Meet The Donors, America's True Rulers
The donors of the Republican and Democratic parties determine who gets elected and who stays in obscurity. They ensure climate inaction and block health care reform. They seek deregulation and lower taxes. They make sure social security gets cut and public services get privatized. They worship at the altar of the glorious dollar and their disciples wander the halls of Congress herding American's into endless wars and cattle like work conditions with stagnant wages and an ever growing cost of living. If politicians chase the carrot of ideology and run from the stick of voter admonishment then the corporate donors are the cart the horse (or elephant) is pulling. Many of these corporations are staples of American life. Brands and logos seen on a near daily basis. Products and services with ubiquitous recognition. The fact that their donations and contributions are the corrosive acid of democracy is all the more reason the average consumer should be aware of what they're buying and who they're buying it from.
The largest single corporate donor which isn't a Political Action Committee or trade association is AT&T which has donated $814, 900 from January 2021. Their biggest recipient was Republican Congressman Ken Calvert, A California Congressman. In fact, AT&T seems to support only Republican Congressmen. Remember the next time a state restricts abortion or proposes banning gender affirming care that its being done with the funding and blessings of your favorite telecommunications company.
Beneath AT&T is the famous weapons manufacturer and ubiquitous machine of war Lockheed Martin. They have donated $632 000 from January 2021 to now. Their three biggest recipients were Hal Rogers, Chris Stewart, and Mike Rogers who are all Republicans in the House of Congress. Similarly, Boeing has donated $580 500 with their biggest recipient being Sam Graves, a Republican representative from Missouri. Their fourth biggest recipient is Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Raytheon came in a bit lower with $502 000 in donations and $15 000 going to McCarthy and Nothrop Grumman gave McCarthy $12 500 of their total investment of $332 000. Should the Speaker of the House be beholden to four weapons companies who directly profit off of war?
Although weapons companies are not commonly shopped at by most Americans, Home Depot most certainly is. Home Depot is a large scale Republican donor with a contribution of $577 500 from January 2021 to now. Their biggest recipient is Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy who is likely going to initiate the government shutdown on behalf of Donald Trump trying to avoid the consequences for his criminal charges. Maybe go to Lowes the next time you need a lawnmower.
The internet provider Comcast has shelled out $551 000 with Kevin McCarthy being one of their largest recipients. All of their largest recipients are Republican receiving $15 000 each. Known for their snails pace internet, they also specialize in slowing down the effectiveness of democracy.
The United Postal Services (UPS) is a major Republican donor. They've given $554 500 to candidates from 2021 to present, including Kevin McCarthy. During the 2020 election, Donald Trump appointed Louis DeJoy to the position of Post Master General. DeJoy had $70 million invested in companies which directly competed with the U.S. Postal Service, including UPS. FedEx has also donated $288 000 and has given $12 000 to McCarthy.
General Dynamics, known for their cutting edge robots and AI technology, is also a proficient Republican donor with their biggest donation going to Republican congressman Jim Banks (IN-3) and their second largest donation going to Kevin McCarthy.
Oil, gas, and petroleum companies generally skew towards supporting Republicans. Marathon Petroleum, Valero energy, Chevron, and Exxon Mobil have donated $430 000, $412 500, $340 500, and $291 750 respectively from 2021 to present. Exxon's biggest recipient is Kevin McCarthy. Chevron's second biggest recipient is Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy received $15 000 from Marathon and $20 000 from Valero. If McCarthy and co ever acknowledged climate change they would be homeless and destitute.
Charter Communications is a large Republican donor with Kevin McCarthy receiving $15 000 of their $361 000 investment.
Walmart the famous soulless conglomerate, a mascot of American greed and capitalist psychopathy has donated $281 000 to the Republican party with their biggest donation going to Republican representative Steve Scalise and their second biggest going to Kevin McCarthy.
As we continue this series, its important to note that McCarthy's vast funding is a result of his position as Republican Speaker of the House. The Speaker gets to decide the daily agenda and what motions are presented to the House. The Speaker also has the power to recall the House when its out of session. All of this gives the speaker disproportional power. A business that invests in the speaker can ensure that bills which oppose them can be shelved and bills that support them are front and center. It is open manipulation of the political system for corporate benefits. This series will continue as there are many more companies that feed the interests of the fascist Republican party and some who still bother investing in the Democrats. There are also many Political Action Committees which donate obscene funds as representative of the interests of multitudes of businesses. Let the lesson remain that democracy is not truly democracy as long as corporate donations, which go against the interests of all voters, can influence the outcomes.
