(wtucker strikes again! Make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this one. - promoted by Dean Barker)
The congressional campaigns are gearing up for the last end-of-quarter fundraising push before the primary. We'll probably pay too much attention to how much they raise -- but not enough to where it comes from. Before the onslaught, let's take one last look at the first quarter filings.
Campaign contributions are categorized as individual or political action committee (PAC) contributions. Nothing says Washington Insider like PAC money, and in the NH-02 congressional campaign, Charlie Bass is clearly the leader of the PACs.
|
|
PACs are organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and/or defeat candidates. They generally represent business, labor or ideological interests and can give $5,000 to a candidate per election. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 41% of the money Bass has raised to date has come from PACs. Compare this to 3% for Katrina Swett and 1% for Ann McLane Kuster.
To get a flavor of the Bass supporters, let's take a look at the three PACs that have contributed the most to his campaign.
Republican Main Street Partnership PAC ($10,000)
The Republican Main Street Partnership claims to be "the largest organization of elected leaders who are in the mold of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan." In other words, Washington Insiders. Charlie Bass is a member.
The partnership can seek unlimited and undisclosed corporate donations because it is organized as a nonprofit advocacy group... the partnership is a rare example of one that is dominated by elected officials and operates outside campaign finance rules to promote its agenda.
Critics of the campaign finance legislation accuse the Republican Main Street Partnership of hypocrisy... "All of these moderate Republicans who support all this campaign finance reform and lobbying reform have this convoluted organization that basically raises a variety of corporate funding and apparently pays for pajama parties with lobbyists."
The Altria Group ($8400)
That's right, tobacco money!
Years of denials about the deadly effects of smoking, combined with sustained efforts to thwart government regulation of the industry, haven't won Altria (formerly Philip Morris), any popularity contests. Altria, the No. 1 tobacco company in the world, and other tobacco companies have spent much of the last decade defending themselves in court--with less than impressive results.
A 1998 settlement with the attorneys general of several states cost the industry a whopping $246 billion. The U.S. Justice Department also is pursuing legal action against the industry for alleged racketeering. But Altria has many friends in Washington, particularly among Republicans, who have received the lion’s share of the company’s contributions over the past decade.
Growth & Prosperity PAC ($7500)
The Growth & Prosperity PAC is a leadership PAC created by Spencer Bachus III, a Republican who represents Alabama's 6th Congressional District. Bachus' claim to fame:
On May 23, 2005 Bachus made the news for alleging that comedian Bill Maher made "treasonous comments" on his show when making a joke about the Army's inability to reach its quota on new recruits.
Or this:
On April 9, 2009, Bachus claimed "Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists," later stating that 17 members of the House of Representatives are socialists.
Honorable Mention: The Congressman Joe Barton Committee ($2000)
Yes, that Joe Barton.
Facts and figures are for the 2009 - 2010 House election cycle, provided by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Cross-posted to Miscellany Blue.
|
