As a follow up to Scott Brown’s plan to place himself on bestseller lists bulk purchase his own book, Dan Winslow got his response from the FEC (pdf).
The Committee’s proposal to use campaign funds to purchase copies of the book from the book’s publisher at the fair market price, and to have the publisher donate to charity Senator Brown’s royalties from sales of the book to the Committee, is permissible.
Impressive, use campaign funds to buy your own book, give them away and artificially increase your stature. The FEC also approved Brown to be able to promote his book on his website and social media sites.
But HarperCollins was footing the bill for his book tour. Key word here: was. The FEC noted that Brown could not host fundraisers where the publisher is paying for travel costs.
The Commission could not approve a response on whether Senator Brown may host fundraising events in cities where the publisher pays his travel costs to promote the book, or whether the Committee may collect e-mail addresses of people who attend the Senator’s book signing and promotional events for the purpose of soliciting contributions in the future.
I would like to see where this goes now that his publisher cannot provide him free travel for fundraising events. But more importantly, if he uses his campaign account the information is public. He cannot put on his barn jacket and hide behind HarperCollins to travel in luxurious hotels and private aircraft. Looks like poor Scotty needs to keep up appearances and schlep on commercial like the rest of us.
Discuss
8 Comments . Comments are closed.More likely scenario
I am aware of an event next week where Brown will be signing books - ones you bring, and ones will be avilable there (this is a restaurant, not a book store). It's local, and HarperCollins wouldn't have to pay travel. I would guess that a quantity of the campaign purchased books are the ones that will be available.
BTW - he's not Nancy Pelosi. No likelihood of private aircraft.
Hmmm....
I wonder where the Republican outrage will be when John Boehner's travel becomes public....
As I ...
he is doing a local one, but this is was written by Winslow so that Brown could fund raise on the road.
Winslow specifically stated in his letter that the book are given to supporters signed and unsigned as thank you gifts. These are giveaways, as noted thousands of them. Nowhere in the letter states that they will be in lieu of bookstore sales. This is strictly a giveaway that counts as thousands of sales.
You mean there's a chance I'll get the book for free? COOL!
Yesiree ....
Isn't it great that you can use campaign funds and buy thousands of your own book, put it on best seller lists and give them to supporters or leave them in boxes in your committee headquarters, whatever? right?
If anyone finds out that he's giving books away...
let us know where. I'll gladly go pick up a signed copy for my bookshelf. I doubt I'll read it, and I certainly won't hand it off to somebody else afterwards, but I'm happy to put it next to my signed copies of books by Madeline Albright, Al Gore, George Mitchell, and others...
I suspect that you might have to give the maximum
allowable donation to his campaign to get a "free" signed copy. So, "giving away" has a slightly different meaning.
Rupert Murdoch owns HarperCollins
Company profile, should of caught that earlier.
Going Rouge, yes, HarperCollins.
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