The Tea Party Republicans like to pretend to be patriots while they take large sums of cash from European companies. A new report released by the Climate Action Network Europe (CANE) indicates that Republican climate zombies received even more money from European polluters than from the Koch brothers.
Big European emitters Lafarge, GDF-SUEZ, EON, BP, BASF, BAYER, Solvay and Arcelor-Mittal supported climate change deniers in the US senate in 2010 for $107,200. Their total support for senators blocking climate change legislation in the US amounts to $240,200, which is almost 80% of their total spendings in 2010 senate race. This is why those funds are seen as systemic. This amount is higher than the same type of spending of the most notorious US climate denier and Tea Party funder: Koch Industries ($217,000).
And what money they did not give to Tea Party Republican climate zombies, they gave to trusty Blue lap Dogs like Blanche Lincoln.
It is also evident that those same companies supported key Democrats (e.g. Blanche Lincoln, Dem, Arkansas) in the Senate responsible for breaking a majority supporting binding targets reduction targets and a national cap and trade system. We conclude that the support of European companies is not only targeted at deniers and blockers but that the financial streams are also very strategic.
As for the strategic plan, CANE outlines the gambit of the European polluters.
These European companies are simultaneously lobbying against aggressive emissions reductions in Europe – and are arguing that such reductions should not be pursued until the United States takes action.
Asia countries have been mouthing the same rhetoric. Our countries should not commit to action until the United States takes action. It would hardly be surprising if Asian companies have not been playing the same game as their European counterparts now that Citizens United has destroyed campaign finance restrictions and the U.S. Chambers of Commerce has become chief money-launderer for undisclosed amounts being spend on direct and indirect actions on behalf of Republicans.
The Tea Party Republicans have always tried to trace their so-called movement to the Boston Tea Party protest against taxes imposed on the part of England to benefit an English corporation. So the Tea Party Republicans have been taking money from European corporations to influence legislation in the United States that benefits European corporations. Fly that Gadsen flag proudly, Tea Party Republicans. Don't tread on me, but bribes are most welcome. And don't forget to send prostitutes and diapers to David Vitter (funded by GDF-Suez and BASF).
The European companies are funding almost exclusively Senate candidates who have been outspoken in their opposition to comprehensive climate policy in the U.S., and candidates who actively deny the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and is caused by people.
Bryan Walsh at Time covers the story, although only as a blog post.
It's not just American energy companies that are trying to influence the midterms, however. According to a new analysis of campaign finance by the Climate Action Network Europe (CANE), BP and other European companies are funding very conservative candidates who oppose action on climate change. The CANE analysis—which used information on the OpenSecrets.org database to track the cash—found that nearly 80% of campaign donations were directed toward senators who fall into the camp of climate skeptics. That includes politicians like Republican Senator James "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people" Inhofe of Oklahoma, and Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who opposed carbon cap-and-trade. At the same time, the CANE report notes that the European companies are also lobbying against tighter carbon restrictions back home—and using the failure of the U.S. to pass a carbon cap as justification.
Suzanne Goldenberg covered the story on the main pages of The Guardian. Goldenberg also delved into the campaign finance controversy.
Obama and Democrats have accused corporate interests and anonymous donors of trying to hijack the midterms by funnelling money to the Chamber of Commerce and to conservative Tea Party groups. The Chamber of Commerce reportedly has raised $75m (£47m) for pro-business, mainly Republican candidates.
"Oil companies and the other special interests are spending millions on a campaign to gut clean-air standards and clean-energy standards, jeopardising the health and prosperity of this state," Obama told a rally in California on Friday night.
Much of the speculation has focused on Karl Rove, the mastermind of George Bush's victories, who has raised $15m for Republican candidates since September through a new organisation, American Crossroads. An NBC report warned that Rove was spearheading an effort to inject some $250m in television advertising for Republican candidates in the final days before the 2 November elections.
This report comes on the heels of a fantastic bit of investigative journalism by the New York Times on corporations laundering contributions through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to avoid scrutiny and backlash (story now behind subscription wall). Joan McCarter had a post on the Daily Kos front page yesterday on the NYT story. ThinkProgress also has a terrific post this morning, detailing foreign energy company money flowing into the Chamber of Commerce coffers used to fund political campaigns.
Multinational oil companies BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hess, and Shell Oil fund the Chamber of Commerce through its Business Civic Leadership Council.
It is a shame these stories about how the Tea Party Republican movement has been funded are coming to light so late in the campaign. The snake on the Gadsen Flag has pockets full of corporate cash, including foreign companies. Their patriotism is truly heartwarming.