Democrats in the House Part Five

Below is a list of the current crop of Democrats in the House of Representatives. After each name is information listing those Big Business/Banking/Finance Industry people who have bought influence with them. Money with which the 99% cannot compete. Money which, due to the rules and regulations governing our Plutocracy – has furthered existing corruption and put the needs of the People as a distant second place in the priorities of our elected office-holders.

 

Jerrold Nadler, New York

Rep. Nadler is a New York Congressman whose district runs from the liberal elite’s bastion of the Upper West Side southward through the faux-hemian neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and Chelsea – stopping at the World Trade Center site before crossing the Brooklyn Bridge to the working class neighborhoods of Brooklyn straight through to Coney Island and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a diverse district – and he has a diversity of funding. He’s supported by labor and other 99% institutions. But the 1% is not without its sway over this New York Democrat. Over a quarter million dollars of his funding comes from those anti-union firms in the construction industry. Over a half million dollars comes from Securities and Investment, $50,000 of which comes solely from the New York Mercantile Exchange. This exchange trades futures and commodities, artificially increases the price of things such as Oil and Gasoline through speculation. Big Law rears its ugly head as well, with the Mergers and Acquisitions specialists Weil, Gotshal, & Manges donating handsomely to the campaigns of the Congressman – who likely at times votes on issues of anti-trust legislation.

 

Sanford Bishop, Georgia

Synovus Financial Corporation has given over $115,000 to House Member Bishop’s campaigning.  At the beginning of the on-going mortgage crisis Synovus and its poor and immoral business practices had 32 banks under its umbrella. These banks carried more than 5% of its assets in toxic housing loans (5% is the magic number of toxic loans that causes a tipping point in the bank’s finances). Under a fairer capitalism, this bank should have failed – its customer’s money protected by insurance. Unfortunately, this is not the America we live in and instead of failing Synovus received over $976 BILLION dollars from the taxpayers of the United States, laid off 850 employees, and gave Congressman Bishop his pay-check.

 

James Clyburn, South Carolina – Assistant Minority Leader

South Carolina is a ‘right-to-work’ state, which essentially means that there are few laws protecting worker’s rights to unionize. This not only undermines the workers of the State itself, but forces a race to the bottom among the other 49 States in the Union to protect the existence of ANY jobs, let alone Union ones. So is it any surprise that giants such as non-tax-paying General Electric Corp, with large manufacturing plants in South Carolina, donates large sums to State Representative including Mr. Clyburn? Is it any coincidence that the United Parcel Service, who has long had problems with the Teamsters Union donated more money to Representative Clyburn than any other single entity (including the Teamsters themselves)? Somehow, is it not even worse when the leadership of a Party takes corporate money in defiance of the 99%?

 

Anna Eshoo, California

Where does Big Business go in California to express their corporate personhood? One could argue they stop by the offices of Silicon Valley Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. Rep. Eshoo has been giving over 3/4 of a million dollars in free speech from Pharmaceutical Companies alone. Corporations among those that have singularly handed over tens of thousands of dollars in political influence to the Congresswoman are Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett Packard, and Oracle. Furthermore, Wall Street money doesn’t just express its 1st Amendment rights among New York legislators, Anna Eschoo has taken in thousands upon thousands from Ernst & Young, the National Venture Capital Association, and commercial real-estate firm Marcus & Millichap. Think it ends there? Well, no it does not as Lockheed Martin also handsomely contributes to Eshoo for Plutocracy.

 

Carolyn Maloney, New York

She’s elected by New York 14 on the East Side of Manhattan and Queens. That said, does the fact that this Congresswoman took in more than $1 million dollars from the Securities and Investment industry change who she represents in Congress? Perhaps she represents Goldman Sachs who gave her $72,000, or New York Life Insurance who gave her $71,000. Does the real estate firm Fisher Brothers’ $64,000 play a role when issues come to a vote, or does the hundreds of thousands of dollars from the New York Mercantile Exchange,  American Bankers Association, and JP Morgan Chase & Co. play a bigger role? Oh hell, does it really matter what segment of the 1% get dibs on her voting practices, the point is that the 99% does not.

 

 

Democrats in the House Part Four

Below is a list of the current crop of Democrats in the House of Representatives. After each name is information listing those Big Business/Banking/Finance Industry people who have bought influence with them. Money with which the 99% cannot compete. Money which, due to the rules and regulations governing our Plutocracy – has furthered existing corruption and put the needs of the People as a distant second place in the priorities of our elected office-holders.

Nita Lowey, New York 

Rep. Nita Lowey – face of the corruption provided by the alliance of political and financial power. Congresswoman Lowey has accepted more than $1.5 million dollars from the Securities and Investment industry. Sure, she takes loads of money from unions and many of those unions are public sector unions however, that doesn’t downplay the role that her predominant financial backers play. Who are those who influence her vote? Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, the American Hospital Association, and Citigroup. So who is it Miss Lowey? The workers of the Nation? Or the Lloyd Blankfein? As if we really even need to ask.

Jim McDermott, Washington

Congressman McDermott is in the House of Representatives. He votes constantly on issues of defense, healthcare, and attempts at tort reform. So, the constituents must ask Mr. McDermott, upon receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the likes of the country’s Trial Lawyers, AFLAC, the pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough, and defense contractor Boeing, how does this money reflect in his vote? How can we as his constituents hold as much sway and influence over his decision making as those who can out-bribe and out-lobby us? We’re waiting Congressman McDermott.

Richard Neal, Massachusetts

Rep. Neal of Massachusetts has taken in over $7.5 million dollars in campaign contributions. The list of unsavory corporate characters include Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Wall Street firm Fidelity Investments, that non-tax paying monster known as General Electric, insurance company AFLAC, Liberty Mutual Insurance, New York Life Insurance, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, and the United Parcel Service. Congressman Neal voted in favor of Obamacare, which amounted to a huge increase of net costumers for the insurance industry and did nothing to reduce health care costs – instead of a fused system of a public option that better (and more frugally) serves the 99%.

Jim Moran, Virginia

Congressman Moran has voted to allow unfettered arms shipments to China. He has voted to continue the embargo on Cuba. He has voted against adopting the 9/11 commission recommendations. He has continually voted yes to the continuation of the US Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq along with other misc. US operations abroad. He has voted to allow funding for the defunct missile defense system. On the other hand he has voted in some very pro-Peace ways. It seems that Mister Moran is a conflicted individual. Perhaps this is because he has received nearing a million dollars in campaign funding from ManTech Int, PMA Group, Boeing, ProLogic, Planning Systems Inc, BriarTek Inc, and Lockheed Martin – companies all with large defense contracts. The 99% should urge Congressman Moran to drop his corporate buddies and continue to vote with his conscience in the future – or the 99% should force him into early retirement.

Collin Peterson, Minnesota – Ranking Member Agriculture Committee

Mister Peterson sits on the Agriculture Committee. Is there any surprise then that he has taken over $840,000 from the Crop Production and Basic Processing Industry – that is corporate farming. He has taken in over half a million dollars from those corporations that make agricultural products and provide services to farmers. And nearly $100,000 has come from the American Crystal Sugar company. So, the corporate interests that grow crops on corporate farms, produce the machinery and services small farmers require, and sell these products to consumers have found it to their advantage to buy off a ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee. This, sadly, is not shocking.

Democrats in the House Part Three

Below is a list of the current crop of Democrats in the House of Representatives. After each name is information listing those Big Business/Banking/Finance Industry people who have bought influence with them. Money with which the 99% cannot compete. Money which, due to the rules and regulations governing our Plutocracy – has furthered existing corruption and put the needs of the People as a distant second place in the priorities of our elected office-holders.

Nancy Pelosi, California – House Minority Leader

Leader Pelosi gets most of her money from unions. However, various corporate firms contribute amounts that provide significant influence over this powerful political leader. Nearly 1 million dollars of her funding comes from Law Firms and Lawyers. Over $700,000 has been contributed to Nancy Pelosi from Securities and Investment firms, over $600,000 from the Real Estate industry, nearly half a million from Lobbying firms, and tens of thousands from wineries, a powerful corporate influence in her home state of California.

Sander Levin, Michigan – Ways and Means Committee

The House Ways and Means Committee holds jurisdiction over entitlement programs along with tariffs and taxation. A powerful committee in our system of government. Mister Levin receives corporate influence from Automobile Manufacturer General Motors – a company with a serious interest in tariff policy. He has also accepted nearly $100,000 from defense contractor General Dynamics and over $330,000 from Lobbying firms with various corporate interests.

Edolphus Towns, North Carolina

Rep. Towns accepts money from the corporate media and cable television world. The corporate influence placed upon Mr. Towns’ decision making doesn’t end there however. He has taken tens of thousands of dollars from telecommunications giant AT&T, technology behemoth Microsoft and shipping/postal company UPS. Additionally, although taking money from various unions important in his congressional district, Rep. Towns has been bought by the 1% in his taking of hundreds of thousands of dollars in money from the health care industry including United Health and Pfizer Pharmaceutical.

Pete Visclosky, Indiana

Congressman Visclosky takes corporate funding. Over half a million dollars of his campaign funding comes from Lobbying firm and hundreds of thousands more come from utilities and law firms. Specific companies included in Mister Visclosky’s war chest include defense contractors such as General Atomics and the defense lobbying firm PMA Group.  The software firm ProLogic also contributes large sums of money to the Congressman’s election bids.

Eliot Engel, New York

Rep. Engel is funded by Verizon. That is, the telecommunications mega-firm has donated more than $110,000 to his election campaigning. Over a quarter million dollars have come into the pockets of Mister Engel from telephone utilities and the securities and investment industry. Curiously, he also received over $100,000 from the for-profit Monroe College in the Bronx, New York.

Democrats in the House Part Two

Below is a list of the current crop of Democrats in the House of Representatives. After each name is information listing those Big Business/Banking/Finance Industry people who have bought influence with them. Money with which the 99% cannot compete. Money which, due to the rules and regulations governing our Plutocracy – has furthered existing corruption and put the needs of the People as a distant second place in the priorities of our elected office-holders.

 

Norm Dicks, Washington – Member of Appropriations Committee

The Appropriations Committee is arguably the most powerful committee in the US House of Representatives. This Committee is the one which advises where money should be spent in the body of Government that controls the US Government Budget. Any corporate influence on a member of this Committee is amplified by this reality. So, it should really come as no surprise that the 1% has bought Rep. Dicks and are getting what they’ve paid for, in spades. Has this money gone to defense? Well considering well over $300,000 of the Congressman’s campaign funding has come from defense contractors – no doubt. To make matters work PMA Group has given the Representative over $100,000. PMA Group is a lobbying firm established by a former Defense Appropriations Committee member and now advocates on behalf of the defense industry.  Denny Miller Associates, another lobbying firm with Defense ties has also donated tens of thousands of dollars to Rep. Dicks and his reelection bids. Has this money gone to other big business? But, of course. Substantial funding has come from Microsoft, and from Weyerhaeuser – a logging and forestry company who seeks to decrease regulation and environmental controls on its industry, an industry with a large interest in Rep. Dicks’ state.

 

Nick Rahall, West Virginia – Transportation Committee

Is it any surprise that a member of the Transportation Committee. This is a committee which will decide on regulation of our nation’s transit system, help decide on issues of High Speed Rail construction, and handle regulation and infrastructure related to rail and air shipping of good across the nation. So it should come as no surprise that Rep. Rahall receives not just substantial funds from the Unions and workers associated with this industry – but also from the more powerful and influential corporate entities which have a stake in these decisions. FedEx, Lobbyists, the Airline Industry, and Railroads such as Norfolk Southern have all donated substantially to Congressman Rahall’s elections.

 

Barney Frank, Massachusetts – Financial Services Committee

Barney Frank is presenting himself as a hero in the fight against banks. But a short survey of history will show that Rep. Frank has been in the pocket of Banks and Wall Street in the past and only began to speak a different language when public opinion turned against these industries. Much like former Senator Dodd, Mr. Frank knows who has buttered his bread. Their oft described ‘landmark legislation’ Dodd-Frank, all known is a farce and impotent piece of paper against Wall Street and corporate greed. To prove this point further let’s look at who helps Barney Frank get elected over–and-over again. Fidelity Investments (Wall Street), Bank of America (Big Banks), and the National Association of CPAs (Employees of Wall Street & Big Banks). Perhaps more disheartening on a personal level for Occupy Wall Street protesters, another large contributor to Frank’s campaigns in the American Bankers Association who was approached by at least one lobbying firm as an ally in an anti-Occupy smear campaign.

 

Steny Hoyer, Maryland – Minority Whip

A party Whip’s job is to ensure Party loyalty in legislative fights. This is not a position that the 99% should want corrupted by corporate influence and domination – but alas, of course it is. Rep. Hoyer gets his money from the usual suspects, and not the 99%. The influence of the 1% reads loud and clear with Congressman Hoyer’s contributors. There are utility companies, insurance companies, investment firms, and the Israeli lobby. There is the notorious American Banker’s Association, the anti-Union American Hospital Association, and the defense contractors such as ManTech International – who has interest and contracts in 40 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of operation in the War on Terror. Has Mister Hoyer been compromised when deciding issues of ending the war? Wall Street and bank oversight? Union-rights? Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes.

 

Howard Berman, California – Foreign Affairs Committee

Should a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee receive tens of thousands of dollars from lobbyists whose sole mission is to promote a particular foreign policy stance for our Nation regarding another Nation, ally or not? If they answer is no, then Howard Berman is not your man – he has accepted nearly half a million dollars from the Israeli lobby. Beyond that issue he has accepted thousands of dollars from other lobbying firms with specific corporate interests, and from NewsCorp, the media conglomerate of Rupert Murdoch which includes the New York Post, FoxNews, and the Wall Street Journal – all of whom have very specific – pro Wall Street and anti-99% policy views. Howard Berman, Democrat – California, Corporate Shill.

 

Democrats in the House Part One

Below is a list of the current crop of Democrats in the House of Representatives. After each name is information listing those Big Business/Banking/Finance Industry people who have bought influence with them. Money with which the 99% cannot compete. Money which, due to the rules and regulations governing our Plutocracy – has furthered existing corruption and put the needs of the People as a distant second place in the priorities of our elected office-holders.

 

John Dingell, Michigan – Dean of the House.

Among this Michigan representative’s main contributors are naturally the Automobile Manufacturers of Ford Motor Company and General Motors. But, it doesn’t stop there. BellSouth and Comcast telecommunication behemoths have each given over $100,000 to Rep. Dingell, as has the utility firm DTE Energy. DTE is one of the few utilities in the nation who report late payment on its customer’s credit report, previously they had only reported seriously delinquent accounts, which was also rare, however recently they have expanded this disservice to all level of delinquency, even minor. CMS Energy, another Michigan based utility firm gave Rep. Dingell nearly $100,000 in donations. CMS explores for oil in war torn countries such as Eritrea.

 

John Conyers, Michigan – Ranking Member Judiciary Committee

Rep. Conyers’ largest contributor is a Labor Union. After that the 1% begins to take over as a primary influence in his policy-making. AT&T, professional Poker Players, DISH Network, and several bundlers including those which rake in money from Trial Lawyers, Recording Industry executives, and Surgeons. Considering the dominance of court cases surrounding the issues of medical malpractice, record piracy, free internet, and anti-trust and competition issues surrounding the telecommunication industry is there any real doubt as to the reason that this Representative, a ranking member of the Judiciary Committee has received boatloads of money from these particular industries? The only question is what has the wealth of the 1% purchased from this elected official?

 

Charles Rangel, New York

Rep. Charles Rangel has fought of corruption allegations in recent years, losing his positions on House Committees and resulting in a distancing act from his fellow Democrats and a smear campaign (justified?) on the part of Right-Wing groups. But the question is : has the 1% saw his poor choices and potentially illegal practices as a reason to shy away from buying influence? The short answer: no. Especially, if you are from the Insurance, Finance, or Property Management Firms. New York Life and AFLAC have given Rangel well over $100,000 in campaign funds, MetLife has only managed to eke out slightly more than $90,000. On the Finance front, Goldman Sachs has given the Manhattan based Rep. more than $100,000. And then there is General Electric, the largest corporation in the United States – who paid zero taxes after Federal subsidy last year. Luckily some money did go into the Goverment: over $106,000 was used to buy votes from Representative Charles Rangel.

 

Henry Waxman, California – Ranking Member Energy and Commerce Committees

Rep. Waxman gets some money from some legitimate organizations that work for the 99%. However, he is not the definition of a clean politician when it comes to corporate influence in his decision making. Among his 1% financiers is the Walt Disney company ($60,000+), Trial Lawyers ($60,000+), and the American Hospital Association – who in a strange twist coerces politicians to fight against Union rights to organize. This organization works against our nurses, janitors, and other hospital workers and for the 1% hospital owners who have been successful in turning human sorrow and tragedy into a profit-making endeavor. Rep. Waxman has taken $81,000+ from the Corporate Hospitals.

 

Edward Markey, Massachusetts – Natural Resources Committee

Congressman Markey works for the 1%. Most Democrats take money from corporations, however most of them are also influenced financially by other groups which one could argue might temper their legislative support in a way that might mitigate some of that influence from the 1%. Rep. Markey is not one of these Congresspeople. Of his top contributors, 3 of them are Law Firms. 4 of them are telecommunications firms : AT&T, Qualcomm, Viacom and Comcast contributing over a quarter million dollar to Rep. Markey’s campaigning. Furthermore Markey has taken in nearly $60,000 from Lobbying Firm Cassidy and Associates whose parent company Interpublic Group not only spends millions lobbying American politicians but seeks to do the same for the 1% world-wide. Top all this corporate power and influence off with tens of thousands of dollars from defense contractor Raytheon – and you’ve got one sheep of a congressman being herded by the Plutocrats of America.