Home > Political Insider > Archives > 2008 > June > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USOf earmarks, and the strange concept of lobbyists as victims
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today’s Huffington Post has this in a piece about the connections between earmarks and campaign contributions:
Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., won a $1.6 million earmark last year for Engineering and Software Systems Solutions Inc. for advanced coating technologies. Kingston has received more than $20,000 in campaign contributions this election cycle from company executives and their wives.
Meanwhile, the American League of Lobbyists is objecting to the decision by the campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain to refuse the cash of Washington lobbyists.
“The leadership of the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) vehemently objects to this treatment. ALL reminds the candidates that all U.S. citizens are guaranteed the right to petition the government under the First Amendment to the Constitution,” said Brian Pallasch, president of the lobbyist league, in a press release making the rounds.
Pallasch pointed out what he called the hypocrisy of the ban. “Both candidates have worked with lobbyists, recognize the value of their input, received legal campaign contributions from lobbyists, and yet never hesitate to throw us to the wolves when it behooves them to do so,” he said.
Comments
By Copyleft
June 6, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
He’s right; the freedom to bribe is the most precious freedom of all!
What kind of country would we be living in if you couldn’t buy your own customized legislation at fair market value?
I weep for those poor, destitute lobbyists being cast out in the cold. What a sad day for plutocracy.
By Harvey
June 6, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this
So is the only way to exercise your right to “petetion your government” to pay politicians money? Those who listen to you free don’t count? Cripes, that puts the high rollers down on the same level as us ordinary folks! Shameful.
By hutch
June 6, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
Who’s the real person to blame here? Is it the lobbyist who, acting on behalf of their clients, are doing nothing illegal? Or, is it the politicians who care so much about the power they hold, they’ll gladly swap earmarks and special interest legislation for campaign contributions and the occational golf outing? I’ve never been in the situation, but I’ve known a few people over the years that talk about how prevalent bribes are almost required in sub-Saharan African countries. These friends have all said that you have to pay the bribes to get anything done. Who do you blame for this? Is it the briber or the person/institution on the other side that practically encourages the activity? Politicians know they have lots of budget money to spend, so they have no problem taking some campaign contributions in return.
By RJ
June 6, 2008 6:22 PM | Link to this
Organized and Special Interests play important roles in advancing self-government under our Democratic Republic. They do so by selecting and supporting candidates; informing the public;carrying the message of the people (interest group) to the government and the people; acting as a watchdog over government activities; and serving as a link between different levels and branches of government. In an accumalative sense these special interests are having adverse effects upon our body politics, tax and spend policies,to name a few. For example, “Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., won a $1.6 million earmark last year for Engineering and Software Systems Solutions Inc. for advanced coating technologies. Kingston has received more than $20,000 in campaign contributions this election cycle from company executives and their wives.” Multiply this example by tens of thousands and the point becomes clearer.
Because getting and staying elected are money driven… and because these groups are important sources of cash, their influence/effect upon government has approached the dangerous level. At the same time it has created an environment of receptivity for Obama’s message of change.
By the way, the above example is another in a series of examples of why Jack Kingston ought to be defeated.
By Special Interests Stink!
June 6, 2008 6:54 PM | Link to this
Where would the campaigns of Chambliss, Martin and Jones be without PAC and special interest money.
By the way, can anyone think of another way to group these guys other then their appetite for dirty money? No? They are very different otherwise.
It is time to change the way people are elected.
How about citizen contributions and listening to the public?
Hmmm.
By Vic
June 7, 2008 12:01 AM | Link to this
Government is meant to benefit the greater good. Lobbyists operate from the idea that government can be purchased to benefit their clients. Lobbying, as it is currently done in the United States (see Jack Abramoff), is thus at cross purposes with good government. Limits on lobbying activities do not affect the right to petition the government to redress grievances. If Allstate wants to complain about a proposed law, it doesn’t need to hire Greenberg Traurig, it can write to Chambliss or Isakson just like any other citizen.
By tom ga hunter
June 7, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
Some of Saxby’s Patrons: PAC
Total Contributions
American Agrisurance Association $ 3,000
American Association of Crop Insurers 14,000
American Crystal Sugar Company 13,500
American Meat Institute 11,449
American Peanut 25,000
American Peanut Shellers Association 32,750
American Soybean Association 2,000
American Sugar Cane League of USA Inc. 12,500
American Sugarbeet Growers Association 8,500
Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. 6,500
Archer Daniels Midland Company 7,000
Arizona Dairymen 2,000
Associated Milk Producers Inc. 6,000
Arizona Cotton Growers Association 3,750
BEEF-PAC 8,375
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation Employees 25,500
California Cotton Growers Association 2,250
California Dairies Federal 10,000
California Rice Industry Association 8,500
Committee for/Adv of SE Cotton Southern Cotton Growers Inc./SE Cotton Ginners Assoc
17,000
Committee Organized for Trading of Cotton-Paciation of the American Cotton Shippers Association
7,500
Concagra Foods Good Government Association 11,500
Continental Dairy Products Inc. 2,000
Continental Grain Company 1,000
Cotton Warehouse Government Relations Committee 3,000
Croplife America 15,500
Dairy Farmers of America 29,000
Deer & Company 13,000
ELECT-the PAC of Alabama Farmers Federation 12,500
Farm Credit Council 29,000
Farmers Group, Inc. 1,500
Farmers Rice Cooperative Fund 9,998
Farmland Industries 1,300
Feed Industry/American Feed Industry Association 2,000
Florida Farm Bureau 1,000
Florida Sugar Cane League 6,500
Flowers Industries Inc. 35,000
Food Distributors Voice in Politics 3,000
Food Marketing Institute 20,209
Food Products Association 3,000
Golden Peanut Company, LLC 2,000
Great Lakes Sugarbeet Growers 2,000
Grocery Manufactures. Association 7,500
Ice Cream Milk & Cheese 16,944
Imperial Sugar Company 1,000
JBS Swift & Company 5,000
Land O’Lakes Inc./Agriliance 3,500
Livestock Marketing Association 3,750
Lorillard Tobacco Company Public Affairs Committee 11,000
Louisiana Rice 3,000
Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association Inc.
3,000
Miller Brewing Company 7,500
Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative 7,000
National Association of Wheat Growers 1,500
National Beer Wholesalers Association 40,000
National Cattlemen’s Association 21,375
National Chicken Council 15,000
National Corn Growers Association 1,000
National Cotton Council Committee for the Advancement of Cotton
27,965
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives 6,500
National Grain and Feed Association’s Fund for Better Government
1,000
National Meat Association 2,000
National Milk Producers Federation 6,000
National Pork Producers Council Pork 10,394
National Potato Council Potato 1,000
National Turkey Federation 4,500
North Carolina Cotton Producers Association 2,000
North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation Inc. 2,000
North Carolina Pork Council 2,000
Panhandle Peanut Growers 2,000
Peanut Buying Point (PBP-PAC) 10,500
Peanut PAC of Alabama 8,000
Pilgrims Pride Corporation 21,000
Plains Cotton Cooperative Association Employees 1,000
Producers Rice Mill Inc. 4,500
R. J. Reynolds; Reynolds American Inc. 24,500
Riceland Foods 7,500
Select Milk Producers 1,000
SmithField Foods Inc. 8,000
Southeast Milk Inc. 6,500
Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative 11,500
Southwest Peanut 2,000
Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida 3,000
Texas Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund 6,000
Tobacco Institute 500
Tyson Foods Inc. 8,000
United Egg Assoc. 15,000
United Fresh Produce Association Fresh 6,000
United States Beet Sugar Association 3,000
U.S. Rice Produces 4,000
USA Rice Federation 5,000
Virginia-Carolina’s Peanut Membership Organization 1,250
Western Peanut Growers 27,000
Total$833,259
By Churchill
June 7, 2008 3:15 PM | Link to this
So…..
By tom ga hunter
June 7, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
By Churchill
Add up all the sugar patrons & see how little it cost to get a $3,300,000,000 sugar subsidity..Your LIBERAL sells out cheap but like all LIBERALS be does NOT believe in a BALANCED BUDGET.
By tom ga hunter
June 7, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this
By Churchill
I assume you did not read this from the Washington Times or are you a NY Times type???http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/07/editorial-lobbyists-and-washington-politicians/
By GodHatesTrash
June 7, 2008 7:12 PM | Link to this
Decent people are tired of government being run by pimps and w-hores.
By Bob Barr supporter
June 8, 2008 6:49 AM | Link to this
Wonder if Bob Barr is accepting lobbyist donations? Whas the scoop on that?