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The Scandal That Could Blow Up Rand Paul’s Machine

Mother Jones

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Illustration by Mark Hammermeister

On December 26, 2011, a week before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, an influential Republican state senator named Kent Sorenson and his wife, Shawnee, arrived at a steak house in Altoona, a suburb of Des Moines. A goateed Mr. Clean look-alike, Sorenson was a hot commodity. His deep ties to the state’s evangelical leaders and home-schooling activists made his endorsement highly sought after by GOP presidential hopefuls, particularly the second-tier contenders who had staked their campaigns on a strong Iowa showing. Sorenson had picked his horse early, signing on as Michele Bachmann’s Iowa chairman in June 2011—a coup for the Minnesota congresswoman’s upstart campaign.

Joining the Sorensons was a bespectacled political operative named Dimitri Kesari, the deputy campaign manager of Rep. Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential bid. As caucus day neared, Ron Paul’s campaign was surging in the polls but needed a late boost if he wanted to meet his goal of finishing in the top three.

That’s where Sorenson came in.

When the state senator left to use the restroom, Kesari produced a $25,000 check—drawn from the account of Designer Goldsmiths, a jewelry store run by his wife—and gave it to Shawnee Sorenson. Two days later, Kent Sorenson left a Bachmann campaign event, drove straight to a Ron Paul rally, and declared that he had defected.

As it turned out, Paul’s inner circle had been secretly negotiating for months to lure Sorenson away from the Bachmann campaign. In an October memo to Paul campaign manager John Tate, a Sorenson ally outlined the state senator’s demands, which included an $8,000-a-month payment for nearly a year, another $5,000-a-month check for a colleague of Sorenson’s, and a $100,000 donation to Sorenson’s political action committee. The memo explained that these payments would not only secure Sorenson’s support in the near term but also help to “build a major state-based movement that will involve far more people into a future Rand Paul presidential run.” Kesari’s $25,000 check, in other words, amounted to more than a down payment on an endorsement for Ron Paul; it was an investment in Rand Paul 2016.

The Kentucky senator officially declared his candidacy on Tuesday. With the 2016 Iowa caucuses nine months away, this scheme could become a liability for the latest Paul presidential enterprise. The Sorenson deal exploded into public view in 2013, thanks to a pair of whistleblowers from the Ron Paul and Bachmann campaigns, and the episode now hangs over Rand Paul and his inner circle like a dark cloud.

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The Scandal That Could Blow Up Rand Paul’s Machine

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Brand Creates Fashionable Footwear from Uncommon Materials

Created by three friends who were influential in some of the most successful fashion footwear brands, such as Converse, Puma and Fila, Unstitched Utilities blends style and sustainability in a way that’s truly tough to beat. Earth911 sat down with co-founder and lead designer Kevin Crowley to learn more about how it all started for Unstitched Utilities and what the innovative upcycled brand plans to do next.

Made from recycled and recyclable materials, each pair of Unstitched Utilities shoes is a one-of-a-kind marriage of style and sustainability. Photo: Unstitched Utilities

An inside look at Unstitched Utilities

Unstitched Utilities was founded by former Converse designer Kevin Crowley, longtime Puma president Jack Steinweis and former Shane and Shawn sales manager Mark Kane and  brings upcycled materials and time-honored fashion trends together in a truly show-stopping way.

After spending years working with some of the most successful fashion footwear brands, the three friends say they were tired of big-time corporations holding them back from doing what they felt was right, so they decided to set out on their own.

Starting with Tyvek material, a recyclable thermoplastic, the partners launched Unstitched Utilities in 2009. The vegan-friendly line has since expanded to include innovative materials such as upcycled rice bags, biodegradable fabrics and material made from recycled magazine and newspaper pages.

Don’t Miss: 10 Awesome Upcycled Products from Ethical Ocean

Evolving from a pipedream into an emerging fashion sensation, Unstitched Utilities has come a long way in a few short years. But lead designer Kevin Crowley has his sights set on something even better – a 100 percent recyclable, cradle-to-cradle shoe.

“It would be great if we could make a shoe that would go 360 rather than go back into the landfill,” Crowley tells Earth911. “I’d love a cradle-to-cradle shoe…but that’s something we’re still working on now.”

While the idea is still in the early planning stages, Crowley describes his closed loop shoe concept as similar to the neon colored jelly sandals common on grade-school playgrounds. These old-school kicks are made with injection molds, meaning they can be created with only one material for easy recyclability.

Other concepts he’s considering include attaching decorative elements with chain-stitching (similar to the closures on pet food bags), so one component of the shoe can be removed and recycled before tossing the rest.

“Maybe the whole shoe can’t [be recycled] right off the bat,” Crowley says. “We’re trying to adapt to existing equipment, materials and machinery, but the idea would be that something is better than nothing.”

You Asked, Earth911 Answered: What Does ‘Close the Loop’ Really Mean?

Incorporating material made from recycled magazine pages, these street-fashion kicks are one of Unstitched Utilities’ top sellers. Photo: Unstitched Utilities

While pursuing his dreams of a cradle-to-cradle shoe, Crowley is steadily expanding the portfolio of upcycled and eco-friendly materials in the Unstitched Utilities line. Keeping his eyes peeled for the next big innovation, the designer dutifully attends trade and materials shows across the U.S. – examining everything from air conditioning ductworks to gardening materials to see if they could be put to use in a shoe.

“We’re trying to take creativity and fashion and hook it up to an environmental need,” Crowley explains.

Some of the brand’s most popular designs incorporate a cutting-edge material made from recycled magazines and newsprint. With an eye-catching look and an eco-friendly feel, Crowley says the company’s recycled magazine kicks practically fly off store shelves.

“The material from a fashion point is just drop dead gorgeous,” Crowley said of Unstitched Utilities’ magazine shoes. “They’re really high fashion. Everybody loves those shoes.”

More Uncommon Style: PHOTOS: Street Fashion Made From Old Umbrellas

The trio has plans to expand their line to include accessories like jewelry, backpacks and hats, as well as launch a boutique collection made from upcycled thrift store sweaters.

“I don’t think you do this sustainability thing in one swat, in any product or brand,” Crowley says. “It’s a balancing act you’re doing all the time, but we’re doing better today than we were three years ago.”

For more information on Unstitched Utilities, check out the brand’s website or pick up a pair of their sweet upcycled kicks at the company’s web store or one of our favorite online sellers, Ethical Ocean.

Want to score a pair for free? Ethical Ocean is giving away a bunch of awesome upcycled products right now, including a pair of sneaks from Unstitched Utilities. Click here to enter!

Homepage Image: Unstitched Utilities

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Brand Creates Fashionable Footwear from Uncommon Materials

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