Here's Why We Can't Get Any Real Campaign Finance Reform-- The Bribe Takers Are In Charge

Open Secrets lists 10 commercial sectors as the biggest bribers of Congress Members so far this election cycle. The worst, as it always is, cycle after cycle after cycle: the Finance Sector. There is no sector more indicative of pure corruption. So far this year they've handed out $44,717,034 to Republicans and $36,641,128 to Democrats. The half dozen worst crooks in the House:

• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $2,211,265
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $1,194,800
• Kevin Brady (R-TX)- $747,025
• Ann Wagner (R-MO)- $733,650
• Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ)- $705,106
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC)- $704,956

Why those 6? Ryan is Speaker of the House. McCarthy is House Majority Leader. Brady is chairman the House Ways and Means Committee. Ann Wagner is one of the most pliable members of the House Financial Services Committee. Kyrsten Sinema is the most pliable Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and Wall Street wants to get her into the Senate. Patrick McHenry, an easily blackmailed closet queen, defines congressional corruption and is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs. That's why. The banksters don't hand out that kind of money to random members of Congress.

I can't imagine that Ryan's fervent embrace of special interests-- especially Wall Street-- isn't going to be a big part of Randy Bryce's campaign to replace him in 2018. And he's not mincing any words with how he describes it either. "It's no secret Wall Street Paul is the biggest beneficiary of corporate bribes," he said flatly, not bothering to beat around the bush the way most politicians do. "He's not in Congress to help everyday working people but for those who keep him from needing to get a job like the rest of us have. Some members of Congress have admitted that if they don't get this tax scam passed, they'll stop getting donations from their billionaire owners. Not only are they boldly lying about what's contained within, but who will benefit from it. It won't be me or my neighbors. It's pretty doggone pathetic what those who claim to 'represent' us will do just about anything in order to avoid needing to literally work alongside us. Time to repeal and replace them in 2018."

The sector defined as Miscellaneous business includes Uline, the National Beer Whosesalers Association, Aileron, Home Depot, Ariel, Honeywell, Walmart, GE, Coca-Cola Anheuser-Busch, etc. So far this cycle the sector has handed out bribes to the tune of $20,798,985 to Republicans and $18,251,182 to Democrats. The closeness between the parties is a little deceptive since all 10 of the top bribe takers in this sector are Republicans and the only two who took in over $300,000 so far this quarter are Paul Ryan ($673,024) and Kevin McCarthy ($467,077)

Next up: lawyers and lobbyists-- $29,169,822 to Democrats and $14,109,246 to Republicans. In the House though, the sector donated $8,851,097 to 239 Republicans and $7,945,432 to 194 Democrats. Once again the top bribee was Speaker Ryan ($539,878), The next most corrupt? Conservative Democrat Adam Schiff ($257,156).

The next Sector is broadly defined as "Health," where the big donors range from the Methodist Health Foundation (which gives to Democrats to all the big Pharma corporations, which tend to give more to Republicans. As a sector, they gave $18,562,029 to Republicans and $16,446,468 to Democrats and once again, the biggest recipient of bribes was Paul Ryan ($630,406). In fact, the half dozen biggest bribes went to Republicans.


• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $630,406
• Greg Walden (R-OR)- $606,350
• Kevin Brady (R-TX)- $442,700
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $411,545
• Pat Tiberi (R-OH)- $356,250
• Michael Burgess (R-TX)- $343,678

With the battle of Internet Neutrality raging, Communications and Electronics is the next biggest player-- AT&T, Comcast, Allied Wallet, Google, Microsoft and Verizon being the half dozen biggest bribers this cycle so far. And who took their money? $14,668,405 went to Democrats and $8,696,207 went to Republicans, although, once again, in the House $6,360,594 went to 234 Republicans and $5,387,479 went to 193 Democrats. (The average bribe this cycle is just over $27,000). And this time Ryan was only second, beaten out by Subcommittee on Communications and Technology chairman Gerg Walden. Close though.

• Greg Walden (R-OR)- $294,875

• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $227,608
• Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)- $160,582
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $141,700
• Beto O'Rourke (D-TX)- $134,654
• Adam Schiff (D-CA)- $132,184

The next biggest sector: unions. So far this year $14,311,435 went to Democrats and $4,507,228. Interestingly, among he top 2 dozen recipients of Labor contributions, 9 are Republicans. The #1 recipient was Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), but that's because his election was a special this year ($164,400), but look at the union money that has flowed to Republicans:

• Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)- $146,750
• David Joyce (R-OH)- $140,250
• Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)- $132,500 (more than Pelosi's $128,825!
• Bill Shuster (R-PA)- $124,500
• David McKinley (R-WV)- $124,250
• Dan Donovan (R-NY)- $123,333
• Rodney Davis (R-IL)- $121,500
• Lou Barletta (R-PA)- $116,500
• Jeff Denham (R-CA)- $115,000

In terms of non-incumbents running for House seats this cycle, these are the half dozen biggest recipients of union money so far:

• Roger Manno (D-MD)- $66,500
• Randy Bryce (D-Wi)- 51,086 (Paul Ryan got $52,500 from unions so far.)
• Liz Watson (D-IN)- $45,550
• Paul Davis (Blue Dog-KS)- $45,275
• Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)- $31,000
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)- $29,050

Next biggest contributors is the Energy/Natural Resources Sector and, as you;'d probably guess, they gave overwhelmingly to Republicans-- $13,454,533 to GOP candidates and $4,562,482 to Dems. The half dozen biggest crooks so far this cycle:

• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $496,505
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $386,750
• Greg Walden (R-OR)- $361,050
• Kevin Brady (R-TX)- $312,150
• Kevin Cramer (R-ND)- $222,450
• Steve Scalise (R-LA)- $215,250

It isn't until you get to the 19th biggest recipient from this sector 'til you hit a Democrat. No surprise that it's kingpin briber-taker Steny Hoyer ($114,450), followed by scummy California Blue Dog Jim Costa ($78,250). Any Dems the extraction industries are trying to help get into Congress? Sure, one of the DCCC's pet Blue Dogs, Dan McCready of North Carolina ($25,662) and slimy TX-07 candidate Alex Triantaphyllis ($21,780).

The next sector is another infamous for bribing conservatives: Agribusiness, for which Big Sugar leads the way. This cycle 229 House Republicans have gotten $9,737,182 and 180 House Dems have gotten $3,167,755. The half dozen biggest crooks:

• Mike Conaway (R-TX)- $544,752 (yeah, he's the chairman of the Agriculture Committee)
• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $439,998
• David Valadao (R-CA)- $291,063
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $290,850
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)- $228,900
• Rodney Davis (R-IL)- $227,717

I would like to point out that so far this cycle Iowa Rep David Young, a member of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development, has taken $74,800-- he got $265,114 in the 2016 cycle-- while his Democratic opponent Austin Frerick has gotten a whopping $100. And that $100 was from a farmer, not from Agribusiness. As Frerick told me yesterday, "I haven't gotten a dollar from a corporate PAC or registered lobbyist," which makes him a very, very different kind of candidate from David Young, who gets virtually all his dollars from corporate PACs and registered lobbyists.

And that brings us to Trumpanzee's favorite special interest: Construction. So far this cycle they've given $6,533,099 to House Republicans and just $1,722,844 to House Dems. Again, Ryan is numero uno-- by far: $306,499, followed by Infrastructure Committee Chair Bill Shuster ($165,900). The top Dem feeding from this particular source bribes is uber-corrupt New Jersey boss George Norcross' bribe-taking little brother Donnie ($56,350), 2 dozen down the totem pole.

Construction is followed by Transportation-- $7,892,883 for House Republicans and $2,918,599 for House Dems, with Ryan and Shuster at the head of the bribes line so far in the cycle:


• Paul Ryan (R-WI)- $235,937
• Bill Shuster (R-PA)- $221,200
• Jeff Denham (R-CA)- $184,850
• Steve Scalise (R-LA)- $154,225
• Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)- $144,156
• Sam Graves (R-MO)- $135,900

And we end with the Military Industrial Complex, which has given House Republicans $5,017,131 so far this cycle and about half that, $2,482,737, to House Dems. It's considered slightly outré to take money from these creeps, so mostly Confederates who get into this line. The 6 worst:


• Kay Granger (R-TX)- $178,150
• Mac Thornberry (R-TX)- $157,950
• Mike Rogers (R-AL)- $150,200
• Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)- $134,300
• Rob Wittman (R-VA)- $120,200
• Pete Viscloskey (D-IN)- $119,500

I suppose if every single incumbent was defeated in one fell swoop, the U.S. could wind up with meaningful campaign finance reform. Short of that... I'm not betting on it.