We've already explored the gearing up of the lobbyists for the Super Congress. At Mother Jones, Andy Kroll looks at the specific committee members and where their special interest support has come from in their careers.
These 12 lawmakers cover the ideological gamut, from the most hawkish fiscal conservatives to deep blue liberal Democrats, but they all have this in common: Their careers have been greased by the money of powerful lobbies and political advocacy groups. Using data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the folks at MapLight, a group focusing on money in American politics, have calculated the biggest donors behind the Super Committee
The heaviest hitters are no surprise: lawyers and law firms (who often top lists of political donations), big banks such as Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, and political outfits including the lefty EMILY's List and the conservative Club for Growth. As the Super Committee begins debating further spending cuts and (maybe) revenue increases as part of a deficit reduction package due by November, it's worth bearing in mind, as with any big debate in Washington, that there are big donors behind the lawmakers at the bargaining table.
Looking at that industry list, defense is shockingly missing, but given its inherent advantage with the committee—every Republican and two Democrats (Murray and Kerry) with significant defense installations in their states—they might not need to worry about their contribution record with these guys.
On the organization side, the scariest number Kroll reports is the $990,066 the Club for Growth has poured into the mix, reinforcing the argument that there won't be much in the way of revenue hikes in this venture.