Okay, so most of the people I know are not too happy that W has got himself another 4 years at the helm of this country. If you read my last post, I noted that at the time I was feeling disappointed, and that the anger would come later. Well it has. But, this time around, I am going to attempt to do something productive with that anger.
As such, this will be the first in hopefully many entries about what we, that is progressives/democrats/non-Jesus freaks, can do to stem the tide of the right wing neocon movement in this country. Although my ideas may come across as mere drops in the bucket, I feel that collective action around a unified cause will have results… I mean, look how we got into this mess in the first place.
This week, I’ve moseyed on over to a website called Open Secrets, an outfit that concerns itself with campaign finance disclosure. I pulled up the top twenty donors to both the Bush and the Kerry campaign. First the overviews:
1) Of the top twenty donors on each side, George W Bush’s top ten each donated over $300,000.00 Only John Kerry’s top two donors broke this mark.
2) 16 of Bush’s top twenty donors were large financial companies. (The other two included a business law firm and a large electricity generation conglomerate serving the southeastern US.)
3) Of the previously noted 16 financial institutions giving to the Bush campaign, six of them also gave to the Kerry campaign. In each instance, though, the Bush campaign received significantly more from the same institution.
4) Five of the top donors to the Kerry campaign were universities (three private, two public.)
5) Like the financial institutions, one popular company which makes, among other things, operating systems, played both sides. However, unlike the financial companies, this one donated more to Kerry than Bush
6) Four of Kerry’s top twenty donors were large, predominantly corporate, law firms.
Naming Names:
Bush’s top 10 (all over $300,00.00) :
Morgan Stanley
Merrill Lynch
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
UBS Americas
Goldman Sachs
MBNA
Credit Suisse First Boston
Lehman Brothers
Citigroup
Bear Sterns
Kerry’s Top 10:
University of California
Harvard University
Time Warner
Goldman Sachs
Microsoft
Citigroup
Law Firm
UBS Americas
JP Morgan Chase
Stanford University
Putting it all together:
Working only within the top twenty donors to both campaigns, I have removed those companies that have given to both. On the right, I am left with nothing but financial companies and the electricity generation company. On the left, there are: universities, law firms, two major media outlets, and a large international computer maker. What does this all prove? Well beyond the obvious, that academia is filled with lefty communist pinkos and that there really is a liberal media, not much. The trends shown by this little investigation are not at all earth shattering.
For instance, those who control large sums of money tend to favor the Republicans. Why? Generally Republicans are associated with a culture that is pro-business and anti-social spending. This ideal of rugged individualism, as applied to economics, makes the Republicans understandably more favorable to those who already control capital.
On the other hand, the large involvement of academia within the Democratic party sends a different message. The universities in Kerry’s top 20 were: UCal, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Michigan. This list itself is interesting, in that both elite private schools and public schools are on it. Whereas a place such as Harvard or Stanford could be written off as just as institution where the wealthy send their children, the presence of UCal and U Michigan sends a different message, emphasizing the power of strong, rigorously run state education systems. Although any college graduate will have an appropriate level of cynicism when viewing the entire notion of higher education, it is hard to deny that the experience often serves as a springboard for socially progressive ideas and actions. Both state systems and private institutions, while having to admit some students just to foot the bill, do offer enormous opportunities for those who have the talent but not the cash.
Recommendation:
Since financial institutions tend to favor Republicans, why not check up on the institution you do your banking and trading with? For instance, if you have an account in one of the “mega banks,” ask yourself, “is that giant network of ATM’s really worth it if the money they get from me is going to neocons like Bush?” If you think not, then find a socially progressive bank and do your business with them. For instance, check out this funky local bank chain serving the Boston metropolitan area: Wainwright Bank. Though their website is a bit hokey, their commitment to progressive social activism and corporate responsibility is commendable.
What’s most disturbing about the fact that the Republican party is so rich is that its biggest supporters are constantly funded by the likes of you and me. Sure we aren’t writing a check to the GOP, but when we patronize institutions that are heavily right weighted, we are doing ourselves a grave disservice.
Coming up next:
Although today’s “lesson” focused on the biggest corporate donors, next time, we’ll take a look at some other (non top 20) corporations and where their money goes. We’ll break down the relationship between the parent company and the item on the shelf at your local supermarket, and start to think about how we can consume for our future.