next time
54:53and I'll see you next time
54:53and I'll see you next time
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