Powerful Monied Interests...
Rob Long ·
Aug 12, 2011 at 9:49am
...control American politics. At least, that's what we're told by squawking lefties.
Hey! Maybe they're right. From OpenSecrets.org (it's an amazing chart; click the link to check it out) we learn that of the top 20 donors to the two political parties, from 1989 to 2010, 2 of them lean Republican, 3 are evenly split, and the rest?
Overwhelmingly Democratic. And heavily union. Of course, it's okay for the unions to spend so much money on political influence. They don't get their money from fat-cat corporate jet owners. They get it honorably: by removing it from their members' paychecks.
Number 1 is the Democratic party fundraising "clearinghouse" Act Blue. The rest are below.
Name/Amount/%D/%R
| 2 | American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees | $45,238,103 | 94% | 1% | |
| 3 | AT&T Inc | $41,314,444 | 45% | 54% | |
| 4 | National Assn of Realtors | $39,717,410 | 47% | 49% | |
| 5 | National Education Assn | $36,312,895 | 81% | 5% | |
| 6 | Service Employees International Union | $36,043,789 | 77% | 2% | |
| 7 | American Assn for Justice | $33,983,671 | 89% | 8% | |
| 8 | Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $33,476,655 | 97% | 2% | |
| 9 | Laborers Union | $31,335,267 | 89% | 7% | |
| 10 | American Federation of Teachers | $31,023,603 | 90% | 0% | |
| 11 | Teamsters Union | $30,632,309 | 89% | 6% | |
| 12 | Carpenters & Joiners Union | $30,523,437 | 86% | 9% | |
| 13 | Communications Workers of America | $29,468,934 | 95% | 0% | |
| 14 | American Medical Assn | $27,431,405 | 39% | 59% | |
| 15 | United Auto Workers | $27,108,182 | 98% | 0% | |
| 16 | United Food & Commercial Workers Union | $26,788,209 | 93% | 0% | |
| 17 | National Auto Dealers Assn | $26,664,992 | 32% | 67% | |
| 18 | Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union | $26,407,374 | 98% | 1% | |
| 19 | United Parcel Service | $24,505,222 | 37% | 62% | |
| 20 | American Bankers Assn | $24,190,464 | 39% | 60% |
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Comments :
Apr '11
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
yet another story you won't see covered in the MSM. Thanks Rob, very interesting!
Oct '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
How then is the GOP the party of special interest ? Incredible, thanks for the post.
Edited on Aug 12, 2011 at 10:10amJan '11
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Well that explains 'Baseline Budgeting'!
Jun '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Aren't unions "people"
Edited on Aug 12, 2011 at 10:22amSep '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
A report was just released in Wisconsin citing that Wisconsin Education Association Council (i.e. state teachers union) was the #1 lobbying group in Madison during 2009 and 2010. Two years that coincided with complete Democrat control of state government.
The money quote:
"All told, WEAC spent 12,364 hours lobbying, which averages to 17 hours a day every day for two years."
Sep '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
On the bright side, Act Blue wasted $3,095,157 on the losing campaign of Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania, and $724,804 on Martha Coakley in Massachusetts (Act Blue Summary | OpenSecrets). As long as the Democrats burn through their cash with those results, I'm happy.
May '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Government employees using taxpayer money to demand more government.
Sep '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Even more interesting data from that chart: people from News Corp (Rupert Murdoch's organization) contributed 53% to Dems and 46% to Republicans. And evil bad evil evil Koch Industries (11% D, 88% R) is ranked 87 on the list.
Thanks, Rob. This is a really useful post.
Sep '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Pilgrim: Aren't unions "people" · Aug 12 at 10:21am
Edited on Aug 12 at 10:22 am
Unions are people in the same way corporations are people.
Jun '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
Ross Conatser
Pilgrim: Aren't unions "people" · Aug 12 at 10:21am
Edited on Aug 12 at 10:22 am
Unions are people in the same way corporations are people. · Aug 12 at 11:18am
Exactly. Treat them the same: put a 35% tax on their income after expenses and don't allow political contributions to be classed as expenses
May '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
I mentioned in the member feed something along these lines: the "citizen-driven" group We Are Ohio fighting to block union reform is... wait for it... funded almost entirely by the unions. Mostly from D.C.!
Spell these things out for leftists and, of course, you're a Wall Street hack with no sense of nuance. Unions represent The Working Class! Unions are nothing like corporations! The important thing is that voters can make their own decisions, which is why I put together that funding map.
Jan '11
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
There's no crying in politics, Ricocheteers!
It's time to go on the offensive against the Democrat Party/Union cabal.
Propose legislation in the House to make automatic union dues check-off on paychecks of both private and public employees illegal. Neither private businesses nor government should be a facilitator or a collaborator of union activities. Government, in fact, should be neutral.
If unions want to receive monthly dues they should send out invoices just like a cable company, an insurance company or a bank. If unions think they are being cheated in those states with closed shop labor laws, they can always sue the workers.
I'm sure that there will be a lot of Democrat trial lawyers who'll need work after Congress passes my second piece of legislation - a 95% tax on tort awards - one of the great GOP ideas to get more revenue into the Treasury.
You don't deter an attack by complaining about it; you deter an attack by scattering your opponent's forces.
Edited on Aug 12, 2011 at 9:53pmJul '10
Re: Powerful Monied Interests...
All I'll say is it would be interesting to see donations to corporations like National Review...even though they've "lost" millions over the years.