Corporate presidential campaign giving surges

Parent Cafe
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<p>Democrats are doing very well in getting campaign contributions from the corporate world.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN0451979920080204?rpc=44&sp=true[/url]”>http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN0451979920080204?rpc=44&sp=true&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corporate America is pouring money into the U.S. presidential campaign at an unprecedented rate, with a torrent of donations coming from the businesses behind the subprime mortgage crisis.</p>

<p>Facing a government crackdown over predatory lending and a troubled housing finance system, Wall Street and the real estate industry were among the top political givers in 2007, a campaign finance watchdog group said on Sunday.</p>

<p>Leading all corporate donors in campaign donations as of the end of last year was investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, based on an analysis of Federal Election Commission records, the Center for Responsive Politics said.</p>

<p>The next four largest corporate donors were Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, according to the center’s fourth-quarter preliminary analysis, which is subject to revision.</p>

<p>Investment banks, commercial banks and real estate companies altogether have pumped almost $34 million into the presidential race, with Democratic leaders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama getting the most money, the center said."</p>

<p>"Senators Clinton and Obama have each taken in more than $5 million from securities and investment firms; Republican Mitt Romney, over $4 million, and rival John McCain, $2 million.</p>

<p>Real estate has not been far behind, donating $4.8 million to New York’s Clinton and $3.7 million to Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.</p>

<p>Illinois’ Obama has raked in $2.7 million, and Arizona Sen. McCain $1.9 million from real estate interests including mortgage brokers, homebuilders and property developers."</p>

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<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080204/pl_bloomberg/apnpwl7xnjik;_ylt=AkDmD_YQwFtlkeRqq__vafQDW7oF[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080204/pl_bloomberg/apnpwl7xnjik;_ylt=AkDmD_YQwFtlkeRqq__vafQDW7oF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>"Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) – Democrat Hillary Clinton has raised more money from lobbyists than any other presidential candidate while Republican John McCain has more of them assisting his campaign. </p>

<p>Clinton took in $823,087 from registered lobbyists and members of their firms in 2007 and the second-biggest recipient was McCain, who took in $416,321, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group which tracks political giving. Barack Obama, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination, doesn’t take money from registered lobbyists, although he received $86,282 from employees of firms that lobby, according to the center.</p>

<p>McCain has 26 registered lobbyists as campaign advisers or fundraisers compared with 11 for Clinton and none for Obama, according to review of records compiled by Public Citizen, a Washington-based group that favors stronger disclosure laws for lobbyists."</p>

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<p>Obama’s campaign has worked very hard over the past year to raise money from ordinary people, as my checkbook can attest. :)</p>

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<p>and this is news?</p>