Defense Industry Embraces Democrats, Hillary By Far The Favorite

The defense industry this year abandoned its decade-long commitment to the Republican Party, funneling the lion share of its contributions to Democratic presidential candidates, especially to Hillary Clinton who far out-paced all her competitors.

An examination of contributions of $500 or more, using the Huffington Post's Fundrace website, shows that employees of the top five arms makers - Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop-Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics -- gave Democratic presidential candidates $103,900, with only $86,800 going to Republicans.

Senator Clinton took in $52,600, more than half of the total going to all Democrats, and a figure equaling 60 percent of the sum going to the entire GOP field. Her closest competitor for defense industry money is former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R.), who raised $32,000.

Insofar as defense workers making political donations reflect the interests of their employers, the contributions clearly suggest that the arms industry has reach the conclusion that Democratic prospects for 2008 are very good indeed. Since their profits are so heavily dependent on government contracts, companies in this field want to be sure they do not have hostile relations with the White House.

The strong support for Clinton indicates that a majority of defense industry executives currently believe Clinton is a favorite to win the Democratic nomination and, in November, 2008, the general election.

In the 2004 presidential race, defense company workers, almost all of them upper-level employees, gave George W. Bush $819,358, more than twice the $366,870 received by John Kerry. Similarly, in House and Senate races over the past 10 years, the defense industry has favored Republicans over Democrats by a 3-2 margin.

Republicans holding public office almost always provide much stronger support for weapons programs and other Pentagon spending than do Democrats.

In an unexpected development, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee and a decorated Vietnam War veteran, raised just $19,200, barely more than the $18,500 collected by Texas Representative Ron Paul (R.).

No other Democrat came near Clinton's totals. Running second to her in the competition for Pentagon contractors' cash was Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn), who raised $13,200, almost all from executives of General Dynamics which has a major submarine building facility in Groton, Conn.

Former Senator John Edwards (D-N. Car.) raised $12,200 and Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) took in $10,000.

Clinton's major industry benefactors - donors who gave the $4,600 maximum allowed by law -- include Roger A. Crone, Boeing's president of Network and Space Systems; Stanley Roth, Boeing's Vice President for Asia, International Relations, $4,600; Anne Sullivan, a Raytheon attorney; William Lynn, Raytheon's Senior Vice President for Government Relations; and Michele Kang, Northrop Grumman Vice President for health science solutions.

Comments

[Ammobob]

If this shift is TRUE, then the shelved 'GAY' bomb will become a reality. OMG!

[protagonia]

The Repubs already developed the "Gay Bomb", and it accidentally went off in their own camp!

[TiffShelton]

Leave it to a Republican to inject sex/sexuality in the conversation.

[Ammobob]

I could have interjected with the RACE bomb, but I leave that to whiney LIBS.

[Fuji]

Cool. Now the Left can play the war-mongering corporate shills. What's a good progressive to do, eh?

[dawlishgal]

I was told by a Democratic insider two things:

1) We (progressives) will have to understand that voting with the Bushies is being done for "the good of the party," because EVENTUALLY it will result in votes from Independents, and--although he didn't come right out and say it, it will also result in more corporate money for Democratic candidates.

(Of course, the reason they will get money is because they have BECOME Republican clones, but that didn't seem to bother the guy I was talking to).

They are OBLIVIOUS to the truth that there is no viable center anymore, and they aren't even asking where those Independent voters are going to come from...per­haps the 24% who still support Bush????? Lots of luck if they actually believe it is possible. Seems to me that way more than half of the current Independents want Democrats who are already in power NOW to LIMIT Bush's power and ifluence NOW.

But, hey, 'meetings were held' in which they decided that the interests of the progressives are in direct conflict with interests of independents, and they had to choose a side to represent the "party," and they chose the "independe­nts"...or as they like to call them "centrists­." As though such things actually exist these days. As though some compromise can be attained between sliming children and not sliming them (what is the "centrist" thing to do---perhaps trying to cut the sliming episodes down to half of what the used to be?)

2) (said with a sneer). "Who else are YOU PROGRESSIVES going to vote for anyhow?"

HOWEVER, keep in mind that the presidential candidates are still speaking as progressives, because it is progressives who will brave the winter cold and the wind and show up to case votes in primaries and caucuses.

I wish I weren't this cynical about the Democrats. I begged them to explain what they were up to, and finally one did.

[dawlishgal]

sorry...me­ant to say "CAST" votes...

[fact finder]

dawlishgal; All politicians are B.S. artist.

[naschkatze]

Your insider is mistaken. People, including and maybe especially, independents have other options. You can stay home and not vote. You can vote for someone of neither party, Republican or Democrat. You can write in names, and it would be great if there were a cohesive write-in campaign. As a non-affiliated voter, please relay to your source that he or she will not ramrod the Democratic party down my throat, and if push comes to shove and a Republican is elected for whatever position, you can tell your Democratic insider that with his/her attitude and with how the Democratic Congress has been voting, I don't see any difference between the two "national" parties anyway.

[liberalveteran]

One of the interesting things about our gold-plated, wasteful military is that is doesn't actually protect the country.

For example, when America was very successfully invaded by millions of illegal aliens, the US military was nowhere to be found guarding the US borders.

When the terrorists launched their 9-11 attack, there were no airplanes guarding New York and Washington-our two most obvious targets- and by the time they managed to get a few jets in the air, it was much too late.

However, our forces appear to be doing a great job policing the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Hillary has already indicated that she wants a vast expansion of military spending to build on Bush's vast expansion of military spending.

The very offensive "defense" contractors (aka Merchants of Death) are giving Hillary cold, hard cash because she will be very good for their business.

[Independent voter]

She is the favorite of the defense contractors because they know that she will continue the disaster in Iraq AND will inititate the new Clinton Wars in Iran and Pakistan. Look for Russia to help Iran.

She will send your children to die for her massive ego in the Clinton Wars same as Bush did.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!

[ellwort]

Well. Yet another reason to block a nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

[dawlishgal]

This goes a long way towards explaining why Hillary can vote against increasing Bush's military power and still take the most money from the war biz....Har­ry Reid and Nancy Pelosi (also in the pockets of the DLC) force the newbies to do the dirty work of voting FOR THE WAR. They NEVER had any intention of doing anything about it. THEY have had the power for almost a year, and all they have accomplished is to get enough Democratic congresspeople (especially the new ones) to vote WITH REPUBLICANS to give Bush even more than he asked for.

Congressional approval at eleven-bleeping percent and they are still babbling about the appeal of "centrism" (whatever that may mean...if it doesn't mean giving Bush and corporations everything they want, they had better hurry up and provide some other explanation)!

The Hillary-in­evitabilit­y-thing is a scam on the Democratic base to make them either vote for HC or stay home from the primaries or caucuses. DON'T FALL FOR IT!

Just as her money from big pharm and big health insurance means that we won't be getting any health plans that don't favor them in some way, the MI-complex must be fed even if we risk WW III.

We will get a repeat of what HC's REAL "experience" tells her: that if they come up again with a really bad plan, one hatched in private, one that is created by people who call patients "just another interest group," we will go another decade and a half with NO HEALTH INSURANCE at all unless we can manage to find an employer who will pay (and this group gets smaller every day). She has kept us from having single payer health insurance for well over a decade, and she intends to keep it that way.

[otispfudpucker]

so very true dawl
check this out if you want to get another blood curddeling moment
http://www.hillcap.org/default.php?page_id=2

[whomung]

Wow.... an "expose of Hillary" backed by the "United States Justice Foundation"

google them, and see who they are....

[rabblerowzer]

.
I'd like to think she's leading the boys on, but I fear she's already turning tricks.

.

[BronxBorn]

I have no idea what the fuck your talking about.

[andyboy]

We know man. We know. At least your honest.

[s4watson]

of course hillary is their favorite, she will keep them flowing in money by keeping this war going.

[WigWamWag]

We all know Billery is a sell-out. All the better reason to vote for Ron Paul.

[BronxBorn]

Ron Paul is a nut.

[olephart]

Let's get this straight. Ron Paul is an isolationist, 1930's Republican who happens to be right on one issue, the War. Other than that, he's a nut.

[andyboy]

BronxBorn is a kook.

Isn't Mr Paul Like a senator or something? Isn't he running for President?

What did you do big man? Let's hear all about how great you are.

[MoNut]

Ron Paul tops list of favorable candidates among the military despite his call for immediate withdrawal.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Ron_Paul_tells_Fox_We_are_1017.html

[TiffShelton]

Is this a good thing? Isn't she supposed to be representing the Democrats (antiwar party)?

We deserve to lose the presidency if we nominate a Joe Liebermann Democrat like Hillary Rodham Clinton.

[TankerRat]

And the Dem's will.

Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Hillary Clinton, the RNC, the DNC, and George W. Bush all thank you for your continuing support.

Just being facitious Tiff.

You are quite correct in your assertation.

[andyboy]

The United States of the Military.

If you listen closely you can hear the sound of uniformed hogs slopping at the trough of the never ending supply of money provided by the docile dullards known as "citizens" in these here United States.

Then there's the spooks. There's like 13 agencies out there of snoopers and peepers and listeners. Pure unadulterated paranoia.

I can't imagine how much our country is spending in total on the bogus bullshit war on terror but it's got to be in the trillions.

Boy they really did a number on us didn't they? The attack of 911 has caused us to go comepletely crazy. I mean they couldn't have prayed for a more intense reaction on our part.

We were supposed to stay strong and go about our lives and not let the terrorists win.

Right?

Well they won. We panicked. We overreacted. Now the criminals in the military have branched out into the private sector and are eating us alive. Congratulations America.

How does Bush put it?

We're safer but not safe. Once every nickle is drained from our economy we'll really be safer. But still not safe.

The biggest boondoggle bar none in the history of Man proceeds unabated.

When you vote for Hillary make sure you understand what it will mean. She is a stone cold Republican who rubber stamped Bush policy straight through.

Iraq. We suffer no sacrifice. Feel no pain. Therefore we don't object too strenuously. It's....wh­at's the word?.....­abhorrent? But let's all vote for Hillary.

Pretzel Logic. The idiot Democrats vote for the wolf in the sheep's clothing just like they wanted you to. Way to go.

[isis]

We could look on the bright side of this. When the people get fed up with one party and let it be known, the defense industry etc will donate to the other party. We are not likely to get them to go away soon but maybe we can somehow get them to make things that help the poor and the public schools if we make enough noise.

[ObamaSeeChange]

Surprise, surprise, surprise like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

[avergejoe]

No defense contractor left behind?

[BronxBorn]

It's politics folks. Grow up, or don't cast your vote.

And what is Arianne's beef with Hillary?

[olephart]

She's George Bush in drag or if you prefer, Rudy Giuliani as he really is.

[BronxBorn]

Bull shit.

[MrBritesnide]

You know you cn kiss Hillary's election wining ass...and mine as well.

[andyboy]

Dimbulb. BronxBorn. Dimbulb. BronxBorn.

Who's Arianne? WTFAYTA?

[andyboy]

Wow that was so heavy!

It's politics. More Swami. Encore.

[TankerRat]

You got about ten days and we'll tell you.