Oil Industry Likes Obama -- But They Love McCain

Open Secrets:

Much has been made of Barack Obama's TV ad this week that accuses John McCain of being "in the pocket" of the oil industry, and yesterday the Democratic Party launched a website pairing McCain and Exxon Mobil as running-mates. While McCain has raised considerably more money from this unpopular industry, CRP was surprised to notice that it's actually Obama who has received more from the pockets of employees at several of Big Oil's biggest and most recognizable companies. Tallying contributions by employees in the industry and their families, we found that Exxon, Chevron and BP have all contributed more money to Obama than to McCain.

Through June, Exxon employees have given Obama $42,100 to McCain's $35,166. Chevron favors Obama $35,157 to $28,500, and Obama edges out McCain with BP $16,046 vs. $11,500. McCain leads the money race with nearly every other top giver in the oil and gas industry, though -- Koch Industries, Valero, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, the list goes on. (You can see detail on all these companies in the spreadsheet linked below.) McCain also has a big edge with Hess Corp. -- $91,000 to Obama's $8,000 -- which has gotten some attention. And, overall, McCain's campaign has gotten three times more money from the industry than Obama's has -- $1.3 million compared to about $394,000.

Read the whole story: Open Secrets

Comments

[darthdarcy]

Why Obama is taking money from Exxon Mobil and also has Goldman Sachs as the biggest bundler of campaign contributions to him is beyond me...

Morgan Stanley and UBS as well are top bundlers for Obama...

Obama is not hitting hard on the real reason for oil doubling in price in one year, and that's the futures market manipulation and insider trading..

He has so many supporters willing to donate why take money from these sleazy corrupt operations­..?

[AzRealProgressive]

Good question.

[bwither]

Remember that CORPORATIONS don't make donations. Individuals make contributions.

And ultimately the difference between the two candidates on donations from Exxon is miniscule- $7000, when Obama's campaign has raised half-a-billion.

[ABCD]

Look, Every time I donate to the Obama Campaign..­.they require I tell them who I work for. I happen to work at a very conservative Law Firm. BUT do not be misinformed. I donated that $$ NOT my firm. So this type of reporting is disingenuous. So they guy who pumps the gas at Exxon donates some money to the Obama Campaign. He (the gas pumper) is NOT BIG OIL! He (the gas pumper) is just like me!

[dgscol]

It took more money to get Obama.

[mabinog]

yeah, how much more is going to McCain through middle class folks that the oil companies are funneling through. Hell, to be fair is Obama getting it that way too.

[jsinclair]

The key here is "How MANY donors?" gave the money to Obama vs. how many to McSame?

THAT'S the way you'll see who "big oil" supports. I have no doubt that the employees of Exxon Mobil are disproportionately giving small contributions of their hard-earned money to Obama, just like the rest of America is.

And that the people RUNNING and PROFITING from Exxon Mobile are giving LARGE AMOUNTS of money to John McCain.

This makes a HUGE difference when you're claiming corporate "support". What's the size of the donations for McCain and how to the NUMBERS of donors compare here?

Let's not mislead voters with phony GOP numbers.

[revue]

The oil companies are republican. They have always supported republicans.

Look at what the oil companies supporters attempted to do Al Gore. Ted stevens?

The fact that gas stations won't play Obama's add. That speaks volumes.

Now as for the individuals of the oil companies giving that's cool maybe they have another reason for giving. Like having a family. I think some of these people with families have other real concerns.

Make no mistake it''s the oil companies and McBush who are pushing for us to stay hooked on oil.

[legoh]

OK, when you go to post via "comments" you see the revised headline but the MISLEADING: "Exxon Mobil Donated More Money To Obama Than McCain" is still in the menu.

[WAstateliberal]

yet another bull sh-t headline from huffpo. Let's go through this again: corporations do not write big checks to candidates. People write checks, and everyone has the same limit. What is really going on here is that the execs of the oil industry like McCain, and the proletariat like Obama. Wow, what news! Give us a break.

[Heavy]

Exactly. Seems you have to spoon feed it. Must be in here getting their McSame website credits.

[legoh]

headline chaged: Oil Industry Likes Obama -- But They Love McCain

Thank you!

[legoh]

I see others have tried but I'll just add my voice to the chorus. Isn't this piece talking about INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE contributions?

I think folks should start boycotting Huffington Post until they agree to stop with the misleading headlines - left or right!

[truthyguy]

It was the "EMPLOYEES" stupid. Not the executive employees. Not the shareholders. The everyday hard working employees who see their jobs being shipped overseas, increased health care costs and plant closings in related industries due to the policies of Bush and those oil execs making millions each year.

[rasthedestroyer]

Mr. truthguy, some people don't care about the truth ...and that's kinda sad.. but..Hey' you get what you pay for..right­?

[foxbat]

In the 1980s movie, TheBigChill, Jeff Goldblum's character, Michael, a writer for PeopleMagazine, says of the length of the articles that he writes, "... pieces for publication should never be so long that they exceed the time it takes for the average reader to take an average cr*p." Oh, how I long for those days. People don't seem to want to read anything that can't be finsihed by the time they get back in the house from the curbside mailbox.

In an age of short attention spans, talking points, sound bites, and point-counterpoint segments between "strategists" that last all of two minutes before moving on to the next "breaking headline," the media has got to start doing a better job of presenting the material and it starts with the headline.

Yesterday, the new Republican strategist talking point, at least from Joe Watkins on MSNBC, was that Obama got more money from the oil industry than McCain. Already "ExxonMobil" has been replaced by the "oil industry." He did this on at least three of those two-minute point-counterpoint segments where he doesn't answer the question that's asked, throws in misinformation like this, then talks over the other strategist to eat up the rest of the segment which is always cut short to go to "breaking headlines" so the misinformation becomes truth after three segments. Luckily, David Schuster did a great job of calling him on it each time, but that's an exception and not the rule.

[dagnew]

M orn ing J oe was spewing misinformation this morning saying O got more money from big oil than Mickey C. Someone finally said the money came from employee contributions, but that didn't seem to matter to stupid JS. They are really misinforming on this one, and it really makes me sick! They never did say that Mickey C was getting more from the oil companies than O. And I take Huff Po to task for the misleading headlines! This whole presidential campaign is being skewed by the internet and the MSM. It is shameful! I just hope O can survive it, and the American voter will take a lot of it for what it's worth.....­.... C R A P!

[Glowcy]

.
parse, parse, parse

. .

[rollingdivision]

There's nothing wrong with them receiving political donations from oil company employees. There is something wrong with Obama's false claims of being "against big oil" to hammer McCain when in truth Obama has received lots of donations from big oil and more importantly, voted for the 2005 energy bill with enormous give aways to big oil. McCain voted against the bill and the gifts for big oil.

[JohnIII]

Yeah. It's amazing how that has been ignored.

[Ignorancedestroys]

Yea, and it must be ignorance to note the difference between individuals giving for personal issues rather than writting checks for big profits by CEOs.

[lpeggy]

This headline is misleading, and you can be sure it will be a Republician talking point today. Thanks HuffPost! :-(

[MegWe]

How many times do we have to go over this same crap? It seems that HuffPo is "proud to be ignorant" with these misleading headlines. Never thought I would say it - but... HuffPo= MSM.
BTW where's the new article today about the lastest trumped up Clinton drama?

[Gma11]

I was just going to post the same thing!

HuffPost is discredited when someone here keeps creating these tabloid headlines.

[TrooAmerican]

Youre right, but the article additionally doesnt explain clearly that most big industries always try to hedget their bets in donating to both sides. As well McCain clearly had gotten the lions share in the last 6 weeks as he changed his tune on offshore drilling to placate the oil industry's desire to Lock-In permits to do as they please in protected areas.

[CocteausTwin]

Well some lying witch for McFailure just claimed O got more money from the industry. Please let there be some grand punisher in an afterlife.