How was your voting experience?, Mine was a joke; Other things noted. Options

[Hartmann]

I usually partake in early voting so I don't have to deal with the crowds and can do it on my schedule but I decided to see what it was like to vote in the actual primary.

I headed to my precinct's station and there were about 300 Republicans standing there, flat out being told that there is no Caucus for Republicans This, as you well know, is a lie. When I walked up to receive my ballot I was asked which side I was voting for, I replied Republican and got two of the nastiest looks I have ever seen, so much for objective volunteers.

Other things I noted, at times, they were asking "Are you Democrat or Republican?" which is the wrong question to ask. I don't know if this was underhanded or just a mistake.

Lastly, I listened to Obama's speech and have to wonder, what does he really believe. He claims that we need to get out of Iraq and need to focus on home but last night he stated, "we can change the world" Well, not without taking part in it.

[The Fanatic]

Impala, you are aware that those are the amounts of money that they disclosed. Some politians have been known to lie in the past. But ok ok, let's assume that these numbers are totally correct. If I am a PAC and I donate 5,000 dollars to your campaign and let's say individuals donated 20 dollars a piece to my campaign... where is my loyalty going to lie? More of my vestted loyaltly lies with the PAC because it donated a larger piece. Individuals have varying demands and ideas when it comes to policy while PACs are advocating a specfic policy goal. Keep in mind that individuals are limited to 2,300 dollars contributions while PACs can donate up to 5,000.


From your source:

Hillary Clinton


No Disclosure
$9,228,743
(10.0%)

Barack Obama

No Disclosure
$6,440,636
(8.2%)

John McCain
No Disclosure
$1,978,798
(6.3%)

And thank you for pointing out that Barack Obama has received virtually NO MONEY from corporations. One of the many reasons that I support him.

Analyzing campaign finance records, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics found that iGate, Inc. CEO Vernon L. Jackson and his wife, Sandra, contributed $26,000 to the three Democrats in 2001 and 2003.

Source: http://capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=216

More than 300 members of the 109th Congress received campaign contributions from a client of Jack Abramoff while he was their lobbyist—81 Senators and 227 members of the House of Representatives, the Center found. On average, each recipient got about $16,000.

President Bush received nearly $50,000 from Abramoff’s clients. Top congressional recipients included a who’s who of the Republican leadership in Congress. Prominent names include House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois ($68,300 in contributions), House Republican Conference Secretary John Doolittle of California ($56,250) and Montana Sen. Conrad Burns ($52,340). Also on the list is former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas ($44,000), who once employed convicted Abramoff associates Tony Rudy and Michael Scanlon on Capitol Hill. DeLay’s successor, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, received $30,500.

Source: http://capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=210


Scratch my back and i'll scratch yours:

Of the $2.3 billion in contracts awarded by the federal government in the weeks since Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, at least 15 exceed $100 million; including five that are valued at $500 million or more, according to a New York Times analysis. More than 80 percent of those contracts were awarded with little or no competition.

On October 6, newly installed Federal Emergency Management Agency chief R. David Paulison told a Senate panel that the agency plans to open up several contracts that were previously awarded without competition to competitive bidding, including four contracts worth $100 million each.

Several of the companies that won huge contracts have close ties to Washington lobbyists, as well as lawmakers. They include AshBritt Environmental, based in Pompano Beach, Fla., and Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root. Baton Rouge, La.-based Shaw Environmental, a subsidiary of the Shaw Group, is the largest local company, with 18,000 employees, to receive Katrina contracts, according to government records

Source: http://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=188

July 01, 2005 | Campaign contributions from the sugar industry were a solid predictor of how senators voted late Thursday on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which would remove trade barriers in place between the United States and Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Senate passed the bill, 54-45, despite concerns from sugar farmers, textile makers and labor unions that the agreement would subject them to competition from lower priced Central American imports and eliminate U.S. jobs

he Republicans who voted in favor of CAFTA have received an average of $8,176 from sugar interests, substantially less than the $13,605, on average, collected by the agreement’s Democratic supporters. Jeffords has raised $11,750 from the sugar industry since 1999.

The Democrats who voted against the measure have received an average of $18,531 from the sugar industry, while the dozen GOP lawmakers who opposed it have received an average of $12,135.

source:

http://www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=174

In 1984, Spectrum 7 merged with George W. Bush's Arbusto Energy. After the merger, Bush became the Chairman and CEO of Spectrum 7.

Source: the wikipedia one from earlier