2008 is shaping up to be an exciting year in U.S. politics, with tons of progressive candidates running in every state.
This year is also an opportunity to highlight the role that big money plays in shaping the views and voting records of lawmakers, particularly money from Big Oil. Despite extremely high gas prices and record profits for oil companies, the following three members of Congress continue to place the interests of Big Oil ahead of the concerns of their constituents.
Follow me after the jump to learn about this unsavory triad.
1. Rep. William "$90,000 in my freezer" Jefferson (D-LA)
Do you remember Rep. William Jefferson? Nearly three years ago, the FBI raided his home as part of a corruption investigation and found $90,000 cash stuffed in his freezer. Although he plead not guilty to all charges, from an observer's prospective he appears to have been involved in facilitating bribes between U.S. companies and African governments. Stripped of his committee memberships, Jefferson was somehow reelected in 2006 -- due in part to poor post-Katrina turnout -- and continues to serve in the House. Read the Wikipedia entry for some good background on Jefferson.
But there's more to Jefferson than just some frozen hundred-dollar bills.
As pointed out by Campaign Money Watch in their new factsheets,
Jefferson has received large campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry – as his voting record suggests, helping corporate donors is the top priority. After all, he who pays the piper calls the tune.
Let's see how Jefferson has voted on some key energy issues:
- Voted to allow offshore drilling (Amendment 11 to H.R. 2643: Roll Call #552 (2007))
- Voted against keeping the moratorium on offshore drilling (H.R. 4761: Roll Call #356 (2006))
- Voted to allow drilling in ANWAR (H.R. 5429: R.C. 209 (2006))
- Voted against raising incentives for alternative fuels (Amendment 288 to H.R. 4: Roll Call #311 (2001))
- Voted against implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (H.R. 4690: Roll Call #326 (2000))
It should be noted that Jefferson has received over $150,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industries. Chevron, in particular, has been a staunch supporter, having contributed over $18,000 to Jefferson's campaigns.
From Campaign Money Watch (pdf):
Critics have noted that Jefferson has been willing over the years to do favors on behalf of Chevron
• In 2005, Jefferson took the lead in mobilizing congressional opposition to an attempt by the China National Offshore Oil Corp to acquire oil giant Unocal. Chevron, a major donor to Jefferson’s campaigns, had wanted to buy Unocal itself.
• Jefferson is a leading supporter of the African Oil Policy Initiative Group, which calls for the United States to increase energy ties with Africa. Chevron, which holds huge investments in Nigeria, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, was a member and financial sponsor of the AOPIG.
• Jefferson supported a campaign in the mid-1990s by Chevron and several other oil companies to block tough sanctions on the regime of Nigerian strongman Sani Abacha. Jefferson was one of only two members of the Congressional Black Caucus who opposed sanctions on the Abacha dictatorship.
Shifting to the other side of the aisle, we have
2. Rep. Robin "holds millions of dollars of ExxonMobil stock" Hayes (R-NC)
Hayes is also firmly in the grasp of Big Oil, having consistently voted against support for alternative energy sources, in favor of offshore drilling and ANWR exploration, and in favor of reducing the restrictions on building new oil refineries.
Here's a quote from David Donnelly, director of Campaign Money Watch:
While the voters of North Carolina’s 8th district continue to shoulder the burden of rising gas prices, their representative in Congress has consistently voted to help the oil corporations, which include some of the most profitable companies of all time. Rep. Hayes is part of Washington’s pay-to-play culture and has opposed comprehensive campaign finance reforms that would reduce the role of money in politics.
Let's take a look at contributions to Hayes from the oil and gas industries:
Cycle / Oil and Gas Contributions To Hayes
1998 / $24,755
2000 / $37,725
2002 / $39,750
2004 / $28,430
2006 / $43,150
2008 / $13,500
Total / $180,855
No surprise here. Oil companies give tens of thousands of dollars to Hayes, Hayes votes the way they want. That's placing special interests ahead of constituents.
Finally, Campaign Money Watch singled out a third candidate, and you guessed it, it's Big Money Mitch!
3. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
From the CMW press release
Campaign Money Watch’s analysis of data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics found that McConnell has received $673,611 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry over his career. He has been a reliable ally of Big Oil in Congress, voting in support of drilling in ANWR and tax breaks for the oil industry, while opposing policies to encourage reductions in oil usage and increased reliance on renewable energy.
Let's take a look at these donations:
Cycle | Oil and Gas Contributions to McConnell |
---|
1985-1990 | $173,593 |
1991-1996 | $107,960 |
1997-2002 | $110,858 |
2003-2008 | $281,200 |
Total | $673,611 |
McConnell has received more money from oil and gas companies during the 2008 cycle than for any other election cycle. And that's through March of this year.
Running against McConnell this year is Bruce Lunsford, a businessman. Recent polling
has shown this race to be very close.
Let's send the message to Big Oil and the other special interests that we will hold our politicians accountable. It is simply unacceptable to continue to oppose measures that would ease our dependence on oil -- such as funding for alternative fuels -- because of donations from the oil and gas industry.
Disclosure: I am an intern with Campaign Money Watch.