Fortune 500 CEOs Favor Dems: Gobs Of Green Go To Blue Candidates

The following piece was produced by HuffPost's OffTheBus.

Forget about corporate conservatism. According to recent FEC reports, CEOs of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies donating individually to presidential campaigns are investing heavily in Democrats in '08.

Within the elite group of 50, 17 CEO's have donated to a particular presidential candidate thus far; and while the corporate leaders are relatively split (8 gave strictly to Democrats while 7 gave strictly to Republicans), the Democrats are clearly winning the cash war. Democratic candidates have taken in $58,100 from the CEO's thus far, while Republicans have taken just $14,300.

Nearly all of the CEO's at the top of the Fortune 500 contribute to general company or privately organized political action committees. Research for this article focused solely on executives' personal political contributions.

The winner thus far? Senator Clinton has brought in the most cash from the CEO's to date with $18,400 in contributions. Senators Obama and Dodd trail closely at $14,800 and $13,800, respectively. In the Republican ring, ten CEO's contributed $7,700 to Senator McCain, $4,300 to Governor Romney and $3,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

The findings yet again seem to confirm that politics indeed makes strange bedfellows. Despite the reputed discomfort between Democrats and big business, the FEC data paints a vastly different picture of a dramatically changing political landscape. Clinton and Dodd each received $2,300 from Jeff Kindler, CEO of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Even Jeff Rein of leading Republican supporter Walgreen Co. dished out for the Democratic senator from New York with $2,300. He gave Giuliani just $1,000. Donating to multiple Democratic candidates were multibillionaire Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and James Sinegal of Costco Wholesale. Collectively the two CEO's have contributed $29,500 to four Democratic candidates, including the former governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, who exited the race in February 2007.

Comments

[rh654]

So the next time a liberal starts whining about Business being in bed with the Republicans - lets all just pull out this article to show them that it ain't always true.

[godlessclif]

Fortune 500 CEOs don't favor Democrats, they favor Hillary.

This is like the fall of Margarette Thatcher. Neil Kinnock gave Murdoch nightmares, he might lose his Sky Channel communications monopoly! He might have to pay taxes!!

So Murdoch and his rich pals found and backed that left wing poodle of the right; Tony Blair. LAPINO [Labour Party In Name Only]

[dr4Will]

they smell the roses--big change in the wind--see Lott ad other right wing nuts run for the hills!!!!

[UNCLEJOE]

The insidious core of our problems is not the political parties, it is the FEDERAL RESERVE BANK that replenishes the trough that feeds the corrupt politicians and finances the wars with inflationary fiat currency.

[msmaggie]

You don't get to be a CEO of a top company by being stupid. These folks see that the dems are on the upswing, they also see what a disaster Bush has been from a fiscal responsiblity POV. Interestingly, business, big and small, is starting to rally around the idea of some sort of nationalized health care--why not? They see that our health care system puts them at a competitive disadvantage globally.

On a larger scale, it is not surprising that the dems are starting to attract more and more upper income people. The repubs have become the party of resentment and blame. If you ever listen to (conservative) talk radio, one thing is very clear: these people are pissed off about their lot in life and of course, someone other than themselves has to be to blame--immigrants, Islam, affirmative action, the federal government yada, yada, yada.

[tkk]

They know the Democrats are going to win, so they're already trying to buy them.

[Tator]

HAHAHA Poor Ole Liberals you are getting snookered again by your leaders. They are selling you out to the big corps and then they are going to give them tax breaks then make up the tax breaks by raising YOUR TAXES. To good!!

[Dansden]

That's what CORPORATIONS do:
SEEK TO BUY INFLUENCE!

Check out the PBS investigations on Alaska's Senators and former Governor and how BIG OIL had them in their POCKET-
Ted Stevens and his family were the WORST!

Just because they are putting money in the Democratic coffers doesn't mean that those of us who support Democratic leaders will allow the CORRUPTION to go on like THE REPUBLICAN SUPPORTERS ENCOURAGED LYING, GRAFT, CORRUPTION AND CRONYISM!

It is all up to the constituency of the respective political parties:
IT IS UP TO US HOW MUCH WE ALLOW OUR POLITICAL PARTY TO GET AWAY WITH CHEATING AND LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

I'LL SPEAK UP TO OUR REPS AND SENATORS:
WILL YOU?

[naschkatze]

This is not a good sign for the people taking over again. The corporations are out there buying candidates.

[TheMinisterOfPropaganda]

Yet another Liberal double-standard, exposed.

Once the party of the working man, has now sold itself out.

[rollingdivision]

The Democrats are the party of the rich. This of course includes rich corporate executives who only make donations on an effective quid pro quo basis. How long will it take the "progressives" (sic) to learn the Democrats are the anti-freedom party which whole heartedly supports complete politician control of all aspects of our lives? Somehow the "progressives" are now deluding themselves into believing a political party supported and run by the rich is for the little guy. It is, just like kings were for the serfs.

[ConcernAmerican]

Even Donald Trump calls Bush stupid, Trump is a Republican, I don't think he would cast his vote on Guilliani, he doesn't like Rudy.

[rh654]

Business is business - most companies and businesspeople donate to BOTH sides so that whoever is elected will grant them some access.

And how they favor one Party or the other has more to do with who they think will win rather than much commitment to a cause.

As the writer's numbers point out - what this really shows is that all of the people who try to draw a link between the Republicans and Business is really just crap.

The link is between Business - and Whoever Is In Power.

[stupidforum]

Why should this development come as any surprise.

Bush's invasion of Iraq is a fiasco, not only politcally but economically. It's been bad for business. The nation's top investors', including above mentioned Warren Buffett, dreams of riches beyond avarice from the looting of Iraq remain unfulfilled.

Gore Vidal says it best, "[t]here is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt"until recently... and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties."

[GreedyOldPsychopaths]

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team.

Money, get back.
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.

Money, it's a crime.
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away.