Today's Article
In modern politics,
"power and
influence" usually
comes down to
which side attracts
the most money.
"power and
influence" usually
comes down to
which side attracts
the most money.
The American Spark
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Who's Buying The Republican and Democratic Parties?
By Cliff Montgomery - Jan. 26th, 2008
Everyone knows that 2008 is an election year. While the popular imagination is fixed on this year's presidential
race, few have stopped to consider the influence that the two major political parties still wield on the election of
a president and other public officials.
The ugly truth is that the Democratic and Republican Parties are the only two American political organizations
which have a legitimate shot at financing most national or state-wide campaigns. Therefore the party
machinery of each has the greatest influence in deciding which candidates will be the immediate front-runners
and which issues will be discussed during an election cycle.
If you wish to know which party has the best shot at winning in November, you must consider which of the two
political machines currently enjoys the most power and influence. And in modern politics, "power and
influence" usually comes down to which side attracts the most money.
The Democratic and Republican Parties take in hundreds of millions from their supporters during each election
cycle.
Before November 2002, unlimited "soft money" donations also were freely accepted from wealthy individuals,
corporations and labor unions. The two parties now may only accept "hard money"--donations given by Political
Action Committees (PACs) and individuals which are limited by federal contribution limits.
So where does all the money come from now? The American Spark today is printing the most recent money
profile for each major party, and revealing each party's biggest industrial supporters.
The total party receipts revealed below are based on Federal Election Commission reports released on
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008:
2007 - 2008 Totals
2008 CYCLE - TOTAL RECEIPTS
Democratic Party - $228,698,962
Republican Party - $218,743,635
Main Party Committees
Democratic National Cmte - $50,483,604
Republican National Cmte - $76,918,299
House Party Committees
Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte - $60,757,995
National Republican Congressional Cmte - $43,413,770
Senate Party Committees
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte - $49,290,719
National Republican Senatorial Cmte - $28,717,952
"All the numbers [below revealing the top 10 industrial supporters for each party] are for the 2008 election
cycle, and [are] based on Federal Election Commission data released on Monday, January 07, 2008,"
according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Democratic Party Supporters- Top 10 Industries
Candidate Committees - $14,613,497
Lawyers/Law Firms - $12,192,192
Securities & Investment - $11,912,082
Retired - $10,643,648
Real Estate - $6,880,941
Misc Finance - $3,272,592
TV/Movies/Music - $2,890,236
Business Services - $2,833,589
Health Professionals - $2,780,685
Non-Profit Institutions - $2,122,733
Republican Party Supporters - Top 10 Industries
Retired - $10,489,700
Securities & Investment - $5,966,149
Real Estate - $5,926,842
Candidate Committees - $5,604,180
Misc Business - $2,652,096
Health Professionals - $2,636,581
Lawyers/Law Firms - $2,412,261
Misc Finance - $2,189,777
Oil & Gas - $1,947,181
Business Services - $1,839,318
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - Jan. 26th, 2008
Everyone knows that 2008 is an election year. While the popular imagination is fixed on this year's presidential
race, few have stopped to consider the influence that the two major political parties still wield on the election of
a president and other public officials.
The ugly truth is that the Democratic and Republican Parties are the only two American political organizations
which have a legitimate shot at financing most national or state-wide campaigns. Therefore the party
machinery of each has the greatest influence in deciding which candidates will be the immediate front-runners
and which issues will be discussed during an election cycle.
If you wish to know which party has the best shot at winning in November, you must consider which of the two
political machines currently enjoys the most power and influence. And in modern politics, "power and
influence" usually comes down to which side attracts the most money.
The Democratic and Republican Parties take in hundreds of millions from their supporters during each election
cycle.
Before November 2002, unlimited "soft money" donations also were freely accepted from wealthy individuals,
corporations and labor unions. The two parties now may only accept "hard money"--donations given by Political
Action Committees (PACs) and individuals which are limited by federal contribution limits.
So where does all the money come from now? The American Spark today is printing the most recent money
profile for each major party, and revealing each party's biggest industrial supporters.
The total party receipts revealed below are based on Federal Election Commission reports released on
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008:
2007 - 2008 Totals
2008 CYCLE - TOTAL RECEIPTS
Democratic Party - $228,698,962
Republican Party - $218,743,635
Main Party Committees
Democratic National Cmte - $50,483,604
Republican National Cmte - $76,918,299
House Party Committees
Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte - $60,757,995
National Republican Congressional Cmte - $43,413,770
Senate Party Committees
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte - $49,290,719
National Republican Senatorial Cmte - $28,717,952
"All the numbers [below revealing the top 10 industrial supporters for each party] are for the 2008 election
cycle, and [are] based on Federal Election Commission data released on Monday, January 07, 2008,"
according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Democratic Party Supporters- Top 10 Industries
Candidate Committees - $14,613,497
Lawyers/Law Firms - $12,192,192
Securities & Investment - $11,912,082
Retired - $10,643,648
Real Estate - $6,880,941
Misc Finance - $3,272,592
TV/Movies/Music - $2,890,236
Business Services - $2,833,589
Health Professionals - $2,780,685
Non-Profit Institutions - $2,122,733
Republican Party Supporters - Top 10 Industries
Retired - $10,489,700
Securities & Investment - $5,966,149
Real Estate - $5,926,842
Candidate Committees - $5,604,180
Misc Business - $2,652,096
Health Professionals - $2,636,581
Lawyers/Law Firms - $2,412,261
Misc Finance - $2,189,777
Oil & Gas - $1,947,181
Business Services - $1,839,318
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!