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Logo Lowdown from the 2010 elections. Part 1–donors on the record
In 1986, Richard Kimball, a Democratic state legislator in Arizona, was running for a US Senate seat. In a televised debate, he did something that absolutely astonished his opponent and completely confounded his campaign consultants: He looked directly into the camera and spoke the truth about the money corruption of big-time American politics.
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“Understand what we do to you,” Kimball said to viewers. “We spend all of our time raising money, often from strangers we do not even know. Then we spend it in three specific ways: First we measure you, what it is you want to purchase in the political marketplace–just like Campbell’s soup or Kellogg’s cereal. Next, we hire some consultants who know how to tailor our image to fit what we sell. Lastly, we bombard you with the meaningless, issueless, emotional nonsense that is always the result. And whichever one of us does that best will win.”
Unfortunately for Kimball he was not the best bamboozler on the ballot–he lost big to John McCain, who’s presently in his 25th year as an Arizona senator. Ironically, McCain himself became a champion of campaign finance reform for a while. But he totally abandoned that pose about three years ago and has now wedged himself tightly into his senate seat with the very same kind of special interest campaign cash and vacuous politicking that Kimball had so rightly condemned.
The corporate money of 1986 was like a light drizzle compared to the torrential downpour in last year’s congressional elections. And, sure enough, the 2010 campaigns (including McCain’s ugly re-election bid) bombarded voters with a level of “meaningless, issueless, emotional nonsense” that even Kimball could not have imagined. Nor has this ridiculous, inherently corrupting campaign money system come anywhere near its full power–a tsunami of corporate cash is already rising for 2012.
Politicians are the sellers, but who–specifically–is buying America’s democracy? We will devote this and one other issue of the Lowdown to answering this crucial question.
This month, drawing on donor reports that individuals and corporations must file with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), we’re identifying many of the largest givers to last year’s Republican victors in the House and Senate. With officials in Washington now pushing hard to strengthen the grip that big bankers and corporations have over consumers, workers, the environment, and others, the public has a right to follow the money, including–where possible–tracing the funds to recognizable brand names and logos.
In our second issue, we’ll do the best we can to lift the veil on the massive amounts of secret cash that was funneled into the 2010 elections through corporate front groups. This “mystery money” is the diabolical product of the Supreme Court’s edict last year that corporations are “persons” with a First Amendment right to spend unlimited and unreported sums of their shareholders’ funds to pervert America’s elections.
Both issues of the Logo Lowdown are largely based on the exhaustive, nationally recognized research of two excellent public interest groups: www.opensecrets.org and www.sunlightfoundation.com. In this month’s report, we break the donors into industry groups, listing corporate interests that gave $100,000 or more, with at least 60 percent of their money going to support Republican candidates. We also list the top Democratic donors.
- Food Products & Drink
- Supermarkets
- Restaurants
- Live Entertainment, Pro Sports, & Recreational
- Lodging and Tourism
- Household & Beauty Products
- The GOP’s top dozen individual donors
- Manufacturing
- 20 for the Democrats
- Retail sales
- Energy/Natural Resources/Mining (Oil & Gas)
- Media
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
- The GOP’s big 10 corporate players in 2010
- Financial (Banks, Credit Companies, Investment Firms, Insurance, Real Estate, etc…)
| Food Products & Drink |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Weaver Popcorn | $981,850 | 99% |
| Cargill, Inc Diamond Crystal salt, Truvia, Peter’s Chocolate, Wilbur Chocolate, Honeysuckle White Turkey, Shady Brook Farms Turkey, Sterling Silver Premium Meats, Rumba meats, Tender Choice Pork, Good Nature Pork. |
$273,325 | 78% |
| Chiquita | $184,150 | 98% |
| Herbalife International | $179,530 | 66% |
| JBS Swift & Co. Swift; American Reserve; Cedar River Farms; Showcase Foods; Steakhouse Classic; Packerland; Angus Select; Liberty Bell; Moyer; Clear River Farms; Pilgrim’s Pride; Pierce Chicken; Wing Dings; Wing-Zings; Speed Grill; Country Pride; To-Ricos; Super-Chik’n; Honey Dipt; Gold Kist Farms; Big Value Chicken; La Herencia Natural Pork “designed to meet the needs of Hispanic consumers.” |
$177,050 | 67% |
| Flowers Foods Nature’s Own; Cobblestone Mill; Whitewheat; Sunbeam Bread; Bunny Bread; ButterKrust; Mi Casa |
$176,440 | 99% |
| ConAgra Foods Chef Boyardee; DAVID Seeds; Egg Beaters; Healthy Choice; Hebrew National; Hunt’s; Kid Cuisine; Marie Callender’s; Orville Redenbacher’s; PAM; Reddi-wip; Slim Jim; Act II; Banquet; Banquet Brown ‘N Serve; Blue Bonnet; Crunch ‘n Munch; Fiddle Faddle; Gulden’s; Jiffy Pop; La Choy; Libby’s; Manwich; Parkay; Patio; Peter Pan; Poppycock popcorn; Ranch Style Beans; Rotel; Rosarita; Swiss Miss; Van Camp’s; Wesson; Wolf Brand Chili |
$163,710 | 73% |
| Grimmway Farms Potatoes, carrots, onions under the Bunny-Luv brand. |
$147,200 | 97% |
| Smithfield Foods Paula Deen brands |
$146,740 | 74% |
| Jackson Family Enterprises Kendall Jackson |
$129,500 | 83% |
| Chiquita Brands International Chiquita, Fresh Express |
$110,950 | 96% |
| Molson Coors Brewing Coors; Blue Moon; Keystone Light; Carling; Cobra; Molson |
$107,509 | 95% |
| HP Hood LLC Simply Smart; Heluva Good Dips; Maggio cheese; Penn Maid Dairy; Hagen; Green’s; Arrowhead; Brigham’s Ice Cream |
$103,200 | 100% |
| J.R. Simplot Co. Avocados, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Simplot Classic, UpSides, Pancake Pods |
$101,600 | 81% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Supermarkets |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Publix | $731,410 | 73% |
| Kroger | $212,803 | 83% |
| Schnucks Markets | $134,250 | 99% |
| Meijer Inc. | $103,150 | 97% |
| Restaurants |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Wendys/Arbys Group Wendy’s; Arby’s |
$253,003 | 75% |
| Assn. of KFC Franchisees KFC |
$181,000 | 79% |
| Pizza Hut Franchisees Assn. | $179,500 | 92% |
| Yum! Brands KFC; Taco Bell; Pizza Hut; A&W Restaurants; Long John Silver’s; WingStreet |
$150,540 | 68% |
| CKE Restaurants Carl’s Jr.; Hardee’s; Green Burrito; Red Burrito |
$110,500 | 97% |
| Burger King | $98,591 | 70% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Live Entertainment, Pro Sports, & Recreational |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Las Vegas Sands Corp. | $377,582 | 94% |
| Blackstone Group SeaWorld, Busch Gardens |
$243,145 | 62% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | $217,900 | 100% |
| Houston Texans | $165,600 | 94% |
| Herschend Family Entertainment Adventure Aquarium, Camden, NJ; Classic Cable Car Sightseeing; Dollywood; Ride The Ducks (all over the country); Showboat Branson Belle; Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri; Stone Mountain Inn, Park, & Campground |
$108,400 | 63% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Lodging and Tourism |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| TRT Holdings Inc. Omni Hotels, Grand Ole Opry, Hee Haw, Gold’s Gym |
$5,033,380 | 99% |
| Interface Group Hilton; La Quinta; Waldorf Astoria; Boca Raton Resort & Club; Trianon Palace Versailles |
$139,300 | 84% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Household & Beauty Products |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Procter & Gamble Aussie; Braun; Clairol; CoverGirl; Dolce & Gabbana; Dunhill Fragrances; Escada Fragrances; Gillette; Gucci Fragrances; HUGO BOSS Fragrances; Head & Shoulders; Herbal Essences; Ivory; Lacoste Fragrances; Natural Instincts; Nice ‘n Easy; Olay; Old Spice; Pantene; Safeguard; Secret; Always; Crest; Eukanuba; Fixodent; Iams; Metamucil; Oral-B; PUR; Pepto-Bismol; Prilosec OTC; Pringles; Scope; Tampax; Vicks; Bounce; Bounty; Cascade; Charmin; Cheer; Comet; Dawn; Downy; Dreft Laundry; Duracell; Era; Febreze; Gain; Joy; Luvs; Mr. Clean; Pampers; Puffs; Swiffer; Tide |
$346,673 | 62% |
| S.C. Johnson & Son Glade; Air Wick; Oust; Drano; Fantastik; Scrubbing Bubbles; Nature’s Source cleaning products; Raid; OFF!; Pledge; Windex; Ziploc; Shout; Saran Wrap |
$136,650 | 61% |
| 3M Co. Nexcare; Scotchgard; Post-it; Scotch-Brite; Filtrete; Ace; Clarity; Futuro; O-Cel-O; ScotchBlue; Scotchlite; Thinsulate |
$220,988 | 59% |
| CCA Industries Plus White Teeth Whitening; Sudden Change Skin Care line; Nutra Nail; Bikini Zone; Lobe Wonder; Mega-T Dietary Supplements; Solar Sense sun care products; Parfume de Vanille; Hair Off; Wash-N-Curl; Scar Zone; IPR-3; Shave zone; PainBust-R |
$144,228 | 99% |
| Koch Industries (household) GEORGIA-PACIFIC: Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, Soft ‘n Gentle, Dixie cups, GP Copy Paper, Spectrum Paper, Mardi Gras napkins, Vanity Fair, Zee napkins, Brawny, Sparkle. INVISTA: Lycra, Coolmax, other dry-wick fibers, Stainmaster Carpet. |
$130,700 | 73% |
Go back to the list of industries
| The GOP’s top dozen individual donors |Â permalink to this section | ||
| This egg carton of golden givers contains some of the richest people in our land. They are investing in politicians to advance their own corporate interests, of course, but many of them are also extremist laissez-faire ideologues who share the Koch brothers’ vision of establishing an unbridled corporate plutocracy in America. NOTE: These totals include donations made to state candidates as well as congressional contenders. | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | Percentage contributed |
| Bob Perry Billionaire Houston developer. NOTE: An additional $1,284,600 was donated by Mrs. Bob Perry. |
$10,517,050 | 92% to GOP |
| Jerry Perenchio Multi-billionaire Hollywood media mogul. |
$4,150,313 | 52% to GOP
0% to Dem 48% to other |
| Rob Rowling Billionaire, owner of Gold’s Gym, Omni Hotels, etc |
$2,818,964 | 100% to GOP |
| Parker Collier Florida developer who has given most of her money to Republicans outside of her state. |
$1,239,014 | 100% to GOP |
| Paul Singer Founder of a $7 billion hedge fund (Elliott Associates) and long time right wing funder, including helping finance the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth front group used by the GOP to attack John Kerry in 2004. (*Libertarians) |
$1,069,658 | 81% to GOP 19% to Libs* |
| Charles Schwab Billionaire founder of his eponymous investment firm and longtime GOP partisan. |
$933,550 | 100% to GOP |
| Jackson Stephens Funded the ultra-conservative Club for Growth. |
$765,406 | 95% to GOP |
| John Childs Billionaire founder of JW Childs, a Boston private equity firm specializing in takeovers of consumer product corporations and health care companies. |
$712,300 | 99% to GOP |
| Harlan Crow Billionaire owner of Trammel Crow Company and Crow Holdings, huge developers and investors in everything from hotels to hedge funds. |
$616,863 | 96% to GOP |
| Harold Simmons Billionaire toxic waste disposal operator and funder of right-wing groups and candidates [NOTE: sued by his own daughters for illegally forging campaign contributions in their names without their knowledge or permission. Settled with them for $50 million.] |
$614,800 | 88% to GOP |
| John Chambers CEO of Cisco Systems, a Silicon Valley giant. |
$582,100 | 72% to GOP |
| John Nau Owner of the Houston distributor of Budweiser products and other beverages. |
$504,974 | 95% to GOP |
Go back to the list of industries
| Manufacturing |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Deere & Co. John Deere tractors, construction vehicles, crop insurance, credit |
$656,240 | 63% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | $487,661 | 85% |
| DuPont Co The DuPont brand: assorted products, for home, garden, auto, etc.; Autograph nonstick coating for cookware; Garden products; Granite certified by DuPont; GreenVista; Harmony Extra XP herbicide; Plantex Pro; Pool Care System; Simplicity Solid Surfaces; Solae Soy protein; Storm Room residential in-home shelter; Surfaces: Corian, Zodiaq; Teflon; Tyvek envelopes and protective covers; Vinyl flooring: Sedona, Elevations, Aspirations; WLP Photoresist Removers |
$218,424 | 60% |
| Whirlpool Corp. Whirlpool; Amana; Estate; Gladiator; Jenn-Air; KitchenAid; Roper |
$139,225 | 61% |
| FMC Corp. Chemicals and pesticides (including): Authority XL; Cadet Herbicide; Hero; Brigade; Brigadier; Capture; Mustang |
$135,261 | 65% |
| RPM International Rust-Oleum; Tremclad; Plastic Wood; Testors |
$112,100 | 72% |
| Ashland Inc. Intertek; Valvoline; Zerex; MaxLife |
$108,340 | 64% |
Total contribution indicates the amount contributed to all parties. Percentage contributed reflects the amount given to a single party and/or members thereof.
| 20 for the Democrats |Â permalink to this section | ||
| While the corporate cash was overwhelmingly behind the GOP in 2010, the Dems also had some substantial brand-name backers. Here are the major corporations that put at least 70 percent of their political money into Democratic congressional candidates: | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | Percentage to Democrats |
| Time Warner | $983,983 | 81% |
| $956,164 | 73% | |
| D.E. Shaw | $581,649 | 96% |
| Prudential Financial | $547,185 | 74% |
| Cablevision | $464,280 | 71% |
| Qualcomm | $431,023 | 77% |
| Sony | $397,830 | 76% |
| Tishman | $388,990 | 99% |
| Carnival Cruise Lines | $371,760 | 77% |
| Corning Inc. | $366,750 | 71% |
| PG&E | $345,062 | 75% |
| Sun Healthcare | $295,750 | 71% |
| Vivendi | $263,831 | 74% |
| Gallo Andre; Barefoot; Bartles & Jaymes; Boone’s Farm; Carlo Rossi; E&J VS Brandy; Ecco Domani; Frei Brothers; Gallo; Livingston Cellars; Louis M. Martini; Mirassou; Rancho Zabaco; Red Bicyclette; Redwood Creek; Tisdale Vineyards; Turning Leaf; Whitehaven; William Hill Estate |
$256,688 | 93% |
| Estee Lauder Aramis; Estee Lauder; Clinique; Prescriptives; Origins; Kilton; M*A*C; Lab Series Skincare for Men; La Mer; Bobbi Brown; Donna Karan; Aveda; Jo Malone; Bumble and bumble; Michael Kors; American Beauty; Flirt!; Sean John; Daisy Fuentes; Tom Ford; Coach; Smashbox |
$254,309 | 93% |
| Choice Hotels Comfort Inn; Comfort Suites; Quality Inn; Sleep Inn; Clarion; Cambria Suites; MainStay Suites; Suburban; EconoLodge; Rodeway Inn; Ascend Collection |
$206,400 | 91% |
| National Basketball Association | $169,700 | 99% |
| DIAGEO, PLC brands include: Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Baileys, J&B Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray, Guinness |
$131,802 | 70% |
| Costco | $126,945 | 84% |
| J. Crew | $121,700 | 100% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Retail sales |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Home Depot | $1,526,140 | 68% |
| Enterprise Rent-A-Car | $624,854 | 72% |
| Target Corp. | $445,485 | 61% |
| Amway/Alticor | $344,407 | 100% |
| Cintas Corp. Uniform apparel, etc. |
$285,525 | 93% |
| Best Buy | $235,100 | 72% |
| Limited Brands Victoria’s Secret; Bath & Body Works; White Barn Candle Co.; C.O. Bigelow; PINK; Henri Bendel; La Senza Lingerie |
$211,950 | 75% |
| Lowe’s [Hardware] Companies | $197,775 | 65% |
| Rent-A-Center | $148,086 | 64% |
| Curves International | $147,500 | 99% |
| Pawn America (in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, & Wisconsin) |
$106,250 | 85% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Energy/Natural Resources/Mining (Oil & Gas) |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Koch Industries (refining) | $1,911,212 | 93% |
| Exxon Mobil | $1,331,258 | 87% |
| Chevron Corp | $931,361 | 82% |
| Marathon Oil | $664,790 | 78% |
| Valero Energy | $589,500 | 82% |
| Peabody Energy | $590,284 | 72% |
| Occidental Petroleum | $569,900 | 77% |
| ConocoPhillips | $443,754 | 71% |
| Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold | $367,161 | 60% |
| Arch Coal | $363,041 | 72% |
| Halliburton | $316,280 | 89% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Media |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Hallmark Cards | $213,750 | 80% |
| American Greetings | $147,600 | 60% |
| Newsmax Media | $142,100 | 98% |
| Paisano Publications Easyriders, V-Twin, In The Wind, Roadware, Tatoo Flash, Tattoo Annual, RebelRodz; Savage, Tattoo |
$136,600 | 98% |
| Hubbard Broadcasting In Minnesota and western Wisconsin: KSTP radio and tv, KSTC, ReelzChannel, Ovation TV, etc…. |
$182,310 | 98% |
| Salem Communications Christian radio stations across the country |
$151,350 | 99% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturing |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Bayer Products include, but not limited to: Advantix and Advantage flea and tick treatment for pets; Aleve; Alka-Seltzer; Bayer Aspirin; Cipro; Levitra; Mirena; One A Day Multivitamins; Yasmin; Yaz |
$332,918 | 60% |
| Schering-Plough (merged with Merck in November 2009) Claritin; Clarinex; Vytorin; Dr Scholl’s; Coppertone |
$299,683 | 73% |
| Allergan Inc. | $214,452 | 64% |
Go back to the list of industries
| The GOP’s big 10 corporate players in 2010 |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Tax breaks, regulation of hedge funds, approval of mergers, military and homeland security contracts, environmental loopholes, restricting consumer lawsuits, offshore banking rules, CEO compensation limits, labor law reform–these are but a few of the issues of very special interest to the biggest corporate donors in last year’s congressional races. Tallied here are (1) contributions from corporate PACs made directly to candidates, and (2) contributions from corporate ‘soft money’ accounts made to certain political committees.
The favor seekers insist that their donations are in no way to be considered bribes for specific legislative actions. Rather, they explain, the money merely buys access to lawmakers for top corporate executives and lobbyists. Maybe. But where in Article One of the Constitution or in the First Amendment did the founders write that access to our national policymakers shall be for sale–with the most access going to those with the biggest checkbooks? NOTE: These totals include donations to state candidates as well as congressional contenders. |
||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | Percentage contributed |
| Perry Homes (owned by far right-wing ideologue Bob Perry of Houston, PH has built dozens of housing developments throughout Texas) |
$12,235,975 | 91% |
| TRT Holdings (owns Omni Hotel chain, Gold’s Gym, Gaylord Entertainment [Hee-Haw, Grand Ole Opry, Opryland, WSM radio, etc….], an oil and gas company, and much more) |
$5,260,344 | 100% |
| Chartwell (a media investment firm owned by Hollywood agent, sports promoter, billionaire, and right-wing Republican Jerry Perenchio) |
$3,335,913 | 99% |
| Altria (the world’s largest tobacco conglomerate, owning brands ranging from Marlboro cigarettes to Skoal smokeless tobacco) |
$3,143,365 | 66% |
| Goldman Sachs | $3,063,110 | 68% |
| Bank of America | $2,798,712 | 60% |
| Koch Industries | $2,518,743 | 90% |
| Home Depot | $1,526,140 | 68% |
| Wells Fargo | $1,717,480 | 66% |
| ExxonMobil | $1,622,953 | 80% |
Go back to the list of industries
| Financial (Banks, Credit Companies, Investment Firms, Insurance, Real Estate, etc…) |Â permalink to this section | ||
| Corporation & products | Total contribution | % to Republicans |
| Goldman Sachs | $2,424,777 | 60% |
| Bank of America | $2,230,606 | 63% |
| Elliott Management | $1,932,132 | 98% |
| Wells Fargo | $1,616,243 | 64% |
| USAA | $1,061,966 | 62% |
| BlueCross/BlueShield | $916,719 | 78% |
| JW Childs | $921,800 | 98% |
| Humana | $765,652 | 65% |
| Bank of America | $684,978 | 71% |
| American Express | $660,981 | 60% |
| Aetna Inc. | $636,155 | 69% |
| Capital I Financial | $492,690 | 72% |
| Zurich Financial Services | $471,644 | 68% |
| WellMed Medical Management | $348,500 | 91% |
| First American Corp. | $231,484 | 76% |
| Cerberus Capital Management | $223,500 | 93% |
| Icahn Associates | $190,400 | 91% |
| KKR & Co. | $438,316 | 83% |
| US Bancorp | $328,739 | 68% |
| Regions Financial | $161,995 | 75% |
| SunTrust Banks | $127,645 | 76% |
| Amerigroup Corp. | $148,660 | 60% |
| Moneytree Inc. | $147,322 | 77% |
| College Loan Corp. | $131,397 | 81% |
Total contribution indicates the amount contributed to all parties. Percentage contributed reflects the amount given to a single party and/or members thereof.