Pay for Play - Conservatives Busted Again

Cross-posted from Open Left

How much of what we see on TV, hear on the radio and read in newspapers or online as "conservative" or "centrist" opinion is actually paid for by corporate interests? In fact, how much of what we think of as "conservatism" itself is actually just paid corporate PR?

A story about "pay for play" is surfacing today in Politico. And to reward good behavior: I say good for them.

The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group's endorsement in a bitter legislative dispute, then flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.

For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: "Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU's Chairman David Keene and/or other members of the ACU's board of directors. (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)"

This follows the story the other day about the Washington Post and then reports of other media outlets selling "access" to lobbyists.

I have followed this stuff for some time, and I venture to say that most -- not all but most -- of what I see coming out of the so-called "conservative movement" appears to have been little more than corporate pay-for-play for many years.

I started thinking about this back when the "conservative" position was pro-logging. Remember how they mocked the spotted owl? (The spotted owl is an "indicator species," or a shorthand way to judge the health of an entire ecosystem.) I wondered why the logging industry was a cause for conservatives, but not the fishing industry, which was greatly harmed by the logging practices advocated by conservatives. The answer turned out to be that a guy who ran a corporation that had made a ton of money looting S&Ls (how come no one remembers the S&L Crisis?) had bought a lumber company and was destroying all the old-growth redwoods was hooked into (i.e. paying) the conservative movement. (Please read the links and follow the links there!) And so the "conservative" opinion became that logging old-growth forests was a good thing. Cash payment was the reason for this core pillar of conservative ideology. (The whole thing ended up paying off even more handsomely, probably thanks to more conservative movement backscratching.)

Over the years I have seen one after another example of this use of the so-called "conservative" movement to drive the interests of particular corporations, in exchange for money. We used to see it serving tobacco interests. Now we see it serving oil and coal interests -- and right now insurance company interests.

A few years ago I said at a YearlyKos panel, Ethics, Corruption and Movement Politics,

So, like I said the conservative persuasion machine and media echo chamber quickly moved past that initial far-right funding to also take in big corporate money. But corporate money is "interested" money - it necessarily has strings or it would not be given. And the strings necessarily go back to the interests of the corporation - not the public or the country - or even the conservative movement.

The movement followed the money and started to change from pure ideology to lobbying for the interests of the corporate backers. The think tanks began making arguments in support of what were little more than paying customers.

The corporations saw an opportunity and took over the so-called "conservative movement" and big, big, big money

As I said at the start of this piece, "How much of what we see on TV, hear on the radio and read in newspapers or online as "conservative" opinion is actually paid for by corporate interests? In fact, how much of what we think of as "conservatism" itself is actually just paid corporate PR?" I think the answer is pretty clear at this point, and that is most of it.

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Comments

[Querent]

You are so right, my friend. Another "key pillar" of conservatism that is money-motivated is their belief in small government. Small government is less able to control the wretched excesses of corporations. It's really that simple.

[MajorKong]

Follow the money.

[AmericanWarrior]

Great job.

[bobwalters]

Comment Part II: Granted, some Congresspeople and Senators indeed have some integrity, and truly try to represent the interests of their constituents, but they're all too often co-opted or their efforts nullified by their bought-and-paid-for "colleagues." State, county and local politicians, too, are easily compromised by corporate interests, and are cheaper to purchase. That's where most of the corporate agenda gets implemented, and is why the Rethuglicans push so hard for "devolution" of policymaking to the state and local levels.

[bobwalters]

This kind of well-orchestrated relentless propaganda has been going on since the Golden Age at the turn of the 19th Century. It's just gotten much bigger and more sophisticated, employing more and more whores from the profession from which I'm retired (clinical psychology/behavioral sciences) to refine the advertising message to appeal to more and more of the dumb and dumber, abetted by the unending push to turn education into job training. This is the handiwork of the fascist crowd that now virtually owns the government, down to the lowliest village council. Our country is in deep sh*t, and I don't necessarily believe that voting makes much difference, nor do I think "participation" in party politics has much impact, either.

I'm very much of the opinion that until a huge portion of the population is willing to take to the streets in protest -- as seen in Honduras, Iran, Tibet, and elsewhere -- "change" will be largely cosmetic (as lipstick on a pig) and will have little beneficial impact on our daily lives. Good examples are the roadblocks being erected to Obama's push for healthcare reform, and the ongoing rape of the Treasury on behalf of Wall Street/bankster casino operations, while unemployment and home foreclosures continue to escalate.

[The Meek]

I really doubt that Americans will take to the street. They are too easy to manipulate with frivolous issues like Obama's birth certificate, how old the earth is and etc.

If we do take to the street more insidious forms of oppression will be used.

[ncmom54]

Thanks for calling them out... hopefully soon, the foot soldiers will realize they have been exploited for the enrichment of a few.

[Dave Johnson - Huffpost Blogger]

When wingnuts leave comments denying global warming I like to point out that this denial is a well-funded campaign from Exxon and others. I like to ask, "are you paid to leave this comment, or, when everyone else is getting paid are you leaving this comment for free? And if so, what does that say about you?"

[The Meek]

GOOD ONE

[realpolitic]

So true! Conservatives pretend to speak for the working men as they advocate tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent and no health care for the masses. Then, of course, they sell their advocacy to big interests. Their objection to doing anything about climate change is fed by the energy companies. They objection to allowing government to bargain for prescription drug prices in Bush's prescription program for the elderly was guided by big Pharma. Conservatives are a party for sale to special interests and, unlike Democrats, most of the positions they take harm the majority of Americans, like mountain top mining.

[blueskybigstar]

Well done. Thank you for keeping things in perspective.

[The Meek]

I've always been at the bottom of the economic food chain so I'm suppose to be ignorant and uniformed, but us at the bottom talk with each other. I knew that the S&L folks were dumb and didn't care what they did to the country and that the bailout went right into their pockets. I knew that the WPPS nuclear power plant project was corrupt from top to bottom. I knew that the forests of the Pacific Northwest were being pillaged and sent to Japan while the perpetrators were getting tax breaks. I knew that the easy credit and housing bubble was a land grab by the banks. So what, there was nothing that I could do about it and the people that tried just burned themselves out or sold out.

Greed is more powerful than knowledge.

[Gidster]

It has become so i the last 3o years.

[alvdh1]

Someday, perhaps, politicians will recognize that people not corporations get them elected. When and if this occurs, we will actually have representitive government.

[Skepticat]

Politicians will ONLY recognize that people get them elected when people DEFEAT the politicians who have been working against them. The spectre of catastrophic defeat can some times get politicians to support constituents instead of lobbyists - but it doesn't happen without pressure.

[Wombat]

Remdember that this is the "Greed is Great" and the "virtues of selfishness" ( Ayn Rand ) crowd. So why are we surprised that they practice what they preach.

[strangelet]

Great story. The ACU's commitment to principles is obviously dwarfed by their commitment to revenue.

[FreidaPeeple]

Yeah. Those sneaky Conservatives. what a bunch of crooks. I'll be glad when we're finally a one party system. Yes we Can.

[spandautoseattle]

You are posting an abstract exaggeration. That doesn't make the recent vile practices of "conservative" policies not forgotten.
Conservatives are not the problem. But the realistic, rational thinking ones have obviously become a minority who are even fought by their radical counterparts.
A one party system is not an option, and shouldn't be for anyone. But the conservatives are well advised to rid themselves of the extremists who brought down the nation, national and international economics and fought hard to establish a one-party-system of their own.

[Dave Johnson - Huffpost Blogger]

I was careful to say "not all but most" in my post, because there are some honest conservative voices out there, people who do think through their positions and hold to their principles. I respect them. But not the corrupt extremist crowd that dominates today.

[TopProf]

A one-party system won't happen any time soon, what with that pesky Supreme Court and their life-time appointments. Get a grip.

[Gidster]

And their 5 activist judges, Scalia, Roberts, Thomas, Alito and Kennedy!

[Jakie7]

Republicans used to be the party of Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Now they are the party of corporate lickspittles. To whine that this intelligent post is cruel to 'conservatives' or that the author is calling for One Party Rule is a pathetic and deliberate misrepresentation of some very real news. For several decades, corporate money, abetted by corrupt think tanks has sponsored an outpouring of propaganda in this country. Is there seriously anyone who doubts this?

[Dave Johnson - Huffpost Blogger]

"Lickspittles." I like that word.

[MajorKong]

You didn't seem to mind so much when Rove was talking about his "Permanent Republican Majority".

[Gidster]

A one party system only becomes a bad thing when they are not the party!

The same old mantra, when "We" the Republicans do it, it's good for the country, when "They" the Democrats do the same thing, it's "The end of America"!?!?!?!?

Cue Carmina Burana, and scary imagery!

[BobLablah]

Is corporate pay to play any different than government pay to play, like they do in Washington and Chicago? Nope. Same scummy behavior by different characters.

[Dave Johnson - Huffpost Blogger]

Was that supposed to make some kind of sense? Government pay to play? What?

[BobLablah]

I guess a lot of people still aren't familiar with Chicago style politics. The point is that there are just as many sleezy politicians as there are sleezy businessmen.

[TopProf]

Theoretically, we can elect a new government, but we can't get rid of the corporate masters. And some say, the corporate masters own the government, so Blah Blah Blah.

[BobLablah]

Theoretically we can get rid of the corporate masters as well by buying their stock and voting out them out. The same sleazy policies exist in business and government.

[DamaskinosWasRight]

Good reporting.