>>> TWO OPINION PIECES WERE PUBLISHED
IN THE BOSTON GLOBE THIS MONTH THAT CENTERED ON CONGRESSMAN
RICHARD NEAL'S CAMPAIGN CONTRIB ANALYSIS OF THOSE FILINGS, BY
FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND HAYDENVILLE RESIDENT DAVID DALE
SHOWS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON CAMPAIGN EVENT
AT FIVE-STAR RESTAURANTS NATIONWIDE, HIGH-END HOTELS, AN
PRIVATE BOXES AT SPORTING EVENTS.
SPENDING HE BELIEVES TO BE INAPPROPRIATE.
NEAL AND HIS SUPPORTERS SAY THERE'S NOTHING
WRONG WITH THAT SPENDING.
AND THAT DALEY'S OPINION IS SKEWED
BY HIS OWN POLITICAL AMBITIONS.
DALEY JOINED ME IN THE STUDIO T. >> I WAS REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE
WHERE MY CONGRESSMAN WAS SPENDING HIS TIME, HOW HE WAS
RAISING HIS MONEY AND WHAT HE II CRACKED OPEN HIS FEC REPORT,
WHICH WAS AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE ONLINE, WHAT I SAW WAS REALLY
DISTRESSING, SINCE THE FIVE MONTHS SINCE HE WAS
RE-ELECTED, HE'S BEEN ON A FIVE-MONTH FUNDRAISING FRENZY,
IT'S WHO HE'S RAISING MONEY FROM, THIS IS BIGGEST
INTERESTS ON WALL STREET, BIG PHARMA, ALL OF THESE LIFE
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE FOLKS WHO HAVE INTERESTS
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE THAT HE CHAIRS, THE BIG TAX-WRITING
COMMITTEE, BUT IT'S HOW HE'S DOING IT, IT'S GOING AROUND
THE COUNTRY TOURING WINE COUNTRY AND THE HEART OF TEXAS
AND SOUTH BEACH FOOD FAIRS AND STAYING AT THE RITZ CARLTON
AND HAVING THESE WILD NIGHTS OF 13, $15,000 FUNDRAISERS AT
THESE EXPENSIVE HOTELS AND FANCY RESTAURANTS, SEEMED LIKE
A PRETTY SWELL LIFESTYLE.
>> THE CONGRESSMAN HAS RESPONDED AND SAID THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WAY HE'S RAISING THIS MONEY.
WHEN HE SPOKE WITH NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC RADIO, HE CLEARLY
DISAGREED WITH YOUR POSITION AND ALSO CALLED IT A, QUOTE, A
CHEAP SHOT AND SAID THAT YOU, IN FACT, ARE INTENDING TO RUN
FOR HIS SEAT.
IS THAT THE CASE?
>> THIS IS PAY TO PLAY POLITICS AT ITS WORST AND MOST
EMBARRASSING.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME.
LISTEN, I UNDERSTAND WHY THE CONGRESSMAN WANTS TO MAKE IT
ABOUT ME, IT ALLOWS HIM TO DODGE THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHERE HE'S RAISING HIS MONEY AND THE GOODIES HE'S GIVING
DONORS IN RETURN, BUT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT A BROKEN SYSTEM.
IT'S ABOUT A DEMOCRACY THAT'S SO WARPED BY CAMPAIGN CASH AND
IT'S ABOUT A CONGRESSMAN LIVING IN THE WASHINGTON SWAMP
FOR SO LONG, HE DOESN'T SEEM TO RECOGNIZE HE'S UP TO HIS
EYEBALLS IN MUD.
AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND IF HE WANTS TO MAKE THIS ABOUT ME OR
ABOUT POLITICS.
THIS OUGHT TO BE A QUESTION ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY AND THE
KIND OF DEMOCRACY WE WANT TO LIVE IN.
I'M A JOURNALIST LIKE YOU, I'M USED TO GETTING ANSWERS TO THE
QUESTIONS THAT I POSE, AND IF IT TURNS OUT A CAMPAIGN IS THE
WAY TO GET THOSE ANSWERS, WELL, PERHAPS WE'LL HAVE TO DO
THAT.
>> SO YOU ARE PLANNING A RUN OR THINKING ABOUT A RUN?
>> I THINK THAT THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF PEOPLE SINCE
THESE ARTICLES CAME OUT WHO HAVE APPROACHED ME AND SUGGEST
TITLED I TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I THINK THAT -- >> AS A RESULT OF YOU HAVING
WRITTEN THE PIECE IN THE POST BECAUSE I THINK THE
CONGRESSMAN, WHAT HE WAS ALLUDING TO IS THAT YOU WROTE
THIS AS SORT OF A WAY TO THROW SKEPTICISM AT HIM BEFORE YOU
ANNOUNCE A RUN YOURSELF?
>> NO, I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION OUT THERE.
THE CONGRESSMAN HAS HAD ONE REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER THIS
ENTIRE CENTURY.
HE REALLY HASN'T HAD TO FACE A CHALLENGE FROM, YOU KNOW --
>> HE HAD A PRIMARY CHALLENGER NOT THAT LONG AGO.
THIS LAST ELECTION CYCLE WHO HE DEFEATED?
>> THE CONGRESSMAN HAS BEEN ABLE TO RAISE ALL OF THIS
MONEY, AND WHAT THAT DOES, IT INSULATES HIM FROM PRIMARY
CHALLENGES AND IT INSULATES HIM FROM GENERAL ELECTION
CHALLENGES.
HE SPENT $3.2 MILLION LAST YEAR ON HIS RE-ELECTION
CAMPAIGN, AND ALL OF THAT MONEY IS ESSENTIALLY ARMOR.
IT INSULATES HIM FROM THE VOTERS AND MAKES HIM
ACCOUNTABLE TO SPECIAL INTERESTS AND NOT TO THE
PUBLIC INTERESTS.
>> I WANT TO QUOTE THE PIECE THAT YOU WROTE.
THE FACT THE CONGRESSMAN IS A POWERFUL REMINDER OF WHO
GOVERNS OR DEMOCRACY AND A DISCOURAGING EXAMPLE OF HOW
THEY IMMEDIATELY RUSH TO AUCTION THEIR POSITIONS TO THE
BUSINESS ELITE.
AUCTION THEIR POSITION, WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE TO
DIRECTLY SUPPORT THAT?
>> I WOULD SAY THIS, THE "NEW YORK TIMES" HAS IDENTIFIED THE
30 WEALTHIEST COMPANIES IN AMERICA THAT PAID NO INCOME
TAX LAST YEAR, 17 OF THE 30 COMPANIES GAVE TO RICHARD NEAL
MONEY IN THE 2017-2018 CYCLE, MEANING THEY GAVE OUR
CONGRESSMAN MORE MONEY THAN THEY CONTRIBUTED TO THE
NATIONAL DEFENSE OR CLEAN AIR OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT THE
GOVERNMENT DOES FOR US.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE TURBO TAX H&R BLOCK GIVE-AWAY THAT HE'S
AUTHORIZED THROUGH HIS ROLE OF CHAIRMAN OF THE WAYS AND MEANS
COMMISSION, THIS IS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF TURBO TAX
AND H&R BLOCK.
WHAT THEY WANT IS TO BAN THE GOVERNMENT, TO PROHIBIT THE
I.R.S.
FROM EVER OFFERING A REAL FREE FILE SYSTEM THAT
ALLOWS PEOPLE TO, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVE TO USE THEM AS
INTERMEDIARIES, AND THE CONGRESSMAN ADVANCED THIS
LEGISLATION, AND HE CALLS IT THE TAXPAYER FIRST ACT AND A
BIG COINCIDENCE, HE'S ACCEPTED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
FROM THE OWNER OF TURBO TAX AND ALSO FROM H&R BLOCK OVER
THE YEARS, THERE'S NO REASON TO DO THIS.
WHY WOULD YOU PROHIBIT THE I.R.S.
FROM OFFERING A SYSTEM THAT MAKES TAX PAYING EASIER
FOR ALL OF US, UNLESS, IF THIS IS PAY FOR PLAY POLITICS.
ONCE AGAIN, THE CONGRESSMAN WANTS TO DODGE THESE
QUESTIONS.
HE WANTS TO SAY THAT THIS IS ABOUT POLITICS, IT'S NOT ABOUT
POLITICS, IT'S ABOUT A DEMOCRACY AND IT'S ABOUT OUR
DEMOCRACY AND OUR SEAT.
>> AGAIN, THE CONGRESSMAN HAS SAID THERE'S NOTHING WRONG
WITH THE WAY HE FUNDRAISES, HE DOES SO LEGALLY.
JACK CONNOR WROTE AN ON-ED PUBLISHED A FEW WEEKS AFTER
YOURS IN THE BOSTON GLOBE AND SAID, IN ADDITION TO ADHERING
TO THE SPIRIT AND LETTER OF THE LAW, CONGRESS NONE NEAL
HAS COMPLIED WITH CUSTOMARY PRACTICES AS WELL.
SO DEFENDING THE CONGRESSMAN THERE.
>> THIS IS PAY FOR PLAY POLITICS AT ITS MOST
NAUSEATING, AND AMERICANS ARE FED UP WITH IT.
THIS IS ONLY LEGAL BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE RICHARD NEAL MAKE
THE LAWS, AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE GREAT EXAMPLES OF HOW
SOMETIMES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHAT'S LEGAL IS ACTUALLY
GROCER THAN WHAT'S -- GROSSER THAN WHAT'S AGAINST THE LAW.
>> ONE OF THE ENTITIES YOU WRITE FOR HAS ADVOCATED FOR A
VARIETY OF BILLS, DO YOU THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE CHANGE IN
THE WAY MONEY IS RAISED IN POLITICS?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHAT THE CONGRESSMAN DOES, HE'S BEEN TRAVELING THE
COUNTRY, RAISING MONEY FROM ALL OF THESE INTERESTS AND
DOES THEIR BIDDING ON CAPITOL HILL.
>> SPECIFICALLY IN THE ELECTIONS PROCESS, WHAT WOULD
YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WAY MONEY IS CURRENTLY RAISED?
>> WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET ALL OF THIS MONEY OUT OF
OUR POLITICS, WE DO NOT NEED TWO-YEAR CAMPAIGNS, PEOPLE DO
NOT NEED TO RAISE $3 MILLION TO RUN FOR A SEAT HERE IN
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT HAS NOT HAD A MAJOR PARTY
CHALLENGER IN YEARS.
THERE'S NO REASON TO RAISE THIS KIND OF MONEY UNLESS, IF
YOU ARE GETTING SOMETHING IN RETURN FOR IT.
>> I THINK I SUSPECT I WOULD HEAR THE CONGRESSMAN OR JACK
CONNOR SAY, THE REASON HE'S IS RAG THIS MONEY, HE'S
SUPPORTING DEMOCRATS AND OTHER CANDIDATES IN OTHER
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, SUPPORTING CANDIDATES THAT
CAN'T RAISE THIS KIND OF MONEY, THAT DON'T HAVE THE
CLOUT IN CONGRESS.
>> WHAT JACK CONNORS DIDN'T MENTION IN THAT PIECE
ANYWHERE, THE CONGRESSMAN SWAMPED HIS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
CHALLENGE OPPONENT IN THE LAST ELECTION BY SPENDING
$3.3 MILLION AGAINST THE 135,000 THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO
RAISE.
HE WAS NOT GIVING THAT MONEY TO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
AND I IMAGINE THAT IT WOULD BE RATHER INSULTINGS TO A LOT OF
THOSE FIRST-TIME CANDIDATES AND WOMEN WHO WERE RUNNING
AROUND THE COUNTRY TO HEAR THAT IT WAS RICHARD NEAL WHO
ACTUALLY FLIPPED CONGRESS, THANKS TO ALL OF HIS STAYS AT
THE RITZ CARLTON.
>> YOU'RE SAYING THAT JACK CONNOR IS LYING WHEN HE SAYS
THAT THE CONGRESSMAN GAVE TO THE DCCC, GAVE TO ALL THESE
BLACK AND LATINO CANDIDATES?
>> I'M NOT SAYING HE IS LYING, I'M SURE THERE'S A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF MONEY HE DID GIVE, I'M SAYING WHAT HE IS NOT
MENTIONING ANYWHERE IS THAT THE CONGRESSMAN SPENT FIVE
TIMES WHAT HE GAVE TO THE DNC ON HIMSELF AND HIS OWN
CAMPAIGN.
THAT'S WHAT HE IS DOING HERE, HELPING HIMSELF.