(POP!) What was THAT?
THAT was the sound of Corporate America's muzzle slipping off of the right breast and reaching out toward the left. Corporate America is already thinking beyond Election Day, increasing its share of last-minute donations to Democratic candidates and quietly devising strategies for how to work with Democrats if they win control of Congress.
The shift in political giving, for the first 18 days of October, has not been this pronounced in the final stages of a campaign since the Republican Revolution of 1994, when Republicans swept control of the House after 40 years in the desert. An analysis of 288 corporate PACS found at least 65 had increased their ratio of contributions to Democrats by at least 15%, including Sprint, UPS and Hewlett-Packard. “A lot will hold their powder for now,” said Brian Wolff, of the DCCC. “But after the election, we'll have a lot of new friends.”
Indeed, even Wal-Mart is building a bridge to Democrats, albeit a very slow-paced effort. “We have a two-year strategy to build up relationships with Democrats,” said Lee Culpepper,VP for federal government relations at Wal-Mart. “This wasn’t something that we decided in August that we needed to do and we ran out helter-skelter to try to do it.”
“The real story of the 2006 contributions is what happens in the early phase of 2007, with a change in party control,” said Bernadette A. Budde, Senior VP of the Business-Industry PAC. “There will be proverbial meet-and-greets all over town so we will have a sense of who these people are.”
Many of these meet-and-greet sessions will have a dual purpose: political action committees will offer contributions to help candidates wipe away debt their campaigns accrued during the race. Let us hope that newly elected progressives will follow the Sunlight Network's guidelines and avoid any K Street temptations. I have faith that they will, but they will do well to never forgot the lessons of the last 12 years.
posted by John Good @ 9:09 PM
10 Comments:
i so hope you are right that the Dems can stay clean. But money dirties what it touches in such large amounts. I hope the corporate agenda is not continued.
I think this should show all of you what is wrong with our current system...
Corporate America donates to the party in power so they get legislation that is favorable to them...
Mike - No argument here! In fact, I was attempting to highlight that very point. And hope that the new freshmen Congress has learned from the past. We shall see. . .
I doubt it. The Corporate shills are the Leaders of the parties. Newbies don't get Committee assignments that matter.
No question in my mind. Unfortunately Public Funded Elections are the only answer. That, and taking Person hood from Companies.
Peace.
Whoa...I must still be sound asleep. For the first time EVER (I think), I'm in complete agreement with Human.
The whole concept really continues to make the case for term limits, no?
Term limits are great! Let's make sure we enforce them locally next Tuesday!!
Nancy Pelosi is a strong supporter of public financing of elections - there will be plenty of pressure for her to push this after the Democrats take the House. I don't think it can pass in the near future but it should be publicly debated on the floor...
I agree with human, corporations need to be relieved of their personhood, after all, they don't behave as regular people with a conscience do.
You know, I hate to rain on anyones parade but since the beginning of mankind (long before the USA) people have been doing business with friends and relatives showing favoritism for like beliefs and rewarding those with whom they agree. Sometimes called bribery, other times referred to as nepotism, other times just a favor...No offense, but I don't think you straight arrows are gonna stop the palm-greasin'any time soon on either side...
Never claimed we were "straight arrows". Indeed, I offered up my hope that the freshmen will resist this temptation once they enter congress.
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