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My Articles

Jim McElhatton, "Obama Tried To Nab Earmarks For Fundraiser," The Washington Times, 9/11/08

John Fout, Op-Ed, "Barack Obama Has A Fund-Raising Dilemma," TheStreet.com, 8/16/07

Joe Barrett, "Planetarium Project: Pork Or Imperative?" The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, 10/8/08

Frank Clark
Who Am I?

"Frank Clark, 63, Is The Chairman And Chief Executive Officer Of ComEd, Which Provides Service To Approximately 3.8 Million Customers Across Illinois, Or 70 Percent Of The State's Population. Clark Also Serves On The ComEd Board Of Directors. ComEd Is The Largest Electric Utility In Illinois And A Unit Of Chicago-Based Exelon Corporation." (Exelon Corporation Web Site, www.exeloncorp.com, Accessed 10/9/08) 

In 2000, Clark Was Listed As A Registered Federal Lobbyist For Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Subsidiary, On Nuclear Energy Issues. (U.S. Senate Office Of Public Records Web Site, sopr.senate.gov, Accessed 10/9/08)

  • "Frank Clark, Chairman Of Commonwealth Edison, Helped Lead A $2.2 Million Congressional Lobbying Effort On Nuclear Research And Waste Disposal In 2000, According To A Report Under His Name Filed With The Senate." (Alexander Bolton, "Sen. Obama Finesses His Lobbyist Ties," The Hill, 4/20/07)
  • "[Clark] Played An Important Part Trying To Persuade State Lawmakers To Deregulate The Energy Industry In Illinois." (Alexander Bolton, "Sen. Obama Finesses His Lobbyist Ties," The Hill, 4/20/07)

"Ten Years Ago, As Illinois Grappled With The Task Of Creating Competition In The Electricity Market, No One Did More Than Commonwealth Edison's Chief Lobbyist, Frank Clark, To Establish The Legal Ground Rules By Forging The Compromises Necessary To Win Legislative Approval." (Mary Wisniewski, "ComEd's Clark Thoroughly Grounded In His Field," Chicago Sun-Times, 2/28/05)

  • "The Senate Approved The Ameren Portion Of The Freeze, And Would Have Also Included ComEd If Not For Some Trickery By Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago). Jones Is An Opponent Of The Freeze Whose Ties To ComEd -- It Has A Contract With His Stepson And Its Officials Raised Money For Him -- Have Prompted Some Critics To Question His Motives, But We Don't." (Editorial, "Power Rate Rollback Would Be A Mistake," Chicago Sun-Times, 5/10/07)

"ASK's Workload Picked Up In 2005, As The Exelon Subsidiary Was Nearing The End Of A 10-Year Rate Freeze And Preparing To Ask State Regulators For Higher Electricity Prices. Based On ASK's Advice, ComEd Formed Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity (CORE) To Win Support." (Howard Wolinsky, "The Secret Side Of David Axelrod," Business Week, 3/14/08)

  • "Obama's Top Political Strategist, David Axelrod, Co-Owns The Firm, ASK Public Strategies…" (Tim Novak and Chris Fusco, "U. of C. Shunning Poor Patients?" Chicago Sun-Times, 8/23/08)
  • "One TV Commercial, Penned By ASK, Warned Of A ComEd Bankruptcy And Blackouts Without A Rate Hike…" (Howard Wolinsky, "The Secret Side Of David Axelrod," Business Week, 3/14/08)
  • "CORE, Which Describes Itself On Its Web Site As 'A Coalition Of Individuals, Businesses And Organizations,' Was Identified As The Ad's Sponsor. After A Complaint Was Filed With State Regulators, ComEd Acknowledged That It Had Bankrolled The Entire $15 Million Effort." (Howard Wolinsky, "The Secret Side Of David Axelrod," Business Week, 3/14/08)
Facts About Me and Barack

"One Of Obama's Major Bundlers Is Frank Clark, Chief Executive Of Exelon Subsidiary Commonwealth Edison. Clark And Obama Have Been Friends Since The Mid-1990s, When Obama Was A State Senator And Clark Oversaw The Utility's Lobbying In Springfield, Ill." (Dan Morain and Maloy Moore, "Nuclear Energy Pulls A Big Switch," Los Angeles Times, 2/23/08)

"Mr. Obama Has Twice Since Fiscal 2006 Sought To Have Taxpayers Foot The Bill For A New Theater Projector And Other Equipment At The Adler Planetarium On The Lake Michigan Waterfront." (Jim McElhatton, "Obama Museum Earmarks Draw Fire," The Washington Times, 9/11/08)

  • "Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama Tried To Direct More Than $3 Million In Taxpayer Funds To A Chicago Museum [Adler Planetarium] Whose Chairman Is One Of The Illinois Senator's Largest Campaign Fundraisers." (Jim McElhatton, "Obama Museum Earmarks Draw Fire," The Washington Times, 9/11/08)
  • "Clark . . . Was The Adler's Board Chairman From May 2005 to May 2008. On The Obama Web Site, Clark Is Listed As Having Raised $200,000 To $500,000 For Obama's Campaign." (William Mullen and James Janega, "Adler Device Not Just 'Overhead Projector,'" Chicago Tribune, 10/9/08)
  • At The End Of 2006, The Adler Planetarium Reported Net Assets Of Over $33 Million. (The Adler Planetarium, IRS Form 990, 2006)
  • "Moreover, The Adler Planetarium Is Represented By The Lobbying Firm National Group LLP, Co-Founded By William Oldaker, Who Helped Launch Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s Political Action Committee In 2005." (Jim McElhatton, "Obama Museum Earmarks Draw Fire," The Washington Times, 9/11/08)

"[A] Question Is How Obama's Exelon Links Might Influence His Broader Electricity Policy At The Most Critical Period For U.S. Electricity Since The 1930s. Exelon … Is One Of The Country's Biggest Megawatt Producers, The Largest Nuclear Plant Operator And A Huge Obama Backer Through Its Executives And Employees." (Jay Hancock, Op-Ed, "Obama's Exelon Ties Merit Close Look," The Baltimore Sun, 1/25/08)

  • "I Believe Obama's Bundlers Will Have Proximity To The Candidate Should He Win. For Example, One Of The Largest Corporate Donors To His Campaign Is Exelon(EXC:NYSE). Will Obama Take A Call From Frank Clark, Who Is A Bundler And Also The Top Executive At Exelon?" (John Fout, Op-Ed, "Barack Obama Has A Fund-Raising Dilemma," TheStreet.com, 8/16/07)

"Would A President Obama Try To Reform Interstate Electricity Markets That Have Soaked Consumers In Maryland And Other Deregulated States, Inadequately Invested In The Future And Unjustifiably Enriched Exelon, Constellation And Other Companies?" (Jay Hancock, Op-Ed, "Obama's Exelon Ties Merit Close Look," The Baltimore Sun, 1/25/08)

"There Are Certainly Legitimate Questions To Be Asked About [Obama's] Dealings With Senior Exelon Executives, Who Have Poured Large Sums Of Money Into His Campaign." (Michael Dobbs, "Obama's 'Backroom Deal'?" The Washington Post's "The Fact Checker" Blog, www.washingtonpost.com, 2/14/08)

My Donations and Bundling for Barack

Clark Is A Bundler For Obama's Presidential Campaign And Has Committed To Raising Between $200,000 And $500,000. (Obama For America Web Site, www.barackobama.com, Accessed 10/9/08)

Frank M. Clark, Chairman, Has Contributed At Least $13,300 To Obama's Campaigns, Including $5,000 To His Hopefund PAC, $6,000 To His Senatorial Campaign And $2,300 To Obama's Presidential Campaign. (Adler Planetarium Web Site, www.adlerplanetarium.org, Accessed 6/13/08; CQ Money Line Web Site, moneyline.cq.com, Accessed 6/12/08)

"Exelon Executives And Employees Have Given $161,000 To Obama's Presidential Bid. He's Received An Additional $86,000 Since 1998 From Exelon's Political Action Committee, Employees And Predecessor, Commonwealth Edison." (Erin Neff, Op-Ed, "Obama And Yucca," Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/15/07)

  • “Obama Got Money From The Company In His 1998 Bid For The Illinois State Senate And For His Failed 2000 Congressional Campaign. Exelon Also Donated To Obama’s PAC And His Successful 2004 U.S. Senate Bid.” (Erin Neff, Op-Ed, "Obama And Yucca," Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/15/07)

“Since 2003, Executives And Employees Of Exelon, Which Is Based In Illinois, Have Contributed At Least $227,000 To Mr. Obama’s Campaigns For The United States Senate And For President. Two Top Exelon Officials, Frank M. Clark, Executive Vice President, And John W. Rogers Jr., A Director, Are Among His Largest Fund-Raisers.” (Mike McIntire, “Nuclear Leaks And Response Tested Obama,” The New York Times, 2/3/08)

  • “One Of Obama’s Biggest Fundraising ‘Bundlers,’ Packaging Money From Multiple Individuals, Is Frank M. Clark, Chairman Of Commonwealth Edison, The Big Illinois Utility Owned By Exelon. Exelon Director John W. Rogers Jr., Chief Of Mutual Fund Company Ariel Capital Management, Also Has Given Thousands To Obama.” (Jay Hancock, Op-Ed, “Obama’s Exelon Ties Merit Close Look,” The Baltimore Sun, 1/25/08)

Exelon Corp. Employees And Executives Have Contributed More Than $230,000 To Obama’s Presidential Campaign. (Center For Responsive Politics Web Site, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 2/29/08)

What Barack Says About Me