1103Lowdown_Final.qxd:1103Lowdown 2/3/11 2:44 PM Page 1 VOLUME13 NUMBER 3 MARCH 2011 The ❛❛Donations to GOP congressional candidates by the Indoor Tanning Association: $39,900 ❜❜ The Lowdown guesses that this was a thank-you gesture to the new House speaker, known as “Suntan Johnnie” Boehner, who sports a year- round, eerily orange tan. And you thought there were no people of color in the GOP leadership! Boehner is either the indoor sun tanner’s best walking advertisement or its worst—depending LOWDOWN on how you feel about having an orange speaker. EDITED BY JIM HIGHTOWER AND PHILLIP FRAZER Logo Lowdown from the 2010 elections. Part 1—donors on the record Here’s who is buying America’s democracy IN 1986, RICHARD KIMBALL, a Democratic state legislator Politicians are the sellers, but who— The in Arizona, was running for a US Senate seat. In a televised specifically—is buying America’s debate, he did something that absolutely astonished his democracy? We will devote this and one other issue of the Lowdown to opponent and completely confounded his campaign con- answering this crucial question. sultants: He looked directly into the camera and spoke the This month, drawing on donor reports truth about the money corruption of big-time American that individuals and corporations must file politics. with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), we’re identifying many of the nderstand what we do to you,” Kimball said to viewers. “We largest givers to last year’s Republican vic- spend all of our time raising money, often from strangers we tors in the House and Senate. With officials in Washington now do not even know. Then we spend it in three specific ways: pushing hard to strengthen the grip that big bankers and corporations First we measure you, what it is you want to purchase in the have over consumers, workers, the environment, and others, the U political marketplace—just like Campbell’s soup or Kellogg’s public has a right to follow the money, including—where possible— cereal. Next, we hire some consultants who know how to tailor our tracing the funds to recognizable brand names and logos. image to fit what we sell. Lastly, we bombard you with the meaning- In our second issue, we’ll do the best we can to lift the veil on less, issueless, emotional nonsense that is always the result. And the massive amounts of secret cash that was funneled into the whichever one of us does that best will win.” 2010 elections through corporate front groups. This “mystery Unfortunately for Kimball he was not the best bamboozler on the money” is the diabolical product of the Supreme Court’s edict last ballot—he lost big to John McCain, who’s presently in his 25th year year that corporations are “persons” with a First Amendment right as an Arizona senator. Ironically, McCain himself became a champion to spend unlimited and of campaign finance reform for a while. But he totally abandoned unreported sums of their that pose about three years ago and has now wedged himself tight - shareholders’ funds to per- ly into his senate seat with the very same kind of special interest vert America’s elections. campaign cash and vacuous politicking that Kimball had so rightly Both issues of the Logo condemned. Lowdown are largely The corporate money of 1986 was like a light drizzle compared based on the exhaus- to the torrential downpour tive, nationally recog- in last year’s congressional nized research of two elections. And, sure excellent public inter- enough, the 2010 cam- est groups: www.open paigns (including McCain’s secrets.org and www. ugly re-election bid) bom- sunlightfoundation. barded voters with a level com. In this month’s of “meaningless, issue- report, we break the less, emotional nonsense” donors into industry that even Kimball could groups, listing corpo- not have imagined. Nor rate interests that gave has this ridiculous, $100,000 or more, inherently corrupting with at least 60 per- campaign money sys- cent of their money tem come anywhere going to support near its full power—a Republican candidates. tsunami of corporate cash We also list the top is already rising for 2012. Democratic donors. 1103Lowdown_Final.qxd:1103Lowdown 2/3/11 2:44 PM Page 2 2| Hightower Lowdown March 2011 HOUSEHOLD & BEAUTY PRODUCTS WHO WERE THE MONEYBAGS IN THE 2010 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION? TOTAL PERCENTAGE TO CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION REPUBLICANS Procter & Gamble $346,673 62% e Aussie; Braun; Clairol; CoverGirl; Dolce & Gabbana; Dunhill Fragrances; Th Escada Fragrances; Gillette; Gucci Fragrances; HUGO BOSS Fragrances; Head & Shoulders; Herbal Essences; Ivory; Lacoste Fragrances; Natural Instincts; Nice ’n Easy; Olay; Old Spice; Pantene; Safeguard; Secret; Always; Crest; Eukanuba; Fixodent; Iams; Metamucil; Oral-B; PUR; Pepto-Bismol; Prilosec OTC; Pringles; Scope; Tampax; Vicks; Bounce; Bounty; Cascade; Charmin; Cheer; Comet; Dawn; Downy; Dreft Laundry; Duracell; Era; Febreze; Gain; Joy; Luvs; Mr. Clean; Pampers; Puffs; Swiffer; Tide S.C. Johnson & Son $136,650 61% Glade; Air Wick; Oust; Drano; Fantastik; Scrubbing Bubbles; Nature’s Source cleaning products; Raid; OFF!; Pledge; Windex; Ziploc; Shout; Saran Wrap Total contribution indicates the amount contributed to all parties. Percentage contributed reflects the amount given to a single party and/or members thereof. 3M Co. $220,988 59% Nexcare; Scotchgard; Post-it; Scotch-Brite; Filtrete; Ace; Clarity; FOOD PRODUCTS & DRINK RESTAURANTS Futuro; O-Cel-O; ScotchBlue; Scotchlite; Thinsulate TOTAL PERCENTAGE TO TOTAL PERCENTAGE TO CCA Industries $144,228 99% CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION REPUBLICANS CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION REPUBLICANS Plus White Teeth Whitening; Sudden Change Skin Care line; Nutra Nail; Bikini Zone; Lobe Wonder; Mega-T Dietary Supplements; Solar Sense Weaver Popcorn $981,850 99% Wendys/Arbys Group $253,003 75% sun care products; Parfume de Vanille; Hair Off; Wash-N-Curl; Scar Wendy’s; Arby’s Cargill, Inc $273,325 78% Zone; IPR-3; Shave zone; PainBust-R Diamond Crystal salt, Truvia, Peter’s Chocolate, Wilbur Chocolate, Assn. of KFC Franchisees $181,000 79% Koch Industries (household) $130,700 73% Honeysuckle White Turkey, Shady Brook Farms Turkey, Sterling Silver KFC GEORGIA-PACIFIC: Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, Soft ‘n Gentle, Dixie Premium Meats, Rumba meats, Tender Choice Pork, Good Nature Pork. Pizza Hut Franchisees Assn. $179,500 92% cups, GP Copy Paper, Spectrum Paper, Mardi Gras napkins, Vanity Fair, Chiquita $184,150 98% Zee napkins, Brawny, Sparkle. INVISTA: Lycra, Coolmax, other dry-wick Yum! Brands $150,540 68% fibers, Stainmaster Carpet. Herbalife International $179,530 66% KFC; Taco Bell; Pizza Hut; A&W Restaurants; Long John Silver’s; WingStreet JBS Swift & Co. $177,050 67% Swift; American Reserve; Cedar River Farms; Showcase Foods; CKE Restaurants $110,500 97% THE GOP’S TOP DOZEN INDIVIDUAL DON Steakhouse Classic; Packerland; Angus Select; Liberty Bell; Moyer; Carl’s Jr.; Hardee’s; Green Burrito; Red Burrito Clear River Farms; Pilgrim’s Pride; Pierce Chicken; Wing Dings; Wing- THIS EGG CARTON OF GOLDEN GIVERScontains some of the richest people in our land. Th Burger King $98,591 70% Zings; Speed Grill; Country Pride; To-Ricos; Super-Chik’n; Honey Dipt; rate interests, of course, but many of them are also extremist laissez-faire ideologues Gold Kist Farms; Big Value Chicken; La Herencia Natural Pork “designed unbridled corporate plutocracy in America. NOTE:These totals include donations made to meet the needs of Hispanic consumers.” LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, Flowers Foods $176,440 99% TOTAL PERCENTAGE CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION CONTRIBUTED Nature’s Own; Cobblestone Mill; Whitewheat; Sunbeam Bread; Bunny PRO SPORTS, & RECREATIONAL Bread; ButterKrust; Mi Casa TOTAL PERCENTAGE TO Bob Perry $10,517,050 92% to GOP CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION REPUBLICANS ConAgra Foods $163,710 73% Billionaire Houston developer. NOTE: An additional $1,284,600 Chef Boyardee; DAVID Seeds; Egg Beaters; Healthy Choice; Hebrew Las Vegas Sands Corp. $377,582 94% was donated by Mrs. Bob Perry. National; Hunt’s; Kid Cuisine; Marie Callender’s; Orville Jerry Perenchio $4,150,313 52% to GOP Redenbacher’s; PAM; Reddi-wip; Slim Jim; Act II; Banquet; Banquet Blackstone Group $243,145 62% SeaWorld, Busch Gardens 0% to Dem Brown ’N Serve; Blue Bonnet; Crunch ’n Munch; Fiddle Faddle; 48% to other Gulden’s; Jiffy Pop; La Choy; Libby’s; Manwich; Parkay; Patio; Peter Multi-billionaire Hollywood media mogul. Pan; Poppycock popcorn; Ranch Style Beans; Rotel; Rosarita; Swiss Arizona Diamondbacks $217,900 100% Miss; Van Camp’s; Wesson; Wolf Brand Chili Houston Texans $165,600 94% Rob Rowling $2,818,964 100% to GOP Billionaire, owner of Gold’s Gym, Omni Hotels, etc Grimmway Farms $147,200 97% Herschend Family Entertainment $108,400 63% Potatoes, carrots, onions under the Bunny-Luv brand. Adventure Aquarium, Camden, NJ; Classic Cable Car Sightseeing; Parker Collier $1,239,014 100% to GOP Dollywood; Ride The Ducks (all over the country); Showboat Branson Florida developer who has given most of her money to Republicans out- Smithfield Foods $146,740 74% side of her state. Paula Deen brands Belle; Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri; Stone Mountain Inn, Park, & Campground Paul Singer $1,069,658 81% to GOP Jackson Family Enterprises $129,500 83% 19% to Libs* Kendall Jackson Founder of a $7 billion hedge fund (Elliott Associates) and long time LODGING AND TOURISM Chiquita Brands International $110,950 96% right wing funder, including helping finance the infamous Swift Boat Chiquita, Fresh Express TOTAL PERCENTAGE TO Veterans for Truth front group used by the GOP to attack John Kerry in CORPORATION & PRODUCTS CONTRIBUTION REPUBLICANS 2004. (*Libertarians) Molson Coors Brewing $107,509 95% Coors; Blue Moon; Keystone Light; Carling; Cobra; Molson TRT Holdings Inc. $5,033,380 99% Charles Schwab $933,550 100% to GOP Omni Hotels, Grand Ole Opry, Hee Haw, Gold’s Gym Billionaire founder of his eponymous investment firm and longtime GOP HP Hood LLC $103,200 100% partisan.