INSTITUTIONALIZING CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY-- SOMETHING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY & THE BLUE DOGS HAVE IN COMMON

When money talks, no one listens more closely than John McCain

This morning the lobbyist-driven Double Talk Express announced that yet another Inside the Beltway lobbyist of ill-repute, John Green, has hopped aboard the McCain train. "Green, a founding partner of what is now Ogilvy Government Relations, will soon take a leave of absence from that firm to work as a full-time liaison between McCain’s presidential campaign and Republicans in the House and the Senate, according to GOP aides on Capitol Hill and McCain surrogates downtown. Green, a Mississippi native, has strong ties in the Senate after his years of work for former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), a vocal McCain supporter who left Congress late last year to set up his own lobbying shop."

Yesterday we talked briefly about how the Bush-Cheney economic and energy policies-- rubber stamped by Republicans and Blue Dogs-- have done exactly what they were designed to do: raise the cost of oil from around $36/barrel when they took over in 2000 to just over $100/barrel now. The stated policies and objectives of a prospective McCain administration is likely to see oil shoot much, much higher. Does someone want the cost of oil to go up so drastically? Absolutely and for that let's follow the money-- or, in this case, the lobbyists stuffing the money up the asses of the corrupt politicians who have authored these policies.

Today's CongressDaily states flatly that "oil and gas corporations continue to donate overwhelmingly to Republican candidates"-- unlike other elements of the Big Business community that, sensing which way the wind was blowing, have swerved abruptly toward the Democrats after the 2006 midterm elections. With profits soaring, due to record oil prices and incredibly advantageous tax policies implemented by the Bush Regime with the connivance of the Republican Congress and their Blue Dog allies, the industry is "under siege" from non-Blue Dog Democrats, which is moving to repeal some of its tax advantages. "Instead of seeking favor with the Democratic majority, oil and gas producers are staying loyal to their GOP friends." Last week the House passed an energy tax bill that would cut back on the advantages Bush has given Big Oil and Gas. It passed 236-182, not by a large enough margin to overcome Bush's promised veto. Eight reactionary and oil-oriented Democrats joined virtually the entire GOP to vote against HR 5351, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008. The Democrats who joined the Republicans:
Bush Dog John Barrow (GA)
Bush Dog Dan Boren (OK)
Bush Dog Henry Cuellar (TX)
Bush Dog Nick Lampson (TX)
Bush Dog Charlie Melancon (LA)
Bush Dog Solomon Ortiz (TX)
Gene Green (TX)
Ciro Rodriguez (TX)

According to a preliminary snapshot by the Center for Responsive Politics of industry contributions in this election cycle, the oil and gas industry has given 72 percent of its cash to Republicans.

The largest giver, Koch Industries, has donated 85 percent of its $736,000 in donations to Republicans. The other three top contributors-- Exxon Mobil, Valero Energy and Chevron-- have each steered 70 percent to 80 percent of their donations toward the GOP. While the overall percentage has dipped from the 2006 cycle, when it gave 82 percent of its cash to Republicans, the oil and gas industry ranks second only to the gun lobby in percentage of corporate giving to Republicans.

The 2008 cycle total exceeds even that of the traditionally GOP-friendly tobacco companies, which gave 60 percent of their money to the party.

...Flush with cash, the oil and gas industry has plunked down more than $10 million for all candidates, reaching about 40 percent of all its giving during the 2004 cycle-- the last to include a presidential campaign-- even though the battle for Congress has yet to heat up and the final stretch of the presidential contest lies ahead.

The top congressional money getters from the industry-- among those not running for president-- are Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member James Inhofe, R-Okla.

Blue America is fighting the pernicious influence of Big Oil's bribery by supporting challengers to both Cornyn and Inhofe, respectively Nick Noriega and Andrew Rice, each of whom is depending on grassroots contributions to get their messages out to the electorate.