It Ain't Just Smoke Signals Any More

Kevin provides an interesting perspective:

If its proposed 2006 budget is any indication, the Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC) is preparing to dramatically increase the amount of dollars it spends on politics and campaigns, budgeting $7.2 million for the 2006 cycle, internal tribal documents reveal.

The tribe’s executive council approved the political spending and overall budget and sent it to a meeting of the general council, which also approved it, sources within the tribe have told The Lakeland Times. The newspaper could not independently verify the general council vote by press time.

The new budget would represent a 75 percent increase over the $4 million the tribe set aside for politics, public relations and lobbying this year and dwarf the amount of money the tribe spent on campaigns in 2004 and 2002.

...


If the tribe comes anywhere close to spending its $7.2 million political budget next year, the impact could be enormous and certainly record-breaking.
Of course, not all that money would be slated for direct contributions to candidates or party committees. Substantial amounts go for independent issue ads, and much goes to political consultants.

Of the $4 million budgeted in 2004, for example, $1.377 million was budgeted for consultants, the lion’s share to Schreiber [Former Democratic Governor and Tribal Political Consultant Martin Schreiber] . The tribe also budgeted $260,000 for media and public relations, $620,000 for lobbying, $900,000 for compact litigation, $375,000 for a line item called intergovernment agreement, and $490,000 for direct contributions to candidates.

Offhand, I'd say Marty Schreiber won't have to worry about his retirement, nor will the Tribe's lawyers.

Nor BagManJimbo Doyle, who will certainly get a few helping hands...