$$$...Who OWNS your candidate?...$$$

[bvar22]

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=H01

Does anyone suffer from the delusion that this obscene amount of legalized bribery will NOT affect policy?

When push comes to shove, will your candidate speak for YOU, or the CEOS of these $Billion Dollar$ industries?

Do these GIANTS expect a return on their investment?



"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[Bitwit1234]

1. I think Oprah OWNS Obama she is having his nose fitted for the ring.

[bvar22]

7. The Hillary vs Obama hype would be amusing...

...if it wasn't so scary. :scared:

On Policy and Issues, there is very little difference between them, yet the Media hype (and DU participants) has sucked up most the oxygen. There is little visibility for debates on critical issues with all the smoke in the air about "So and so started it first nanner..nanner...naner".

The Media would like to frame this as Obama or Hillary are the only ones in the race.

[cali]

8. I think your comments are consistently deeply offensive

congratulations on not disppointing again.

[havocmom]

2. Thanks for posting

Got popcorn? ;)

[Fridays Child]

3. Might as well give it up for Hillary, then. Money is the only thing that matters.

[Eurobabe]

4. Interesting

My guy is pretty much low on the totem pole.

I'm going with Biden. :hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

16. Me too, 48...

I think his position on all of these graphs is very telling.

[Eurobabe]

60. Hey Blue!

It took me a long time to make up my mind about who to support. I really never thought I would support Biden, but his performances in the debates have been excellent. Is he perfect? No, none of them are, but in my mind, I think Biden would make a good President.

And he's got a sense of humor, he can laugh at himself. Some of the others are hard pressed to crack a smile when someone criticizes them:

Wanted: President who can be humble and self-deprecate. Joe fits my bill. :hi:

[CrispyQ]

71. Yeah,

For all the bitching DU does about Biden being owned by the banks, :eyes:

[K Gardner]

5. Thanks for putting all this stuff on the same page..

I was getting cross-eyed trying to do the drop down menus on the site to compare !

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Thanks for posting these graphics, bvar

And really...those are scary as hell!
Its a Who's Who of Electability via those already in control of so many aspects of our lives.
It all makes for a frightening future view to the ultimate demise of democracy.

Democracy is fragile: Those in the corporate world know this, and have been allowed to scoop it up and eat it for breakfast. :(

[Maven]

9. Obama is #2!

That means he's at least--what?--5% less friendly to industry than Clinton?

[Egnever]

57. oops mispost

please ignore

[Robert Oak]

10. THANK YOU!

This graph, not anything else should determine people's votes. We have a government being run and bought by corporate lobbyists and special interests and this one shows the truth of the situation.

Awesome, recommended.

[JackintheGreen]

15. Do you *want* to vote for a republican crazy?

Because that's who's at the bottom of all of the lists. Thus, by the prevailing logic, they are less "owned" than the leading Dems. I'm more anxious to learned who is pwned by whom.

[Robert Oak]

61. open secrets

is non-partisan, highly respected and that's the reference. It doesn't make me happy either but one needs to face facts here.

[ThomWV]

11. It refreshes my leaning toward Biden

[stlsaxman]

81. Telling totals: Biden- $2,916,000 Clinton- 19,279,000

with ten times the money is being spent on HRC it's no wonder no one has heard of Biden.

[MethuenProgressive]

12. K&R

:kick:
Thanks for the info!

[asdjrocky]

13. No one owns my candidate!

Late at night, Edwards hears the
cries and whimpers of Corporate America.

[Whisp]

23. lots are still crying and whimpering in pain over his Iraq war vote. nt

[Hieronymus]

30. At least Edwards has apologized for that vote .. when will Hillary apologize?

[cali]

32. So what?

apologize, not apologize. It doesn't make a difference to the thousands of Americans dead or the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead, and I doubt very much it makes any difference to the 4 million Iraqi refugees either. Furthermore, it took him years to get there. Edwards hands are just as bloody as any of them who voted for it.

[bobbolink]

36. Right on cue.

[cali]

37. not just lame. very lame.

But it's understandable. You know everything I wrote is true- even if you don't have the courage to admit it.

[ChiciB1]

75. Yes, Fully Expected... I Got Your Message "bobbolink!" n/t

[Whisp]

44. cripes, I can't believe I am agreeing with you, cali.

I just don't know where you stand and with whom, you flotsam all about.
but I will take this post of yours at face value.

[Whisp]

35. apolgizing for contribution to mass murder is so much easier

than apolgizing for a single crime that the pleebs do.
I find that very very odd.

[maxanne]

69. which votes

HASN'T he had to apologize for?

[cali]

31. sorry, lawyers and law firms have given a boatload to Edwards

And it's about percentage of the total they've collected too. It looks like a significant chunk of his money comes from the legal world. You don't think they want something too?

[Snotcicles]

33. Yeah,

Justice. And they'll get fair judges to work with if Edwards is elected.

[cali]

34. LOL!

I don't have any dislike of lawyers- I have too many lawyer friends, but I'm not so naive as to think that lawyers are looking for justice. They are as avaricious a group as any corporatists, by and large.

[Snotcicles]

47. Eight more years of republican control and it all becomes moot. nt

[ihavenobias]

53. Elaborate Please

Are you more scared of lawyers getting their way or of pressure and influence from the defense, insurance and pharmaceutical/health care industries?

If we had publicly funded elections we wouldn't be having this sad discussion, as we'd have a BUNCH of non-special interest funded candidates who would also be *viable* (i.e. stand a chance to be elected).

But since we don't, I'll choose a candidate who both stands a chance to win *and* is far less influenced by the more dangerous (IMO) special interest groups relative to some of the others.

BTW, I'm glad the democrats (weakly) addressed the issue of politicians going to work as lobbyists by extending the waiting period to 2 years (up from 1) if I remember right.

We need more of these types of laws, and again, publicly funded elections.

Hell, wouldn't you think democrats, republicans, independents and even those who are generally apathetic cynics (the worst group of all IMO) could come together to make a huge push for publicly funded elections and strict conflict of interest/media de-consolidation laws?

We *all* stand to gain an enormous amount from it, regardless of our political differences.

[bvar22]

38. In all fairness,

I have a better chance of a Trial Lawyer speaking for me than a lobbyist from the Pharm Industry.
Many Trial Lawyers make their considerable fortunes speaking for the little guy.

[goodgd_yall]

51. Exactly!

I have no problem with those contributions. Obama has a fair amount from trial lawyers as well. THey are shown as his top contibutors.

[amandabeech]

42. He gets money from other trial lawyers.

They're the ones who sue the folks on the other scales there. Edwards is one of them and he doesn't get lots of money from the folks he sued.
This has been brought up to you so many times, but it seems that you can't tell the difference between and plaintiff's lawyer and a defense lawyer to save your life.

If you ever get asbestosis, mesothelioma or berylliosis, I hope that can tell the difference.

Notice the big, big bucks he gets from those hedge fund folks, too.

[waiting for hope]

43. It's a broken record on

that score, so even trying to set any record set is a waste of time. Just expect s/he to show up and complain about Edwards every chance given.

[amandabeech]

45. Yes, I'm getting awfully tired of this person.

He or she doesn't really add a lot and doesn't ever seem to read and think about what others post.

I'm a lawyer, albeit a poor one in both senses of the word, but successful plaintiff's trial lawyers like Edwards make huge numbers of enemies in the corporate world.

That excursion in the hedge fund doesn't seem to have warmed Wall Street up to John.

I knew a few Wall Street types when I practiced in New York many years ago. They can tell when you're really not one of them.

I was invited to spend the weekend in a beach house in the Hamptons at the eastern end of Long Island. It was a yuppie weekend heaven back then. On Friday evening during drinks, one of the other guests started talking about the horror that some investment bankers had been caught doing cocaine in the bathroom at work. This poor individual was HORRIFIED! The finance system would seize up! I said that I thought that things would be just fine even if a couple of young men had a meltdown. Everyone turned to me with their mouths gaping open. I was never invited back.

I just wonder whether John had a few moments like that and decided that this just wasn't for him or good for the American people.

[penguin7]

54. I have a big problem with lawyers making big chunks from asbestosis, mesothelioma or berylliosis

I certainly think that the people stricken here need help. I do not see how the take by the lawyer helps at all. If terrible misfortune strikes someone, they only get help if they can blame someone. What type of crappy system is that?

[amandabeech]

80. It's the crappy one that we have now.

A few lawyers got lucky and got really rich.

Most lawyers who do this do not get really rich. Being a trial lawyer is a rough business. These lawyers absorb all costs of the cases that they take. Everything. Experts, depositions, court costs. The folks who win end up paying for the folks who lose, actually. The only way to change the system would be for everyone to have litigation insurance. Defense attorneys, by the way, bill by the hour. The bills are staggering and almost no individual could afford to sue any corporation if they had to pay by the hour.

I think that there could be some negotiated lawyer's fees in class actions in which luck is a big factor.

On the other hand, the settlements that have been negotiated with the defendants in these cases absent lawsuits, have been pathetic, and it's not because of the lawyers, it's because the corporation who sued just don't want to pay for the damage that they cause.

If you can think of a better situation, you let me know.

By the by, the Republicans have been very successful in limiting punitive damage awards given to plaintiffs hurt by corporate misdeeds. This limitation has really cut down on the amount that plaintiffs lawyers can make by taking cases. If there's no big payoff, the plaintiffs' lawyers can't finance a lot of additional suits that they are less likely to win, thus lowering the number of suits that corrupt corporations must defend.

Or perhaps you didn't know about that.

[Hieronymus]

59. According to Open Secrets:

Contributions from Lawyers/Law Firms:

Hillary: $9,596,748.
Edwards: $8,161,150.
Obama: $7,940,424.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. reenforces my support of Kucinich n/t

[riqster]

21. What she said. nt

[reggie the dog]

39. mine too

[murray hill farm]

17. Thanks for posting this info.

And recommended.

[asdjrocky]

18. K&R-

Everyone should see this. Well done.

[Kucinich4America]

19. Who "owns" my candidate?

^^^^^^^^
She does. And he's one lucky man. As well as the best candidate for President.

[asdjrocky]

20. So you're saying..

DK is her most prized possession?

[Kucinich4America]

25. You will notice I put "owns" in quotations

So I don't literally view it as ownership. But I'm sure Dennis would agree that it would be better to be owned by a beautiful wife than by some ugly ass corporations :)

[asdjrocky]

64. lol, yeah, I wouldn't mind it either

I wasn't cracking wise on you, I was referring to the Thompson quote.

[FtWayneBlue]

24. I agree

although I wouldn't say she "owns" him, I would say that they belong to each other.

[seasat]

22. What's really telling is to take these contributions as a percent of the total recieved

The sector contribution as a percentage of the total received by each candidate demonstrates how much influence these groups have with them. Some of the higher totals are simply because that candidate is a front runner and donors are betting on the winner. Some of the lower tier candidates have received an enormous percentage of their funds from these groups. That's one of the reason's I've never placed Chris Dodd near the top of my list. He and Clinton both have received over $900,000 from hedge funds. However it is only about 1% of her total and is 7% of his.

[jillan]

26. I am a mathematical moron - how do you figure that out?

The %'s?

[seasat]

27. I divide the sector total by the total raised times 100

This link in my post has the total raised by each candidate in the third column. I took the totals from each graph in the OP and divided them by it and rounded to the nearest whole number. Taking the total donations by insurance company employees for Dodd, $713,012.00, and dividing it by his total campaign receipts of $13,598,152.00, I get 0.0524. Multiplying it by 100 and rounding the result, I get 5%.

[jillan]

28. haha - I just bookmarked your post.

I wanna play around with this a little when I have some time.

Thank you!

[goodgd_yall]

50. That is useful information

I was thinking that I'd like to see the donations in percentages to get more meaning from the data.

[Hieronymus]

29. Open Secrets is a great resource .. thanks for posting these contributions.

[Radical Activist]

40. Obama has the most donations from small donors.

The most small donors and the most money collected in small amounts. Does that mean Obama is owned by the average person more than any other candidate?

[goodgd_yall]

49. THat's not correct if you are using the Open Secrets data

According to their data (and it's quite old---Oct. 29, 2007)the candidate with the most contributions under $200 is Kucinich and followed by Gravel, Edwards, Obama, Clinton, Biden and Dodd, in that order.

[Egnever]

56. Where did you find that info?

Everything I see on that site says their data comes from donors giving more than $200

[goodgd_yall]

63. On the left, click on Donor Demographics

That brings you to a bar graph. In the drop down menu, choose percent of donors of $200 or less.

[Radical Activist]

76. Percentage is not most.

Obama has the most total money from small donors. More people gave small donations to Obama than Kucinich by far, which reflects that Obama has more popular support.

[goodgd_yall]

79. Fine, whatever supports your favorite candidate n/t

[Radical Activist]

82. Yes, truth and reality support my canddiate.

You're the one who had to switch to talking about percentages to make Kucinich look good. All that says is that Kucinich is a poor fundraiser and expects the net-roots to compensate for his lackluster effort of attracting large donors.

[superkia]

41. Feels good to know the one I support had less than $50K from...

them all together. Makes me feel like I am not being duped by the media and I am voting with my conscience and on the issues that are major to the American people, not on what the media and politicians tell me is important but what reality tells me is important. Ahhh the feeling of not being a sheep, so wonderful.

[flvegan]

46. No wonder Kucinich is so broke.

He's not a fucking sell out.

Still voting DK. Proudly.

[slipslidingaway]

48. Thanks for posting these all on one page :) K&R n/t

[goodgd_yall]

52. CAVEAT: This data hasn't been updated since Oct. 29, 2007 n/t

[Triana]

55. Their positions in the "polls" are directly proportional to the amount of $

...they get from lobbyists and industry.

1. Clinton
2. Obama
3. Edwards

Odd that, eh? Pfft!

[Egnever]

58. This is somewhat misleading

It cant be taken at face value. These are not necessarily contributions directly from those industries.

METHODOLOGY: The totals on these charts are calculated from PAC contributions and contributions from individuals giving more than $200, as reported to the Federal Election Commission. Individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, although individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors if they've given more than $200 to an ideological PAC.

[goodgd_yall]

62. Which explains $2000 from Exxon to Gravel

I'm certain EXXON the corporation wouldn't spend one penny on Gravel.

[rAVES]

65. Thats disgraceful.. *eyes the lobbyists* Real Americans!

[OhioChick]

66. HRC is at the top of nearly each....

speaks volumes.

[Andy823]

74. Yep

We know who she will be supporting if she wins, and it isn't the American people, that's for sure!

[Laelth]

67. Makes me proud to be supporting Edwards.

Michael Moore's Sicko demonstrates how Hillary has taken a lot of money from the insurance industry, suggesting she's been bought out. A lot has changed since 1993 when she lead the President's task force on health care. Most of that change has been bad (for Hillary and the rest of us). Edwards is a lawyer, and lawyers are his biggest contributors. I just wish Edwards would get on the single-payer, socialized medicine bandwagon.

Not a single country that has adopted socialized medicine has ever abolished it. Why? Because it works, and the people love it. What's so hard to understand about that? Why is it when the right wing lies about everything else, some people still believe that they're telling the truth about socialized medicine. See Sicko, if you haven't already.

:dem:

-Laelth

[MsMagnificent]

68. Shocking, but educational

(Love to know who owns certain Senators & Congresspeople, those who aren't running for President. I never could figure out how/why Schumer is so imbedded in NY)


A good voting guide would be to flip those columns upside down and vote accordingly.


As for the question "Do these GIANTS expect a return on their investment?"
well... is it their habit to spend money, esp. so much money, with no eye on or expectations of return or profit?

I think not.

[Andy823]

78. I think we all know

What they want in return, although some seem to make light of where the money comes from, as if it means nothing! :eyes:

[Sparkly]

70. If I may be so bold...

Contributions don't necessarily indicate something sinister about their recipients; rather, they track the likelihood that the recipient may win, their position on committees, etc.

[Tashca]

72. good poster

I think this would make a good poster for public financing. I would like to see this posted again after the November election.....I'm afraid I know the conclusions.
Everyone would like to think content matters, but in the end....it's money...

[havocmom]

73. Kick

because it is damned pertinent.

[ChiciB1]

77. Great POST!! It Sure Shines A Bright Light & It Would Be Nice If THIS

could be made into a T-Shirt or Poster for all to see! I'm printing it out anyway!

Hillary Clinton is FIRST in every category except one, and the other one is a total SHOCK!

[asdjrocky]

83. k