Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2012

[schneiderguy]

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php

If my count is right 16/20 of the top donors between 1989-2012 are unions and only 4/20 favor Republicans.

How can this be true? I was told that Republicans were slaves to their corporate masters and Democrats were knights in shining armor


This thread has been reported for containing a needlessly inflammatory and/or misleading thread title.

As reported, the thread title was: "Corporations spend billions to elect Republicans"

The article title cited by the link in your OP is: "Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2012"

Per the data published in the link, $1,384,781,159 (~$1.4B) was spent on democrats while $929,721,054 (~$0.93B) was spent on republicans.

In other words not billions (plural), not even 1 billion, and misleading regarding the relative distribution between democrats and republicans.

I have changed your thread-title to reflect that which the article's author and editor felt most appropriately captured the materially significant aspects of the article you linked.

Should the new title be unacceptable to you, do not alter the thread title without first seeking moderator approval in Moderator Discussions.

Administrator Idontcare

 

[cubby1223]

Corporations spend billions to elect the person who has the best chance to win the election, Republican or Democrat. Corporations are smart and hedge their bets. Unions just go all-in on Democrats.

 

[Ausm]

Corporations spend billions to elect the person who has the best chance to win the election, Republican or Democrat. Corporations are smart and hedge their bets. Unions just go all-in on Democrats.

Why would a Union in their right mind go Repuglicant?

 

[dank69]

I prefer to look at voting record before I decide who each representative's master is.

 

[cubby1223]

Why would a Union in their right mind go Repuglicant?

So that the union can maybe not piss off 57% of the country?

Now be the predictable drone you are and blame the money.

 

[Ketchup]

Why would a Union in their right mind go Repuglicant?

Doesn't make sense to me either. The democrats are the pro union party.

 

[nehalem256]

Why would a Union in their right mind go Repuglicant?

So that when the Republican gets elected he doesnt squash them.

See: Wisconsin 2010-2012

 

[zsdersw]

So that when the Republican gets elected he doesnt squash them.

See: Wisconsin 2010-2012

... and they didn't squash the public unions that support them. See: WI police/firefighter unions.

.. even though police/fire departments are the costliest things to the states' municipalities.

 

[PokerGuy]

A good illustration of why the common whining about citizens united and corporate money in politics by dimlibs is BS. Unions are just big dimlib money fleecing machines.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

How does a list of unions donating to Democrats counter the charge that corporations spend billions to elect Republicans?

 

[nehalem256]

How does a list of unions donating to Democrats counter the charge that corporations spend billions to elect Republicans?

Well for one, try looking at the top 30 groups. Then count how many elephants vs donkeys you see.

 

[PokerGuy]

How does a list of unions donating to Democrats counter the charge that corporations spend billions to elect Republicans?

That's not the point, the point is that when you actually start looking at who the big donators and spenders are, many in the top are unions, and they all support democrats. The whole "big corps favor republicans and skew the election process" is BS.

 

[dank69]

Is the argument that unions are corporations?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

That's not the point, the point is that when you actually start looking at who the big donators and spenders are, many in the top are unions, and they all support democrats. The whole "big corps favor republicans and skew the election process" is BS.

Only if you're innumerate. It doesn't matter who the top donors are, it matters what the totals are.

And using figures over the last 25 years is a red herring, because everything has changed sinced Citizens United, and that's what most people are really complaining about.

But, of course, none of you really want a rational discussion on the matter. You think you've found a "gotcha", and strutting around about it is a lot easier than looking at things in a reasonable way.

If you don't think corporations buy elections, talk to Rick Santorum.

 

[BoberFett]

Is the argument that unions are corporations?

No, the point is that the whole corporation owning politicians meme is just Democrat whining, and has no basis in truth.

I notice that until 2010 Goldman Sachs gave far more to Democrats. So much for Wall Street and the 1% backing Republicans...

 

[nehalem256]

Is the argument that unions are corporations?

No, but I am pretty sure that Goldman Sachs is and 58% of their political donations went to the Democrats.

 

[nageov3t]

Why would a Union in their right mind go Repuglicant?

are we just making up political parties now?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

No, the point is that the whole corporation owning politicians meme is just Democrat whining, and has no basis in truth.

That may or may not be true, but the document referenced doesn't demonstrate it one way or another.

 

[Majunior]

Unions are assembled to protect the rights of workers... the people.

Corporations, generally, are built to make money, and will support the canditate that will help them reach that goal.

Where's the surpise?

 

[cubby1223]

Here is the difference between unions and corporate lobbyists...

Corporate lobbyists are nice, helpful people on the outside, jackasses on the inside.

Union leaders are jackasses both on the outside and on the inside.


Unions should support both political parties because there are legitimate reasons for people to vote Republican, beyond the "brainwashing effect of corporate propaganda."

 

[Incorruptible]

Unions that vote for democrats are idiots since the democrats support illegal immigration which helps to cut there wages and eliminate there jobs

 

[CPA]

Unions are assembled to protect the rights of workers... the people.

Corporations, generally, are built to make money, and will support the canditate that will help them reach that goal.

Where's the surpise?

Corporations are made up of who? Aliens?

 

[fskimospy]

Corporations are made up of who? Aliens?

Corporations are legally structured in a very different way than unions are; just because their membership is comprised of people doesn't make them the same.

 

[PokerGuy]

And using figures over the last 25 years is a red herring, because everything has changed sinced Citizens United, and that's what most people are really complaining about.

Oh, so there was no whining about corporate money in politics prior to citizens? Good one.

If you don't think corporations buy elections, talk to Rick Santorum.

Money buys elections. Corps are definitely not the only source of money, as the data linked in this thread shows. Unions and their ilk are another big source, hollywood celebs and on and on and on. To go around whining that money only benefits republicans is idiotic and naive. Last I checked obummer was sitting on (close to) a billion dollar warchest.

 

[nehalem256]

Oh, so there was no whining about corporate money in politics prior to citizens? Good one.



Money buys elections. Corps are definitely not the only source of money, as the data linked in this thread shows. Unions and their ilk are another big source, hollywood celebs and on and on and on. To go around whining that money only benefits republicans is idiotic and naive. Last I checked obummer was sitting on (close to) a billion dollar warchest.

Now lets see, if corporations are the ones who buy elections and Obama has a billion dollar warchest I wonder who gave it to him? :hmm: