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Forum Post: Why Big Business Owns Congress

Posted 11 years ago on July 2, 2012, 3:40 p.m. EST by LeoYo (5909)
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Why Big Business Owns Congress

Sunday, 01 July 2012 20:26 By Zaid Jilani, Republic Report | Report

http://truth-out.org/news/item/10096-why-big-business-owns-congress

In a piece about populism and the Democratic Party in Politico, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) explained how Big Business has, through its ability to tap into an extraordinary amount of campaign contributions, independent expenditures, and other electoral interventions, been able to own Congress:

"They own the Republican Party, and they have too much influence in my party, I mean there's no question about that," said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), a true-blue populist up for reelection who has had $8.3 million spent against him already by third-party groups, most of them allies of business . "That's why wealth is so concentrated at the top. And that's all enforced now by this outside spending. Every member around here has had to have thought at times that, 'If I vote this way the wrath of God is coming down on me.'"

As we covered earlier this year, Brown has been one of the Senate's most outspoken fighters against policies pushed by Corporate America. As a result, he's one of Big Money's top targets this year.

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[-] 1 points by jrhirsch (4714) from Sun City, CA 11 years ago

The truth is most of Brown's political contributions were from business. About $12 million in total contributions between 2007 and 2012. Only $2 million, 16%, came from small contributors of less than $200 per donor.

See the details here at opensecrets.org

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=2012&cid=N00003535&type=C#cont

In comparison, Senator Bernie Sanders gets over 50% of his contributions from people giving $200 or less.

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000528&cycle=2012

[-] 1 points by beautifulworld (23769) 11 years ago

Getting money out of politics is one of the most important issues we should be focusing on.