Obama, Clinton Fill Superdelegates' Wallets

The Center for Responsive Politics gave voters a lovely Valentine's Day gift on February 14 when they released this report on contributions made by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to politicians who are now some of the very men and women who could decide the Democratic nomination. Analysis quickly followed.

Do these contributions make any difference to the direction the superdelegates have now swung? The Center says so. They report:

Campaign contributions have been a generally reliable predictor of whose side a superdelegate will take. In cases where superdelegates had received contributions from both Clinton and Obama, seven out of eight elected officials who received more money from Clinton have committed to her.

Thirty-four of the 43 superdelegates who received more money from Obama, or 79 percent, are backing him.

In every case the Center found in which superdelegates received money from one candidate but not the other, the superdelegate is backing the candidate who gave them money.

Adding a bit of mystery to the already mind-numbing superdelegate process are the ways campaign finance reports from Senate candidate committees are filed.

Contributions to candidates for federal office are relatively easy to track, but money given to state and local officials is harder to spot. Campaign finance reports from Senate candidate committees are still filed on paper, making it difficult to know who is receiving money from them. For that reason it's possible that Obama and Clinton have given superdelegates even more than the $904,200 the Center for Responsive Politics has identified

For now, there is a great deal of "he said, she said" between the two candidates on the importance of these superdelegates, or as the Clinton campaign prefers to call them "automatic delegates."

Obama's fact check page lists numerous Clinton inaccuracies on the delegate matter. Harold Ickes, a top Clinton campaign strategist, has his own contradictory words quoted therein.

Now Ickes is the same guy who reminded us that superdelegates will not be descending on us from Mars this summer (thankfully), yet he claimed the superdelegates are more in touch with the issues voters find important than the actual voters themselves.

Some other interesting tidbits gleaned from the Center's report:

Obama is listed as having given $16,000 to Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa. But, Braley endorsed John Edwards prior to the Iowa caucuses. Sen. Tom Harkin, also of Iowa received a cool $10,000 but hasn't endorsed a soul, yet. However, he has been very vocal about his opposition to seating the Michigan and Florida delegates Clinton is counting on.

Rep. Melissa Bean (IL), received $19,000 from Obama, and is a known member of the moderate to conservative democrats known as the Blue Dog Democrats. Bean has been called out for her vote in favor of CAFTA among other issues.

A sizable group of other Blue Dog Democrats have also received funds from Obama.

Included are Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA), Rep. Joe Baca (CA), Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA),Rep. Tim Mahoney (FL), and the list goes on. Some received hefty amounts of $18,826 and $19,000 apiece from the senator.

Clinton gave $5,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson. Poor Richardson didn't have the same luck with Obama who gave him zip. Word in the blogosphere was that Richardson was angling for the VP spot with Clinton.

Other notable superdelegates who cleaned up?

Sen. Daniel Akaka (HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), and Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) each received $10,000 a piece from both candidates, though none have endorsed either yet.

Follow Christine Escobar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/greenparentchgo

Comments

[FOXYLADY]

THIS OCCURANCE IS TOTALLY NEW TO ME....WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE? SEEMS IT'S ALL A "WHEELING, DEALING POLITICAL PROCESS"..­.OR PERHAPS I'VE JUST BEEN NAIVE AND IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOREVER????????

[MajMike]

I can't believe this is legal, it's shameful to so obviously sell your vote. Shame too on those who would buy their way into office.

[Suprshrink]

This article begs the question: Just how is Obama changing the politics of Washington? He has consistently and inaccurately presented himself as above politics but he has engaged in politics as usual from the beginning and he has not stopped. This is just more evidence of it.

[FOXYLADY]

"OBAMA, THY MIDDLE NAME IS HYPOCRACY". JUST CHECK OUT HIS "CHECKERED" RECORD IN THE SENATE...P­RESENT BUT NOT "COMMITTED" HARDLY AT ALL......P­LAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE... IS THIS WHAT WE WANT IN A PRESIDENT? WE'VE ALREADY HAD A LYING HYPOCRITE IN THE WHITE HOUSE....T­IME FOR "CHANGE"!!!!!!!!!

[billsowlesforjohnmccain]

Where have you Liberals been for the past 150 years? During the Civil War, US Congressmen had the names painted on thier office doors, of US Corporations they represented. What goes around, comes around.

[eliandbo]

We should all know by now, we have the best government money can buy and the most corrupted!
The Supreme Court says it is "freedom of speech".
I call it bribery!
But what do I know?
The government has us stopping at stop signs and stop lights at 2oclock in the morning at intersections where it is obvious there is no other cars on the road, the governed are treated like idiots, but then maybe we are for electing these politicians.

[eliandbo]

We should all know by now, we have the best government money can buy and the most corrupted!
The Supreme Court says it is "freedom of speech".
I call it bribery!
But what do I know?
The government has us stopping at stop signs and stop lights at 2oclock in the morning at intersections where it is obvious there is no other cars on the road, the governed are treated like idiots, but then maybe we are for electing these politicians.

[wrabbitt]

Between Lobbyist money and paid for votes from super delegates its hard to hide the fact that our government can't work without someone paying someone off. Its a sad state of affairs, ever wonder why very few people vote? is there no hope for honest elections? Will the lying, cheating stealing ever end? When will Americans wake up?

[CheshireCat2]

This is absolutely insane irregardless of party affiliation. I could not believe it when I heard it that these super delegates were getting hand outs.

[iseebs]

Don't blame the candidates, its the system stupid.
America is controlled by money, run by money, manipulated by money.
The only way to change that is using the system to get in power.

[eliandbo]

We should all know by now, we have the best government money can buy and the most corrupted!
The Supreme Court says it is "freedom of speech".
I call it bribery!
But what do I know?
The government has us stopping at stop signs and stop lights at 2oclock in the morning at intersections where it is obvious there is no other cars on the road, the governed are treated like idiots, but then maybe we are for electing these politicians.

[eliandbo]

I'm shocked, I'm SHOCKED, I'm tell you, I'm SHOCKED!
There is graft and corruption in this country, I'm SHOCKED!
The question is how much money came to the Clintons from Communist China after he gave them the "most favored nation treaty" which allowed millions of good paying middle class jobs to leave the country.

[Adrienne4Dean]

Note that the $900K wasn’t distributed evenly:

Clinton gave $205,500 (12% of her elected superdelegates received donations)

Obama gave 698,200 (43% of his elected superdelegates received donations)

http://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=336

*****A

[bluestatedem]

Obama is showing his "Chicago Style' with all these payoffs. He is constantly mentioned in a payoff scandal in Illinois (he pleads ignorance) for a "special" loan package he received along with real estate he purchased 40% below market value several years ago.

If it's not Obama...an­d it's not Clinton...­it must be Nader. Hello Ralphie!!!

[flyguy14222]

More of Sen. Obama talking out of both sides of his mouth.

[induraman]

I agree kinda looks like Mr Obama is on a shopping spree. Oh thats right he is changing the tone of politics of old ways and replacing it with the new ways. Like 40 Mil a month who needs that much to run a race, Kinda insulting to all those folks that could really use it to ahh you know live. I would bet he is flying in style and sleeping in some very nice places all on other people dollar. Sounds new to me.

[bluestatedem]

When Obama talks about change, it's in this context;

"Did you want change back on that wonderful donation your giving me?"

[Chavez08]

If voting could change anything, the elite would call it "Terrorism"

[Svenson]

Obama's superdeleg­ate......


Farrakhan hails Obama as 'hope of entire world'

[bigdaddyvike]

Gee.Farakh­an throws his support behind a black man. Now there's a mind-bender. Don't even play the Musim card. It's not there.

[sarainitaly]

no wonder the superdelegates are jumping ship for obama. he pays better.

[Svenson]

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday that presidential candidate Barack Obama is the "hope of the entire world" that the U.S. will change for the better.

[KQuark]

You are trying to use this association to call Obama a racist like Farrakhan. You think calling Obama a racist first is the best strategy. The simple fact is that Obama is not a racist. He is half white and was raised by his white mother and grandparents who he loves dearly. Obama has never run as the "black candidate" and never used race as a wedge issue. If you have a problem with race it is about you not Obama.

[Progress08]

So. What the fuck are you getting at you dumbass. Anne Coulter is supporting Clinton.

[vippy]

This wherein the problem lies! No money exchange should be involved! As soon as money
is involved things become very shady. Change you want then let them set a precedent. How about exercising the government imposed ETHICS Rules "do not accept any gift/money from anyone." Keep it fair. But this only applies to us little people.

[clbrune]

This is something I find disturbing about Obama, from the story: "A sizable group of other Blue Dog Democrats have also received funds from Obama."

These are the same Democrats that continue to enable Bush policies, want Telecom Amnesty, and fail to take a stand on anything.

I understand that money talks in politics. I just think the Obama supportors should wake up to this and get off their Obama-is-h­olier-than­-Hillary horse.

[JMorgan]

I think you make the mistake of thinking Obama and Clinton are appreciably different. They're not. Both are from the center-rightwing of the Dem Party.

In case you've missed this story, Obama's National Finance Chair is billionaire Hyatt hotel and real estate developer and heiress Penny Pritzker who was the architect for the subprime scandal. Her brother, J.B. Pritzker is with the Hillary Clinton campaign.
http://flashpoints.net/index.html#2008-02-20

We have to face the truth that neither of the Democratic candidates represents the people's interests. With Democrats, the descent into fascism is just slightly slower than with Republicans. We keep getting screwed over by the ruling elites in government, in business and in the media. Don't you wish that Ralph Nader's words were coming out of at least one of the Democratic candidates' mouths?

This election cycle is a loss for the American people, no matter which party's candidate wins. Signing statements and a unitary executive are still undemocratic and anti-constitutional no matter which party the signing President is from.

"You got to dance with them what brung you." - Molly Ivins

And that's them with the money.