SOURCE
December 22, 2011 "Think Progress" -- The funding
behind Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions for Winning the Future, an
independent political committee, offers an intriguing clue into the
financial deep pockets backing Gingrich’s candidacy. This week, McClatchy revealed that American Solutions footed the $8 million bill for private jet charters while Gingrich weighed whether to enter the 2008 and 2012 presidential races. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson was the biggest funder of American Solutions, contributing $7.65 million and rumored to have committed $20 million to a pro-Gingrich super PAC, a report denied
by an Adelson spokesperson. Whether the report is true or not, the
facts increasingly show that the billionaire casino magnate is a central
figure in Newt Gingrich’s political career.
Sands
Corporation CEO Sheldon Adelson is based in Las Vegas but has business
and political interests in Macau, China and Israel. In Israel, Adelson’s
importance stems from his close friendship with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and his ownership of Israel HaYom,
a free daily newspaper which supports Netanyahu’s Likud party. Back in
the U.S., Adelson sits on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition
and is outspoken about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During
the George W. Bush presidency, Adelson opposed efforts to jump start
peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and even took sides
against the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) when the organization supported peace talks. “I don’t continue
to support organizations that help friends committing suicide just
because they say they want to jump,” Adelson told the Jewish Telegraph Agency.
Gingrich, who characterized Palestinians as “terrorists” during a December 10th GOP debate and told the Jewish Channel that Palestians are an “invented” people, would seem to be mirroring the hardline positions taken by his early, and cash flush, benefactor.
“Sheldon
has always loved Newt. He stuck with him through all of this,” Fred
Zeidman, an Adelson friend and major player in the American Jewish
community who is backing Mitt Romney told The Daily Beast’s Aram Roston. “He stuck with him when he stumbled. Newt, I think, is very reflective of Sheldon’s mindset. Particularly with Israel.”
While
Adelson and Gingrich appear to share the same right-wing agenda on the
Middle East, the casino magnate’s business dealings in China have proven
a political liability for him at home. Adelson allegedly helped crush
a congressional measure by House Republicans opposing Beijing’s Olympic
bid. “The bill will never see the light day, Mr. Mayor. Don’t worry
about it,” he reportedly told Beijing’s mayor in 2001 after phoning then
House Majority Whip Tom Delay. The Sands Corporation went on to receive
a lucrative casino license from the Chinese government, permitting them
to begin a massive development in the Macau Special Administrative
Region (SAR).
Responding
to Adelson’s close dealings with the Chinese government, the Christian
Coalition of Alabama’s president, Dr. Randy Brinson denounced Adelson
for “not sharing our values.” “Where Sheldon Adelson has placed his
treasure makes it quite clear where his heart is: in gambling and
backing the regime in China that persecutes Christians,” he said.
Gingrich will face his own difficulties
in persuading Christian evangelicals troubled by his multiple marriages
and extramarital affairs to support his candidacy. But Sheldon
Adelson’s noticeable presence in the Gingrich camp may prove another
obstacle in winning over the all-important Christian-right.
