Who Does Big Oil Consider Its Most Devoted Sycophant In The Senate?

Who can Big Oil thank for rising prices at the gas pump? Well, this year, they are certainly rewarding John McCain more heavily than any other politician in America. So far this election cycle they've given him more than any two senators combined, a whopping $1,010,868. They're also showing a lot of love for John Cornyn (R-TX-$480,100), James Inhofe (R-OK-$220,350), Steve Pearce (R-NM-$204,234), Mitch McConnell (R-KY-$197,150) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA-$184,850). What do these half dozen politicians have in common? They all slavishly vote for every single bill Big Oil and Gas ever wants passed and each of them fights to prevent any bill Big Oil and Gas opposes. And each of them has to face the voters in November. (It's only McCain, though, who has 29 oil company lobbyists on his campaign staff!) Over at DownWithTyranny we've been trying to show the correlation between obscene campaign "donations" from special interests and voting records by the recipients of these "donations.

McCain will try blaming high gas prices on Obama and on the Democrats, but his latest ad is patently false and the fault is clearly bipartisan -- Republicans and the Republican wing of the Democratic Party, like Seantor Landrieu. As you see there are 6 bribe-taking whores listed above, the six worst, and they come from both political parties. Voters should evaluate all six appropriately.

So you can't just blame McCain or even just McCain, Cornyn and Inhofe. Examine, for example, the case of Ted Stevens (R-AK), a senator who most insiders know is for sale and always takes "donations" from big corporations and votes for their special interests. He's the 13th biggest recipient of "donations" from Big Oil this year ($95,600) and over the course of his Senate career has accepted $469,440 from Big Oil and has never opposed them on anything. It looks like voters in Alaska are finally wising up to him too. Just yesterday Rasmussen reported that Democrat and ethics hawk Mark Begich is beating him and "is now ahead 50% to 41%. When "leaners" are included, Begich leads 52%to 44%." Maybe that's because Mark Begich sees the connection between gigantic special interests "donations" and voting records that hurt working families.

Comments

[jollyelle]

Corporations and lobbyists are our government-we need to rid the system of the dealers

[bknott]

Your shock at McCain getting more oil contributions than any other TWO senators combined is a little naive, considering he's the Republican presidential nominee. Although your blog has some good points, you're taking the focus away from those points by making an issue out of something that makes sense. And no, I'm not for big oil or McCain.

[UnbiasView]

So what, the Dems get money from the lawyers at the same rate too.

In Washington, they are all gansters.

[AzRealProgressive]

Well said.

[castlerider]

I hope the DNC campaigns strongly to support Vietnam Veteran Rick Noriega for the Senate and help us remove that worthless do-nothing "Big" John Cornyn.
He has been a perfect example of a politician who does nothing for the average hard working American citizen and everything for the wealthy top 2% in our state of Texas.
Texas will be a hell of a lot better off in very many ways if we could get rid of that slug ball. He's as worthless as tits on a male hog.-That is, unless you're some big corporation. Then he'll be your hero.He'll be your "Big" John.

[AzRealProgressive]

Yeah, the guy is a lot like LBJ was.

[BADEN]

I call them the "haves" and the "have mores".

DLC, baby.

D.I.N.O.

Of all of them, Landreau is the most pathetic.

[hopeless277]

I'm sure gas prices will come down soon when McCain waves his magic wand. The corporations manipulating prices won't want their 'boy' to take a beating when it's so easy to correct.

[PATina]

The Republicans are really going down this year. I hope (although I won't hold my breath) the Dems will actually DO somehing w/ Congress.

[UnbiasView]

What part of 9% approval rating don't you understand? There are a bunch of goofs running the house & senate.