Democrats, Republicans Awash In Funds From Corporate Criminals

[Q]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 3, 2003
3:08 PM
CONTACT:  Corporate Crime Reporter
Russell Mokhiber [phone]

Democrats, Republicans Awash In Funds From Corporate Criminals, Report Finds

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0703-09.htm

WASHINGTON - July 3 - Thirty-one corporate criminals gave more than $9 million to the Democratic and Republican parties during the 2002 election cycle, according to a report released today by Corporate Crime Reporter.

Corporate criminals gave $7.2 million to Republicans (77 percent) and $2.1 million to Democrats (23 percent), the report found.

The report: Dirty Money: Corporate Criminal Donations to the Two Major Parties, was released at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

The top five corporate criminal donors, ranked by total amount of contributions to the major political parties in the 2002 election cycle are:

1. Archer Daniels Midland ($1.7 million)

2. Pfizer ($1.1 million)

3. Chevron ($875,400)

4. Northrop Grumman ($741,250)

5. American Airlines ($655,593)

The report checked the political contributions of more than 100 major companies convicted of crimes from 1990 to this year.

"The Republicans and Democrats are awash in dirty money," said Russell Mokhiber, the editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter. "They took in more than $9 million from convicted criminals. Last year, when the heat was up on WorldCom and Enron, politicians from all stripes returned campaign contributions from these two tainted entities or sent them on to charity. The parties should do the same."

The report listed the crimes of the 31 companies, and each of their contributions to the Republicans and Democrats during the 2002 election cycle.

The full report is available here.

[Pepperbelly]

1. what crimes are ...

these companies suspected of, indicted in or convicted of?

[Q]

2. The article has a link to the report...

...

[Pepperbelly]

3. I read the report ...

Thanks.

[Ardee]

4. Can anyone say campaign finance reform ?

With presidential elections requiring upwards of 100 million dollars these days it is rather understandable that politicians are consumed with funding, from the day they enter a race to the day after they win an election they seek money.

In a climate such as this is it any wonder that our government is far more responsive to those who can write the large checks than to those who contribute $25? These folks are so indebted to those large donors that their legislative lives are devoted to satisfying them rather than seeing to the needs of all americans.

That some of these donors have been convicted of crimes, or that many who have not been convicted should have been is really moot,imo.......

[beanball]

27. Free and fair elections

will come about when the$$$$$ of the crooks in the ivory towers is outlawed.

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

28. Campaign Finance Reform

I'd be happy to say it, yes, I've been saying it for many years. We need to stop allowing politicians to represent "contributers" instead of their constituents

[newyawker99]

32. Hi FrumiousBandersnatch!!

Welcome to DU!!

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

38. Thanks for the welcome :-)

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

BTW, one of my favorite quotes!

[Terwilliger]

5. GET OVER IT

didn't you hear?

That's my new mantra....

Dems are corporate ass-kissers? GET OVER IT!!

Dems won't stop an unjust war? GET OVER IT!!!!

Dems don't have the cajones to challenge Bush? GET OVER IT!!

Bush wins in 2004? GET OVER IT!!!!

[KG]

6. heh

[Ein]

7. I'm with ya KG

Can you say... "Shadow Government"

[Q]

8. Mass hysteria or hypnosis...

...I don't know what the hell is going on. Most people just don't want to talk about it.

- Corrupt government? Selling legislation? Tax cut kickbacks? Cronyism? War profiteering? Illegal invasion? Lies about WMD? 3 trillion missing from the Pentagon?

- The common denominator? The Bush* Administration.

[Terwilliger]

9. in all fairness

the common denominator is the US government

I think it's time we got them ALL out of there

[Ein]

10. Agreed

From the ground up.

I talk about aspects of it quite a bit (most often the legalized bribery called lobbying), but when I try to scope the whole picture... my head starts to hurt. Kinda like when I try to imagine the size of the universe.

[Terwilliger]

12. the universe ain't got nothin on the bloated Federal government

[KG]

11. true dat

it's not like lies, corruption, corporate influence, and other forms of malfeasance are limited to repook administrations...

[Q]

15. That's why I'm concerned about my party...

- I believe many 'party loyalists' don't want to discuss the issue of government corruption because they're afraid of where it might lead.

- Does anyone really think the Bush* government had the people's best interest at heart when they pushed for consolidation of the media? Hell, no...it was a favor to the same media that helped install the Bushies in office.

- Will tax cuts for the richest Americans help anyone but the rich? Hell, no...it was a favor to Republican campaign donors...so they can donate even more in 2004.

- And then we have the Bush* administration giving 'no bid' contracts and kickbacks to Friends of Bush.

- This is the most corrupt government in American history. What are we going to do about it?

[Ein]

17. revolt?

Nah the fascistic majority would step on us - just a fancy.

[Terwilliger]

18. put in some Democrats

who are less corrupt

[Octafish]

13. John Kerry has taken ZERO

... Corporate PAC money. That's a fact, Jack.

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/summary.asp?ID=...

[Terwilliger]

14. I would hope not

he's too rich to need any

[KoKo]

16. ROFL, Terwilliger! n/t

's

[blm]

19. Not accurate, T.

He NEVER took corporate pac money, even when he had little of his own. He and Teresa did not marry until Kerry was well into his second term as a Senator.

[Q]

20. Since we're here...

- I think public funding of campaign/elections is needed in order to remove the temptation to sell legislation and government favors to the highest bidder.

- Who's for public funding?

[blm]

22. Kerry has advocated for public funding since 1985.

It's one of the reasons he had so much trouble with the DC powerbrokers right off the bat.

[Ardee]

37. My hand's in the air

The airwaves were simply given away, a multi billion dollar donation by the way,now its time that they gave back. Any candidate receiving a certain number of signatures should be eligible for free air time, both radio and TV. Debates possibly as frequently as once a week for months prior to the election.

Now ,on to the banning of all lobbyists!
_!_

[Terwilliger]

21. I stand corrected then

maybe you could clear up that whole "get over it" thing...I mean without conjecture.

[blm]

23. Ask the Dem activists who were present.

They weren't the ones complaining, so maybe the context and the tone was appropriate. The only conjecture I see is from all those who assume malice.

[Terwilliger]

24. come on

given the severity of what the quote relates, you must admit that clarification is in high order

So you know he NEVER took any PAC money, and knew when he and Teresa Heinz got married, but you can't tell me about this quote? Seems convenient.

[ShaneGR]

26. Ter.... you know not what you speak of

Pull his campaign finance reports, find him taking corporate PAC money. Oops, you can't do it. He never has.

[Terwilliger]

40. I didnt say he did

I said blm knows all these things about Kerry but cant seem to relate what he meant by "Get over it"

[blm]

41. I wasn't there, T...

Why should I try to make something up just to give an answer? Let the Dems who were there weigh in. So far everyone here is just ASSUMING malice based on their own bias.

[Terwilliger]

42. well, dont you think its worth finding out?

I dont mean having the people there "weigh in"

Dont you want to know? Aren't you outraged by the possibility that John Kerry told you to get over it?

[blm]

46. I don't doubt that if it was said with malice...

we'll hear about it from the people who were there. Alone, and on its own, it sounds unfortunate, but, in context the Dems there seem to have accepted what was said as uplifting, since all we know is that he was cheered repeatedly, and many were impressed.

btw....That works both ways. If you become so outraged at those who feed off corporate donations, why didn't it ever occur to you to check the candidates' records from over the course of their careers and get the facts about who gives what to whom and for how long? Who advocates for public financing and who has performed for their donors. Isn't it worth finding out?

[ShaneGR]

25. Wanted to make a point about new campaign finance

It is now illegal for both party committees to accept unlimited corporate (soft) money. 2002 was the last year it was allowed under the law.

[sandnsea]

29. 2 million Dems - 7 million Reps

The only reason these corporations give to Democrats at all is so stories like this can be written up about the Democrats taking corporate money too. It's much better to discover which industries are giving heavily to one party or the other than to lump all the contributions together and label both parties as equally 'tainted'. The bulk of corporate industries give heavily to Republicans and they are repaid accordingly. This is just one more area where Democrats need to stop cowering and expose the truth.

[Hubert Flottz]

30. RE: "2 million Dems - 7 million Reps"

The ones in our party who take the big money from the crooks, are the same ones who ALWAYS vote for the oil Wars and vote with the GOP Whores! People who fall in line behind the Repub stampede and back things like the Borrowed money Tax Cuts, Faux Wars, the Patriot Act and Fast Track!

If you suspect your rep of acting pubish on an issue, go and see who contributed to their war chest! We need to weed out the crooks in our party too! If that means the unemployment line for your represenative, then let the chips fall where they may!

If the reps who suck up to Bush Inc, run for an office on the national ticket, where I can voice my approval with my vote, I'll look at their voting record and I also look to see who funds them!

People who vote with the Repubs on the important issues should run for office under the Repub banner! I spurn a turncoat more than a rat that admits it's a rat, when I go and vote! If it smells like Cheeze, chances are it's a cheeze eater!

[Q]

31. Follow the link to this story...

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0703-09.htm


- You'll see that many corporations donate to Republicans and never to Democrats...or give Dems a token amount. (This is in PDF format at the bottom of the page.) You may also recognize many of the company names that give Big to GOPers. (Enron, etc)

- Keep in mind that this is a list of CORPORATE CRIMINALS...and most of them have broken either environmental or anti-trust laws. They shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the political process.

- The Clinton administration once pushed for a law that would have forbidden these corporate criminals to ever get another government contract. The Bushies made sure this law never say the light of day.

[Hubert Flottz]

34. Yes The Hypocrite Repubs Grab The Money From Corporate Convicts

and purge black voters from the voter rolls for parking tickets!

'Taking Back America' is only a silly dream, as long as crooks are allowed to bribe politicians with money and perks! Bush Bribed the SCOTUS with jobs for the Justasse's kids! Lobbyists legally bribe people in both parties EVERYDAY! Some Democrats in Washington are too dumb or too crooked for their own good! Very Few Politicians serve America any longer! Their only worry is, WHAT'S IN THIS FOR ME?

The ones that take $2.00 from the ENRON type crooks and then vote to back those people in their crimes against the citizens they SWORE to represent to the best of their ability, are just as guilty and crooked as a crook who takes $500,000.00! Just as Guilty and even more stupid!

Very Few in Washington today from either party, are in Washington because of their Patriotism! They place personal gain before their duty to their country and their oath to the people they begged to vote for them!

The so called patriots need to read and heed Robert Byrd's little book he carries in his breast pocket! Bush spells the Constitution of the United States of America with a lower case c and then pretends to represent ALL Americans! My dog is far more patriotic than Bush, at least my dog don't lie, cheat and steal from we the people!

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

33. This sounds like Nader-talk!

When the corporate crooks give money to Republicans, it's bad. When they give money to Democrats, it's the lesser of two evils!

Besides, we all love Capitalism? Well don't you?

[VOX]

35. Freepers think capitalism is great, unless you're the Clintons...

Then you're not supposed to make a nickel!

[VOX]

36. $2.1 million to Democrats -- not exactly "awash" in funds...

A token amount, really.

There should be sweeping campaign finance reform, anyway -- provided that this will ever get past the Rethugs.

[Q]

39. Well...in my neighborhood a couple million bucks is a lot of money...

...but this particular article points out that BOTH parties are taking 'donations' from corporate criminals.

- Why would any politician or party take money from corporations found guilty of defrauding the government or harming the environment? And what do these criminals expect in return for their donations?

[Terwilliger]

43. the view count is awfully low for a 12 hour thread

I guess your friends dont like to hear bad things about their peepz

[Q]

44. Most of my 'friends' have me on ignore...

...but maybe some of the lurkers will care?

- The best democracy money can buy is more that just the title of a book.

[blm]

47. No ignore here.

I think its a valid subjct that should get discussed indepth. Only a few of the Dem candidates refused corporate pac money in their runs for office.

[southernfried]

45. or its just not news, how bout un-indicted corp spending ?

this is old as the hills and I hate to break it to Kerry fans but the only ones who get it are the candidates. If he wins out, he'll get the cash spent for him by the party. Its noble and all but it'll go by the wayside soon enough.