Kerry's Lobbyist Money -- The Actual NUMBERS

[Closer]

According to federal campaign contribution data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. John Kerry has received the most money from lobbyists than any other senator, current or former, dating back to 1989, when the Center first starting compiling data.

Contributions from lobbyists (excluding lawyer/lobbyists) to all senators 1989 through Sept. 31. 2003

1 Kerry, John (D) $638,358
2 Gore, Al (D) $595,589
3 Shelby, Richard C (R-AL) $490,314
4 Daschle, Tom (D-SD) $465,089
5 Specter, Arlen (R-PA) $434,143
6 Harkin, Tom (D-IA) $392,210
7 Dodd, Chris (D-CT) $391,026
8 Reid, Harry (D-NV) $376,004
9 Hollings, Fritz (D-SC)$369,209
10 Dole, Bob (R) $358,975


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The top recipients of lobbyist contributions of all federal candidates (not limited to senators) include several current and former 2004 presidential candidates (data from January through Sept 2003).

Top federal candidates receiving lobbyist money in 2003:

1 Bush, George W (R) $845,262
2 Gephardt, Richard A (D) $229,942
3 Kerry, John (D) $226,450
4 Shelby, Richard (R-AL) $199,671
5 Reid, Harry (D-NV) $173,510
6 Daschle, Tom (D-SD) $156,300
7 Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) $135,500
8 Specter, Arlen (R-PA) $126,971
9 Lieberman, Joe (D) $106,935
10 Dorgan, Byron L (D-ND) $101,318


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see a connection?

[in_cog_ni_to]

1. Send that to all the networks. They need to see it. n/t

[charlie]

8. Hah. What are the networks gonna do?

Apologize for the wads of cash they've spent distorting IP law and gutting FCC oversight? :)

[in_cog_ni_to]

33. Plaster it all over the airwaves

so the voters know EXACTLY who they are voting for. That's what.

[charlie]

40. It'd be nice if they would

But again, what are they going to say?

"Tonight we go undercover to expose how deep into our pockets we've stashed your federal representatives..."

[sangha]

59. It's awful that Kerry takes money from labor and environmental lobbyists

I'm shocked!

[frustrated_lefty]

2. I swear I am trying

to find motivation for Kerry if he gets the nomination, but it becomes harder and harder to find it. My wife just saw this and said "corporate whore" and stomped off.

[slinkerwink]

3. Kerry is such a hypocrite! So much for speaking out against special

interests when his campaign coffers have a lot of money from special interests.....

[sandnsea]

9. Balancing budgets on workers

That's being a hypocrite. Dean's family has money, plenty of it. Why doesn't Dean take responsibility for blowing his campaign budget instead of making his staff go without pay? What does that say to his union PACs about what he really thinks of working people?

[mikehiggins]

14. Whoops! Distraction from thread alert is ON! n/t

[sandnsea]

24. It's about character

Dean leads in HMO and pharmaceutical money. He's got millions in union PAC money. He claims to be the budget balancer, but when push comes to shove, he makes the people suffer. He's the one making these attacks, he pulls his character into question when he does it. When the 4th quarter numbers come out, we'll see who took the special interest money.

[Dantes]

49. Lobbyist money is given ...

Lobbyist money is given in expectation of something in return. If John Kerry didn't "deliver" initially to his lobbyist donors, he wouldn't be NUMBER ONE in contributions.

Corporations don't give big $$$$ for the sake of helping the poor. They give big $$$ for the sake of enriching themselves. Apparently, John Kerry has been serving two different masters.

[sandnsea]

55. Gore, Gephardt, Daschle???

Smear them all. They're all in on it.

And so is Dean. And so is Clark. And so is Edwards. Remember the bundling article that came out last week? It's the same thing.

[sangha]

60. Wrong, labor unions and environmental organizations

have their lobbyists donate money in expectation that Kerry will fight to protect workers and the environment

[HFishbine]

51. Fast Forward to the first Bush v. Kerry Debate

KERRY: Mr. Bush, I intend to take this country back from the grip of special intererest.

BUSH: Gee, John. You've accepted more money from lobbyists than any other senator.

KERRY: But Dr. Dean came from a wealthy family and suspended pay for his campaign workers for two weeks.

BUSH: Okee, Dokie!

[sandnsea]

53. And what will Dean say?

Well back before the 4th quarter of my campaign. Well no, I didn't open Vermont up to the American Ski Company. Well, uhm, I figured if we're going to have corporate tax havens we may as well have them in Vermont. I know I sold Vermont Yankee at the recommendation of my deregulators, but I've changed.

When you put $600,000 over 15 years next to Bush's one campaign, it'll look paltry. He doesn't have the record of actually cozying up to business the way Dean does. He doesn't have the record of bailing on campaign finance laws, TWICE. Kerry wrote the Wellstone-Kerry campaign finance bill with Paul Wellstone. Kerry will do fine against George Bush. Better than Howard Dean would.

[sangha]

57. Yeah, right! Bush* is gonna bring up lobbyists money

He's also gonna attack Kerry for being too conservative

[polpilot]

41. The pro-war DLC's establishment's candidate and Special Interests'

#1 guy!!!!!!! What an agent for change!!

Dean '04...

[_NorCal_D_]

4. In all fairness,

could you provide a link?

[slinkerwink]

5. here's another link

Anti-Special-Interest Campaign Contrasts With Funding
By Jim VandeHei

Saturday, January 31, 2004; Page A01

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who has made a fight against corporate special interests a centerpiece of his front-running campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, has raised more money from paid lobbyists than any other senator over the past 15 years, federal records show.

Kerry, a 19-year veteran of the Senate who fought and won four expensive political campaigns, has received nearly $640,000 from lobbyists, many representing telecommunications and financial companies with business before his committee, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

For his presidential race, Kerry has raised more than $225,000 from lobbyists, better than twice as much as his nearest Democratic rival. Like President Bush, Kerry has also turned to a number of corporate officials and lobbyists to "bundle" contributions from smaller donors, often in sums of $50,000 or more, records provided by his campaign show.
snip>

Kerry on Jan. 19 said he would "happily release any lobbyist meeting I've ever had," but has yet to do so. Cutter said Kerry will not release records until he compiles data on every meeting over the past 19 years, which will be a "pretty lengthy process." Kerry will not release it "piecemeal," she said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64727-2004Jan30.html?na...

[Leilani]

63. Thanks for this

Clark was called a lobbyist by Kerry all through NH; also his attack dogs.

So Clark made ALL of his records public; Kerry has yet to do so.

Kerry also made it sound like Clark got rich by lobbying. Yes, Clark made some money after leaving the Army, but a lot of it was geeky techie stuff, plus he wrote 2 books, made sppeches, made money on CNN, etc.

Sorry, Clark was not born to wealth, & he did not marry wealth 2 times. With his abilities he could have left the Army & made a fortune, but chose to serve his country.

I don't know what is going on here today, but Kerry is the big runaway favorite to win this whole damn thing, so why the slurs & attacks on Clark today?

[sandnsea]

6. Dean $2.7 million PAC

SEIU, AFSCME. Those are special interests folks. And instead of taking responsibility for blowing through his campaign money, he lets his staff suffer. He's got money to take out a loan and pay his staff. But no. He fixes his financial woes on the backs of workers just like he did in Vermont.

And wait until we get the 4th quarter numbers out. People will see where Dean's money came from. He's already taken the most HMO and pharmaceutical special interest money.

At least Kerry didn't hire a lobbyist to run his campaign.

Here's the link:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=696&e=7&u=/ap/20040131/ap_on_el_pr/dean

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. What's Dean got to do with this thread?

THIS thread was about the hypocrisy of Johnny Kerry. It's not about Dean.

[sandnsea]

21. Hypocrisy???

Dean leads in HMO and pharmaceutical monies. How is that not being a hypocrite??

[in_cog_ni_to]

35. The POINT was....

THIS thread is about Kerry. NOT Howard Dean! If you want to talk about Howard Dean...start your own thread.

[sandnsea]

38. The POINT is

This is an attack by Howard Dean and he's worse than any of the rest.

[in_cog_ni_to]

43. Howard Dean did not start this thread. Sorry. n/t

[sandnsea]

45. His campaign started the attacks

Get real.

[last1standing]

13. Please tell me you're not equating Unions with corporate lobbyists.

Unions are the representatives of the combined will of their workers whereas corporate lobbyists are representatives only of the self serving greed of their employers.

Maybe we need to remember who represents who here.

[sandnsea]

17. They're all the same

Who do you think lobbys for drilling in ANWR? Unions.

[sangha]

58. The same?

Paging Ralph Nader!

[last1standing]

65. They are not the same.

So many of us are able to express our views online, with computers, today only because our fathers - and mothers - were able to provide us with a comfortable living with the help of unions. The unions have worked relentlessly for the empowerment of the working classes, yet you want to lump them in with the lobbyists who work to deprive us of that very power. I don't agree with some of the unions at every turn, including ANWR, but I will always support them. And the last think I would do is try to blur the differences between them and corporate lobbyists.

[DancingBear]

16. Dean is not the point in this case

I shudder when I hear Kerry rail against "special interests" knowing these numbers as I/we do. It smacks of do as I say, not as I do, as well as pandering to the nth degree. How can he be taken at face value when he says this, knowing that he is feeding from the same trough?

He'll need to either get off this horse or provide info contrary to what will soon be reported in other places other than the Washington Post. It is important that he do so ASAP, because * can make some hay with it otherwise.

To head this rebuttal off at the pass - it doesn't make ANY difference how much money * gets from similar sources. He's not running as the reformer - Kerry is.

[sandnsea]

18. Clark is a lobbyist

Not one of these candidates is more guilty than another. They've ALL taken money from various groups, every single one of them.

[DancingBear]

25. Some more so than others, though

:)

Perhaps if would behoove JK (my #2 guy, BTW) to stop screaming "special interests" all the time, lest he be whomped in the face with these numbers

[sandnsea]

30. Then they'll all have to stop

Because they've all taken special interest money. Every one of them. Dean leads in HMO's and pharmaceuticals. He'll have to stop too.

[maddezmom]

28. Clark was a lobbyist

and they( all the dems running) are better than bush and his gang with millions of special interest money.

[mikehiggins]

31. Clark WAS a lobbyist. Kerry IS a senator.

Kerry WAS a senator long before Clark WAS a lobbyist, and lots of the money he has taken over the years seems dubious, to say the least.

Nobody forced Kerry to take the money, did they?

Its the way things are done, isn't it?

Its sort of hypocritical for Kerry to now be taking a stand against a practice he took part in for many years, isn't it?

I used to think the Dean supporters leaned towards self-deception. It must come from front-runner-itis.

[sandnsea]

37. Clark would STILL be a lobbyist

If he wasn't running for President instead. And have you bothered to look at everybody else's special interest money? They have ALL taken it. What matters is what they do and Kerry's record is fighting this money his entire life. Not cozying up to the system to make millions like Clark did.

[dkf]

20. And I guess someone who takes pharma $ would try to put together

a drug purchasing agreement with other states to cut costs huh?

C'mon. Dean is not motivated by $. He left Wall Street to become a family physician for goodness sakes.

Kerry is the one for whom $ is the be all and end all. Look at how he marries.

[mikehiggins]

23. SEIU and AFSCME are special interests?

Boy oh boy, if that doesn't sound like something out of the Reagan playbook.

So Kerry doesn't take money from special interests, only checks from individuals, some of whom MIGHT be lobbyists.

More nuances. By the time we're done with the primaries "nuance" will have pushed "meme" and "paradigm" right out of the running for top cliche of 2004.

[sandnsea]

26. Environmentalists, lawyers, ind. energy

Anybody is a special interest. Like I said, who do you think lobbies for drilling in ANWR? Unions.

[lancdem]

7. Kerry's not even close to Bush

Don't even equate the two.

[blm]

10. Perspective: Kerry's over 14 years and Gore's over 3 years time.

Does that make Gore 4 times corrupt, if your point is that Kerry is corrupt?

btw...were any of Kerry's donations from corporate pacs? Yes or no?

[ShaneGR]

12. Should the Dem nominee not take money from environmental lobbyists?

Or pro-choice groups? And look at #2 on that list, wonder who he endorsed? And who's running the Dean campaign now??

[dkf]

15. Oh how am I supposed to vote for John Kerry.

I'm cringing in disgust at the thought of voting for this guy.

I don't think I can do it...I know too much dirt.

[lancdem]

19. It's easy

Just reminder Bush is a thousand times worse, and you'll have no problem.

[jpgpenn]

22. Corruption all over again,

America deserves better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[sandnsea]

27. Vote for a military lobbyist???

How is that better?

[isbister]

29. I see a connection

The top ones have had a run for President

[Old and In the Way]

32. BFD

Kerry's going to make a great President when he ousts Bush in November. He's the people's choice.

[in_cog_ni_to]

42. Kerry will not beat Bush.

There's no way in hell that is going to happen. KKKRove will shred him to pieces. IWR vote. Patriot Act. NCLB. I can see it now....Kerry says..."We should never have gone to war in Iraq!" Bush...."But you signed the bill giving me free reign to do so." Kerry..."We have had our civil rights taken away." Bush..."But you signed the bill giving me the right to do that." Kerry...."Our education system is in shambles." Bush...."But you signed the bill authorizing me to destroy our schools." Oh yeah....that's going to be an unbelievable smack down by the KKKRove machine. He'll be toast by the time they are finished with him.

[Old and In the Way]

47. And your candidate was a Republican-turned Democrat who

was a military lobbyist fronting a TIA company. Clark will be destroyed by the RNC machine....maybe he's even *gasp* an RNC Manchurian Candidate.

See, I can play this game, too!

[isbister]

48. I can see it now

Like your father before you, you just don't understand that it is a matter of trust, Mr. President.

The American people trusted you to honor the will of the Congress and to respect the lives of the our soldiers. You broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to honor the Constitution of the United States. You and John Ashcroft broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to care for the education of our nation's next generation and you broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to act responsibly with our nation's finances and you broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to watch over our nation's resources, to care for our air and water and you broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to treat all Americans equally and fairly. You broke that trust.

The American people trusted you to unite the nation after September 11th and instead you used fear as a weapon against them so you could implement your radical right-wing agenda and line the pockets of your friends.

The American people trusted you to protect and defend our nation against enemies, both foreign and domestic, and you failed to do so.

I am here to let you know that I will lead the people of the United States to fight anyone that would seek to use fear as a weapon against them. With hope, intelligence and strength American will regain its confidence here at home and it will regain rightful place as the leader of the world.

[Old and In the Way]

34. BTW, are you saying Dean never took money from corporate donors?

How disengenuous of you to only use only federal office holders in your analysis.

[cthrumatrix]

36. facts are facts..... Kerry clearly is the "insider" who has participated

in what needs to change about this system

[Old and In the Way]

39. Sure, an insider that will unite this whole country and take back

control from the RNC/BFEE. Can't wait! They'll be plenty of changes to the system when Kerry creams Bush in a landslide.

[frustrated_lefty]

44. Yep. He's clearly uniting us here. (eom)

[Old and In the Way]

50. Lucky for us, here is not representitive as to how most Democrats

feel. Most have enough common sense to choose the man that'll beat Bush in November. Results to date support that conclusion.

[mzmolly]

46. And when your married to an heiress who can finance your campaign

you've got a Presidency bought and paid for. Gotta love them apples.

[Old and In the Way]

52. How about these oranges?

Kerry/Heinz put THEIR money where their mouths are.....Dean irresponibly blows $35MM+ of someone elses money with nothing to show.

Loved Dean's message, but his inability to manage his own campaign makes me wonder about his ability to manage this country.

[David Dunham]

54. Hold On: Much of Kerry's Money is from Pro-Union Lobbyists

[blm]

56. and environmental lobbyists.

INDIVIDUAL DONORS, NO PAC MONEY.

[meow mix]

61. cha-ching!

thats a really creepy photo!! lol

i can almost see the little dollar signs in his eyes.
and he's rubbing his hands together as if going
"money, money, MONEY! bring me more!"

id swear he's wearing lipstick. it really looks like it..

[Hoppin_Mad]

62. Thanks ! -nt-

[David Zephyr]

64. Interesting.

Thanks for posting this.