AT&T Top Campaign Contributor Since 1990 $45,461,879 in campaign contributions since 1990 Tuesday Sep 14 2010 16:21 EDT Ars Technica played around for a little while in campaign donor records and found that AT&T "easily" qualifies as the top donor in political campaigns since 1990. Since that time, AT&T has doled out a whopping $45,461,879 to politicians, significantly more than runner ups the National Association of Realtors ($36,749,493) and Goldman Sachs ($32,660,452). AT&T's donations were bi-partisan in nature, though they did favor an Obama White House, apparently (AT&T was paid back with immunity for charges of illegal wiretapping): quote: Following the money is easy when it comes to AT&T. Figuring out the corporation's politics is harder. In 2008, for example, the carrier spent $14,736,518 on federal and state office seekers. But the company spread the loot around in a fairly bipartisan manner. Open Secrets classifies the corporation as a fence sitter when it comes to politics, although during the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama was clearly the telco's favorite.
Ars correctly notes that while AT&T does donate to a number of groups, many of them are simply given money to parrot AT&T positions -- in essence also becoming lobbyists. Granted, we're not even counting the money AT&T spends on fake consumer groups, PR agents, statistical magicians, "fauxcademics" and other efforts, all working (of course) on AT&T turf protection by ensuring limited competition, easing regulation on AT&T should they want to get into the TV business, or having competitors more heavily regulated.Most importantly, that kind of lobbying power means AT&T gets to have the laws changed, should they oh, break them. Repeatedly. |
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A rose..A rose by any other name is still a rose.. We should call lobby what it really is: a 'bribe'.
We have the best government money can buy. | |
| | en102Canadian, eh? join:2001-01-26 Valencia, CA |
en102
Member
2010-Sep-14 7:17 pm
Re: A rose..said by TongSama:A rose by any other name is still a rose.. We should call lobby what it really is: a 'bribe'. We have the best government money can buy. I agree on both statements. | |
| | fiberguy2My views are my own. Premium Member join:2005-05-20 |
to TongSama
said by TongSama:A rose by any other name is still a rose.. We should call lobby what it really is: a 'bribe'. We have the best government money can buy. You betchya... because those consumer groups, who also lobby, are just as crooked, right? I don't care for lobbyist, per say, but that's how the gubberment works... want to get some attention, you're more than welcome to raise money and lobby too. | |
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WellThey do get a tax write off for those contributions. | |
| | en102Canadian, eh? join:2001-01-26 Valencia, CA |
en102
Member
2010-Sep-14 7:19 pm
Re: WellThat's good for them...
Instead of just 'handing over money' to Uncle Sam (taxes), they're allowed to 'put their money to work' and pay Uncle Sam at the same time. Talk a about a racket. | |
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pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium Member join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD |
pnh102
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:29 pm
So?Why rag on AT&T or any other company that pays protection money to Congress? Elected officials, if they really wanted to, could solve this problem by not accepting such bribes. | |
| | bbrkdub join:2001-10-03 San Antonio, TX |
Re: So?Unless they're made an offer they can't refuse. | |
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to pnh102
Personally, I believe that only individuals should be able to donate to political campaigns, and only up to a certain amount (say $5,000 per year).
It would make politics in America so much more balanced, and lower the cost of entry for 3rd and 4th party candidates. | |
| | | FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ
1 recommendation |
FFH5
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 5:36 pm
Re: So?said by trekboy:Personally, I believe that only individuals should be able to donate to political campaigns, and only up to a certain amount (say $5,000 per year). Is that $5,000 total to all campaigns in 1 yr. Or is it $5,000 per candidate. If it is per candidate, then nothing changes. For example, George Soros has given close to $1M over 10 yrs, spread over dozens of congress critters. He is buying Congress 1 congressman at a time. If he can give $5,000 to each congress critter nothing has changed, especially when all his relatives can do the same thing. | |
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Re: So?said by FFH5:If he can give $5,000 to each congress critter nothing has changed, especially when all his relatives can do the same thing. Or a bunch of monks. Just ask Al "There is no controlling legal authority" Gore. | |
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| | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK Netgear WNDR3700v2 Zoom 5341J
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to trekboy
BINGO.
Corporations should not be treated like individuals and have the same rights individuals have to purchase "representation" from Government via contributions to political campaigns and committees. If they aren't considered a "Person" then the silly free speech arguments would be moot.
The people who make up the company are citizens, but NOT the company itself! | |
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to pnh102
said by pnh102:Why rag on AT&T or any other company that pays protection money to Congress? Elected officials, if they really wanted to, could solve this problem by not accepting such bribes. Subsequently losing the next election due to a lack of funds. | |
| | thenderScreen tycoon Premium Member join:2009-01-01 Brooklyn, NY |
to pnh102
I know I don't have any say in how a company uses its profits.
I pay a high phone bill. I like to at least be able to pretend it goes to things that matter.
I don't want my money going to 45 million in campaign contributions. I want it going to a network that works in New York City. | |
| | | C_9084Kill The Socialists Premium Member join:2001-03-19 |
C_9084
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 6:29 pm
Re: So?said by thender:I know I don't have any say in how a company uses its profits. I pay a high phone bill. I like to at least be able to pretend it goes to things that matter. I don't want my money going to 45 million in campaign contributions. I want it going to a network that works in New York City. as an AT&T shareholder, I could give two shits what you want. all that matters is maximizing my stock value | |
| | | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK Netgear WNDR3700v2 Zoom 5341J
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KrK
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 9:14 pm
Re: So?said by C_9084:as an AT&T shareholder, I could give two shits what you want. all that matters is maximizing my stock value And this is why the USA is circling the drain. Period. This exact attitude. | |
| | | | | thenderScreen tycoon Premium Member join:2009-01-01 Brooklyn, NY |
thender
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 11:43 pm
Re: So?Yeah people like C_9084 are a drain on society. | |
| | | | | | ThespisI'm not an actor, but I play one on TV. Premium Member join:2004-08-03 Keller, TX |
Thespis
Premium Member
2010-Sep-15 6:31 am
Re: So?Why would you consider someone who invests a drain on society? | |
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Re: So?said by Thespis:Why would you consider someone who invests a drain on society? People that want something for nothing are inherently hostile towards people that assume risk. The guy you quoted was probably being sarcastic, though. | |
| | | | | | | | thenderScreen tycoon Premium Member join:2009-01-01 Brooklyn, NY |
thender
Premium Member
2010-Sep-15 10:23 pm
Re: So?I just like poking fun at my wannabe Gordon Gekko IRC friend C_9084 every now and then. | |
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| | | | | C_9084Kill The Socialists Premium Member join:2001-03-19 |
to thender
said by thender:Yeah people like C_9084 are a drain on society. how's that charter stock treating you? | |
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to pnh102
Elected officials will stop accepting bribes at about the same time as (take your pick): --lasting peace in the Middle East. --A gay Pope is elected. --Muslims, Christians, and Jews live together in harmony. --Aliens land in any city on earth. --There are no more hungry people on earth. etc.
Bribes are simply a part of politics. There is no way to avoid it. There will always be a way around any election laws any government can pass. | |
| | | | | | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium Member join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD |
to old_wiz_60
said by old_wiz_60:Bribes are simply a part of politics. There is no way to avoid it. There will always be a way around any election laws any government can pass. True, but I am just pointing out that elected officials' behavior, and not the behavior of these companies is the reason that bribes take place. | |
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vzw emp to pnh102
Anon
2010-Sep-15 5:14 pm
to pnh102
said by pnh102:Why rag on AT&T or any other company that pays protection money to Congress? Elected officials, if they really wanted to, could solve this problem by not accepting such bribes. True, they could take the high road and refuse the contribution. But in the current political climate money wins elections. The more money you have the more airtime, advertising and exposure you get, the more likely you are to win the race. It's partially the public's fault. Apathy is at an all time high. No one bothers actually researching a candidate's positions, his voting record. All we hear (if anything) is his campaign slogan on radio and TV. When we get to the polls it's usually a game of name recognition (either the candidate's or their party's). We are suckers for a candidate's "brand", his public persona created by his P.R. handlers, but rarely take the time to explore what he has done in the past. I say ban all campaign contributions (money, trips, services). Each candidate would receive a set amount of money for a given race from the branch of government the election is for (mayor is paid for by the city, governer by the state, etc...). Keep everyone on an equal footing from a financial standpoint and let there ideas (or, more likely, rhetoric) speak for themselves. | |
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PToN Premium Member join:2001-10-04 Houston, TX |
PToN
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:41 pm
OldWe all knew that the government has always been for sale. Now how much of it can you buy, depends on how deep your pocket is... | |
| FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ |
FFH5
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:44 pm
Here is the FULL top 10 list» www.opensecrets.org/orgs ··· ndex.phpTop 10 Heavy Hitters:
AT&T Inc $45,461,879 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $42,883,511 ActBlue $42,399,451 National Assn of Realtors $36,749,493 Goldman Sachs $32,660,452 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $32,505,695 American Assn for Justice $32,432,279(i.e. trial lawyers) National Education Assn $30,812,330 Laborers Union $29,629,800 Service Employees International Union $28,659,682 It isn't just those nasty corporations that are buying Congress. 7 of the top 10 are either unions, trial lawyers, or big pocket individual Dems. Seems like AT&T has to spend big bucks just to level the playing field. | |
| | openbox9 Premium Member join:2004-01-26 71144
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openbox9
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 5:04 pm
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listBut that doesn't make for nearly as juicy of a story. AT&T barely beat out a compilation of unions representing employees of the public sector. "battling efforts to privatize public sector jobs" Kind of incestuous it seems. | |
| | | ArrayListDevOps Premium Member join:2005-03-19 Mullica Hill, NJ |
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listdont forget that IBEW is a large portion of AT&T's own employees. | |
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to openbox9
said by openbox9:But that doesn't make for nearly as juicy of a story. AT&T barely beat out a compilation of unions representing employees of the public sector. "battling efforts to privatize public sector jobs" Kind of incestuous it seems. What is your quote referring to? Do you even have a point? | |
| | | | openbox9 Premium Member join:2004-01-26 71144 |
openbox9
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 9:17 pm
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listAre you really that unwilling to read posts and the content that they link to? Read this link. | |
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to FFH5
said by FFH5:» www.opensecrets.org/orgs ··· ndex.phpTop 10 Heavy Hitters:
AT&T Inc $45,461,879 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $42,883,511 ActBlue $42,399,451 National Assn of Realtors $36,749,493 Goldman Sachs $32,660,452 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $32,505,695 American Assn for Justice $32,432,279(i.e. trial lawyers) National Education Assn $30,812,330 Laborers Union $29,629,800 Service Employees International Union $28,659,682 It isn't just those nasty corporations that are buying Congress. 7 of the top 10 are either unions, trial lawyers, or big pocket individual Dems. Seems like AT&T has to spend big bucks just to level the playing field. Unions are the result of a group of individuals volunteering money out of their pocket for a common cause. Corporations are nothing like that. They use their profits derived from customers, whose political affiliations have absolutely nothing to do with products they purchased from said corporation, to manipulate legislators. Even an attempt to make a pity plea for "investors' sake" is inane. The vast majority of corporate stock is owned by the top 20% richest in this country. If everyone is truly equal, as our constitution states, what's good for "investors" is undoubtedly not what's good for the country overall. Of course you know this very well already and are trolling, but hey, I'm a generous troll-feeder. | |
| | | ••• | | Sammer join:2005-12-22 Canonsburg, PA |
to FFH5
Note that some of the largest amounts are from public employee unions. Their members are supposed to be working for us but such amounts suggest that some of them are clearly working against we the people. | |
| | | JBT Premium Member join:2002-12-06 Odessa, FL |
JBT
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 6:08 pm
who do they mean by att?Att, sbc, cingular? A number of other little companies who were gobbled up? | |
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| pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium Member join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD |
to FFH5
said by FFH5:» www.opensecrets.org/orgs ··· ndex.phpTop 10 Heavy Hitters:
AT&T Inc $45,461,879 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $42,883,511 ActBlue $42,399,451 National Assn of Realtors $36,749,493 Goldman Sachs $32,660,452 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $32,505,695 American Assn for Justice $32,432,279(i.e. trial lawyers) National Education Assn $30,812,330 Laborers Union $29,629,800 Service Employees International Union $28,659,682 It isn't just those nasty corporations that are buying Congress. 7 of the top 10 are either unions, trial lawyers, or big pocket individual Dems. Seems like AT&T has to spend big bucks just to level the playing field. How funny indeed. Of course there is NO OUTRAGE WHATSOEVER over all that union spending on bribes. And to add insult to injury, public sector unions are doing this WITH TAXPAYER MONEY. To be fair, I include Government Sachs as another entity that bribes Congress with taxpayer money. So why all the focus on AT&T? It seems far more bribes are done using taxpayer money by organizations that exist only because of government. | |
| | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK Netgear WNDR3700v2 Zoom 5341J
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KrK
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 9:19 pm
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listClassic FUD.
They are employees, just like anyone. That's their income, their pay for working. Claiming it as Taxpayer funds is disingenuous at best. As said above, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of individuals is not the same as one single entity. | |
| | | | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium Member join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD
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pnh102
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 10:35 pm
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listsaid by KrK:They are employees, just like anyone. That's their income, their pay for working. Claiming it as Taxpayer funds is disingenuous at best. As said above, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of individuals is not the same as one single entity. So? These unions' bribing of elected officials is a conflict of interest because their paychecks are cut by the same people they are bribing. | |
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| SandShark5Long may you run Premium Member join:2000-05-23 Santa Fe, TX |
to FFH5
said by FFH5:» www.opensecrets.org/orgs ··· ndex.phpTop 10 Heavy Hitters:
AT&T Inc $45,461,879 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $42,883,511 ActBlue $42,399,451 National Assn of Realtors $36,749,493 Goldman Sachs $32,660,452 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $32,505,695 American Assn for Justice $32,432,279(i.e. trial lawyers) National Education Assn $30,812,330 Laborers Union $29,629,800 Service Employees International Union $28,659,682 It isn't just those nasty corporations that are buying Congress. 7 of the top 10 are either unions, trial lawyers, or big pocket individual Dems. Seems like AT&T has to spend big bucks just to level the playing field. I thought the NRA would have been on that list. | |
| | | FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ 1 edit
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FFH5
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 8:26 pm
Re: Here is the FULL top 10 listI would think the NRA would be higher too. But they are #41 on the list at $17.6 M. » www.opensecrets.org/orgs ··· ?order=A | |
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| KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK |
KrK to FFH5
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 9:15 pm
to FFH5
AT&T is giving as one entity. The Unions mentioned are made up of tens of thousands of individuals raising funds. | |
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Re: Here is the FULL top 10 list Thats a wierd way to raise funds. I pay my dues they choose what to blow the money on even when I object to the way they blow them.
Crooks the lot of them. | |
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to KrK
said by KrK:AT&T is giving as one entity. Not true. The PAC represents donations to the cause from individual employees and is not a condition of employment, unlike union dues. | |
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SnowyLock him up!!! Premium Member join:2003-04-05 Kailua, HI
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Snowy
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:52 pm
It's a necessary evilIf it weren't for lobbyists how would our politicians know what to do? | |
| | CamaroQuestion everything Premium Member join:2008-04-05 Westfield, MA |
Camaro
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:59 pm
Re: It's a necessary evilThat is funny yet so true,also like another poster said blame the politicians they are the real problem and the only way we can speak anymore is with that one little vote. | |
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i1me2ao Premium Member join:2001-03-03 TEXAS |
i1me2ao
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 4:57 pm
if it wasnot for the stupid public this would not be and issue. if you disagree see article above that directly reflects ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS.. | |
| Murdoc49 Premium Member join:2009-02-08 Manitowoc, WI
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Murdoc49
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 5:03 pm
No wonder why theres extra feesWhy not just combine all the BS fees into one fee called the "Bribe recovery fee"? | |
| | | Mdg Premium Member join:2009-01-10 Allentown, PA |
Mdg
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 7:52 pm
Re: The New AT&TIt merged with two large cable companies, (TCI and MediaOne.) Operating as AT&T Broadband, the unit became the largest cable company in the United States.
That division went down in flames, I bet they wish they still had the ability to offer DOCSIS 3 instead of DSL or VDSL | |
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VladDracula to Lone Wolf
Anon
2010-Sep-15 6:01 pm
to Lone Wolf
Right! I was about to say which AT&T are they talking about? The AT&T that spun off Lucent in 1995, bought TCI, TCG, and Media One, sold off AT&T Broadband to Comcast, spun off AT&T Wireless, got bought by SBC, which renamed itself back to AT&T and finally gobbled up Bell South and Cingular? What did I miss? | |
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All That Have AT&T Helped.Every one of us suckers with AT&T service helped through subscriptions to AT&T. Is this where the $5.00 increase of my internet service has gone? | |
| KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy Premium Member join:2000-01-17 Tulsa, OK
1 recommendation |
KrK
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 9:09 pm
I guess that's what they mean by "Regulatory Recovery Fee"A fee to cover the costs of buying off politicians and getting the laws they want and the policies they like enacted, while keeping regulators neutered and under their thumb. | |
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SBCSBC bought out AT&T and then took the AT&T name and then I guess took over AT&T's spending habits. | |
| fiberguy2My views are my own. Premium Member join:2005-05-20 |
fiberguy2
Premium Member
2010-Sep-14 10:49 pm
Um... BAD reporting.."AT&T".. huh? WHICH AT&T... all you are seeing reported on right now is a "name"... AT&T today is not AT&T of the past. It's a nice try to bash a company (which I don't personally like anyway) but you can't count the contributions of "AT&T" to those of "at&t" which is actually SBC Company with the purchased name "AT&T"..
But, if this kind of reporting supports a cause, then so be it.. no one is going to listen to logic anyway. | |
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This is the part....This is the part of the forum discussion where I tell you all that $45,461,879 could easily have erased all network congestion issues for AT&T caused by overselling their wireless networks with smartphones with very likely some $$$ left over. | |
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