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

[Skepticat]

Another deliberately misleading headline - shame.
Some employees may actually worry about mortgages, higher gas prices and other mundane issues like everybody else - and may be dismayed at what's been happening in the country. I doubt if many oil industry working stiffs suddenly had their salaries doubled. Why would the old guy appeal to them.

[Liberoservative]

I give to the O campaign and my employer is the United States Navy and the Department of Defense...

Does that mean that USN and DoD favors Obama????

Yay!!!!

GO MILITARY!!!!!

[Seven7s]

This includes money sent in my employees also. Misleading article.

It's kind of like saying a GOP friendly corperation like WAL-MART is supporting a certain candidate because they added their employee donations also.

[JackND]

Why is it asserted that a person employed by X who donates money to a political campaign is essentially considered to be X donating money?

Once an employee is paid money that they earned, that money has nothing to do with the company they work for...it's their money.

Never have I seen an assertion more ridiculous.

[liseworks]

Thank you for pointing out what I was just asking myself, too -
Also, if :
"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", ....
....Then why did the front-page heading of this story implicate Obama in having received more than McC ?
I'm more & more disappointed in the ability of the MSM to "simply tell us the truth !!" & stop spinning stories to make them look different than they really are -

[Justsaynodeal]

I think this is called bundling of funds, a way for the employer to give more than the max allowed.

[Justsaynodeal]

I think the relevant factor is 0-man voted for Cheney's energy bill McCain didn't.

[Interested Party]

This story should be retracted, it is VERY misleading and the headline will be run by McCain. SHAME on you Huffingtonpost. Lose it and the columnist or LOSE your audience!

[JackND]

Yep, this article is far more misleading than Dana Milbank's.

[LivingStardust]

It's spelled F-E-A-R-O-F-P-R-O-S-E-C-U-T-I-O-N.

Buh-bye, Exxon. I look forward to the day you are nationalized and your current leadership is in prison.

[reggie1296]

Remember when Maxine Waters let the nationalization thing slip out? Even SHE realized she'd stepped in it - big time. Does Barack share her socialistic ideas?

[queertodaydotcom]

Dear HuffingtonPost
Please do not post misleading stories like t his. Employees do not represent their employees unless stated!

[Tropiholic]

Employees are private citizens who can donate to whomever they please. They aren't sending money on behalf of their employers. This is a very misleading story.

[macbabe]

Employees are NOT the same as lobbyist, I am confused, what's the big deal?

[ShamusNYC]

To chime in on a theme - the employees are not the employer. I work on Wall Street - but I contribute based upon my values - which may differ or even be at odds with any particular Wall St firm.

Think logically - if you were senior mgmt of Exxon, who would you be pulling for? The guy who's going to take away your tax breaks or the guy who's trying to find you more?

[paixa3]

good post...here is another angle: if Exxon (the company) would have given more to Obama, that is smart. Why? They know that they can steal all they want with McCain, they are not quite so sure with Obama. One has to protect their position.

[heal57]

They just try to cover all bases like all big business. They're all as crooked as our politicians.

[SMP]

Employees....regular citizens...............Obama

Industry.....CEO's and Lobbyists....................McCain

McCain in pocket of Big OIL!!!!

[Justsaynodeal]

I sit here and wonder why an employer would collect money from employees to give to a candidate. Isn't one's personal choice of candidate, just that personal? If I knew my boss was voting for Mr. X, why would I give him money to vote for Mr. Y. This doesn't seem logical to me... which leads me back to Co. bundling in the employees name to give more than the max allowed.

[kkuate]

And how do you explain Obama wanting to tax oil corporations? Have you heard him talk about the oil companies record profits at the expense of ordinary consumers? Has McCain denounced the beating that industry is giving ordinary consumers?

Somehow the media reports find a way to ignore important elements of any topic... How convenient!!

[Justsaynodeal]

How do you explain his voting for the Cheney energy bill, which included big tax breaks for oil companies and promoted nuclear energy?

[realist4Obama]

That is such cr@p! The company I work for has absolutely nothing to do with my political donations. How do you even type such BS with a straight face. Are you actually implying that my employer endorses the candidate I endorse just because I work for them. You cannot be serious!!! Please tell me you don't think we are that stupid?

[Justsaynodeal]

But does your company collect donations for political candidates? I didn't think that to be the way it happens.

[patriotic008]

How misleading. This headline is just downright sh*tty

[SWEETPB307]

High-Ranking McCain Campaign Officials Were Paid Lobbyists For Hess

Okay, here's some more on the ties between the McCain campaign and the Hess Corporation, the company whose senior executives all dumped $28,500 apiece into the RNC-McCain fundraising committee at around the same time as McCain reversed his previous opposition to offshore drilling.

It turns out that two high-ranking McCain campaign officials, one of whom is also one of McCain's more prolific bundlers, were both were paid lobbyists for Hess for roughly three years, according to disclosure forms.

The two lobbyists are Wayne Berman, McCain's national finance co-chairman, and John Green, who's been the McCain campaign's chief Congressional liaison since March. Both men worked for a firm called Ogilvy Government Relations. The firm has been paid $800,000 by Hess from 2005 up to the present, including $720,000 during the period that both of the two lobbied for the company, the forms say.

Berman, a prolific fundraiser and bundler for McCain, appears to still be lobbying for Hess
I keep saying the facts are the facts...and here ya go!