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Subscribe to RSSIn the campaign's closing weekend, President Obama and Governor raced across several battleground states to rally supporters as voters get ready to head to the polls in less than 24 hours. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
Updated 5:20 p.m. ET -- The biggest corporate contributor in the 2012 election so far doesn’t appear to make anything — other than very large contributions to a conservative super PAC.
Specialty Group Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., donated nearly $5.3 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11 to FreedomWorks for America, which is affiliated with former GOP House Majority Leader Dick Armey.
FreedomWorks’ super PAC has spent more than $19 million on political advertising, including $1.7 million on Oct. 29 opposing Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat running for Congress in Illinois against Tea Party favorite Joe Walsh, a first-term incumbent.
The buy was more than four times greater than the group’s previous largest single expenditure.
Specialty was formed only a month ago. Its “principal office” is a private home in Knoxville. It has no website. And the only name associated with it is that of its registered agent, William S. Rose Jr., a lawyer whose phone number, listed in a legal directory, is disconnected.
Rose released a press release Monday saying the company was created to "buy, sell, develop and invest in a variety of real estate ventures and investments."
In the six-page statement, Rose said he was a "disappointed, yet staunchly patriotic, baby boomer" with concerns about the administration's handling of the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, as well as the Department of Justice's botched "Operation Fast and Furious" gun-walking program.
Specialty is the biggest and most mysterious corporate donor to super PACs, but it is not unique.
A new analysis by the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics shows that companies have contributed roughly $75 million to super PACs in the 2012 election cycle.
Super PACs, which were created in the wake of the controversial U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, can accept donations of unlimited size from corporations, unions and individuals. They spend the funds mostly on negative advertising.
The centers’ analysis found that 85 percent of money from companies flowed to GOP-aligned groups, 11 percent went to Democratic groups and the remainder went to organizations not aligned with either party.
First Read: Full coverage on the campaign trail
Prior to Citizens United, corporate spending on candidate advertising was not allowed. The decision raised fears that massive donations from corporate treasuries would flood the election in 2012.
In fact, the largest amounts have come from wealthy businessmen. However, about 11 percent of the $660 million raised by all super PACs through mid-October has come from company treasuries — mostly privately held businesses, sometimes organized as limited partnerships or limited liability companies.
High-profile donors
Yet a few high-profile companies haven’t been afraid to jump into the partisan fray.
In mid-October, oil and gas giant Chevron donated $2.5 million to a super PAC close to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the Congressional Leadership Fund, which has aired a bevy of ads attacking Democratic House candidates.
Oxbow Carbon, the energy company owned by billionaire William Koch, the lesser-known brother of conservative industrialists David and Charles Koch, and Contran Corp., the business of Republican super donor Harold Simmons of Texas, have both steered significant sums to the coffers of super PACs.
With polls showing a neck-and-neck presidential race, NBC's Chuck Todd runs through some potential paths to presidential victory, including how it might go if President Obama won the Electoral College vote and Governor Romney won the popular vote.
Oxbow Carbon has donated $4.25 million to GOP super PACs, making it the No. 2 corporate donor to super PACs, while Contran, No. 3, has donated more than $3 million to Republican-aligned groups.
Another top corporate donor is a retirement community in central Florida known as The Villages — a Republican stronghold where Paul Ryan held his first campaign rally the day after GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney named him as his running mate.
Developer H. Gary Morse created The Villages more than 50 years ago, and this election cycle, more than a dozen companies connected to Morse and The Villages have collectively steered $1.6 million to GOP super PACs. That’s in addition to the $450,000 that Morse and his wife, Renee, have donated from their personal funds.
Notably, Morse is also the Florida co-chairman of the Romney campaign, and during the Republican National Convention, Morse’s Cayman Island-flagged yacht, named “Cracker Bay,” was the site of a soiree for some of Romney’s top donors and fundraisers.
Other high-profile corporate donors include:
- The Apollo Group, a for-profit education company, which gave $75,000 to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future and another $5,000 to JAN PAC, the super PAC of Arizona’s Republican Gov. Jan Brewer;
- Convenience store giant 7-Eleven, which donated $25,000 to Hoosiers for Jobs, a super PAC that supported Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., during his failed primary campaign;
- Hamburger chain White Castle, which gave $25,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund;
- Defense contractor B/E Aerospace, which gave $50,000 to Restore Our Future;
- Payday lender QC Holdings, which gave $25,000 to Restore Our Future; and
- Weaver Holdings, the parent company of the Indiana-popcorn company known for its brands “Pop Weaver” and “Trail’s End,” sold by Boy Scouts across the country, which has donated $2.4 million to American Crossroads, the super PAC founded by GOP strategists Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie.
Only a few other Fortune 500 companies have joined Chevron, which ranks third on the elite list behind only Exxon Mobil and Walmart, in making contributions to super PACs, and none has given as much as the energy giant.
Caesar’s Entertainment Corp., for instance, ranked by Fortune at No. 288, has given $150,000 to Majority PAC, a group that is spending to help Democrats retain the majority in the U.S. Senate.
“Fortune 500 companies are the least likely to be the ones who will be out in front giving publicly,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California-Irvine. “They want to have influence over elections and elected officials, but they don't want to alienate customers.”
By category, companies in the finance, insurance and real estate sector donated more than $15 million, “general business sector” firms gave about $14 million and energy sector companies contributed more than $11 million, according to the analysis.
Unions, by contrast, have donated about $60 million to super PACs, from their treasuries or political action committees.
The top union donors include the National Education Association ($9 million), the United Auto Workers ($8.6 million) and the AFL-CIO ($6.4 million). All of these groups have spent heavily on Democratic candidates.
Money 'hiding in plain sight'
Additional corporate money may be flowing through politically active nonprofits that don’t disclose their funders.
“I strongly suspect that most of the corporate money is hiding in plain sight in trade associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” said Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor at the Stetson University College of Law.
For its part, the Chamber — which collects dues from companies such as Aetna, Chevron, Dow Chemical and Microsoft — has reported spending more than $35 million on political ads, which have overwhelmingly favored Republican politicians.
Facts about Specialty Group Inc. are scant.
Records filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office show it registered on Sept. 26, listing 61-year-old attorney William S. Rose, Jr., as its agent. Rose’s $634,000 home — about a 30-minute drive from downtown Knoxville — is listed as its “principal office.”
Yet the company’s money has made a huge impact.
TODAY's Matt Lauer speaks with Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen and Republican strategist Mike Murphy on Ohio's influence on the presidential race. They also offer opinions on what each candidate can do to seal the deal.
After the cash infusion from Specialty, FreedomWorks produced numerous advertisements, including one that blasts Duckworth as a crony of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison following a corruption scandal.
Duckworth is a double amputee and Iraq War veteran. She headed Illinois’ Department of Veteran Affairs and later served in President Barack Obama’s U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
FreedomWorks’ new ad features grainy footage of Duckworth and audio of her saying, “Gov. Blagojevich has charged me with the mission of taking care of my buddies, and that is what I’m doing.” But it leaves out the fact that when she said “buddies,” she was referring to other veterans and members of the military.
FreedomWorks for America treasurer and legal counsel Ryan Hecker says the organization only supports candidates who are “ethically right.”
Anton Becker, Duckworth's campaign press secretary, says it’s conservative outside groups who are peddling "lies."
When asked for details about Specialty Group and the source of its contributions, Hecker expressed ignorance, and doubted that voters care about where the money came from.
“We are in compliance with the law, and we are doing what we can to report to the Federal Election Commission,” he said. “If there’s an issue with Specialty, it’s their issue. It’s not our issue.”
Andrea Fuller of the Center for Public Integrity contributed to this report.
This story is a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Responsive Politics. For up-to-date news on outside spending in the 2012 election, follow our Source2012 Tumblr and the hashtag #Source2012 on Twitter.
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Sorry don't have much time to write. I have got to pick up my voters list. So many dead people to vote for. Yes Tammy is the best. She knows Blago, where is he now? She knows Barry and the Idiot so a vote for her is a vote for more of the same.
I am looking forward to my new unemployment, food stamps, link cards, free cell phone, and I am wondering? Can I use my voters list to collect for them also?
Vote early and vote often.
GBA
zorro: Hmmmmmmm. So, you see yourself as "The FOX," the tool of FOX Entertainment Network, America's Ministry of Propaganda for Corporate America to brainwash the far right wing, extremist, fanatics into voting for your pathetic candidates. Well, that's where the money is in America. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Ann Coulter, a host of right wing radio "hosts," and a bunch of right wing preachers have all become wealthy off the robots. Why not you? After all, you're as good a con artist as any of those unethical bastards.
We have the finest Congress money can buy! It just goes to show you that throwing money at problems really don't solve them!
Thanks to the Robert's Court. They got exactly what they wanted---enormous amounts of corporate monies to buy elections for the GOP.
"The centers’ analysis found that 85 percent of money from companies flowed to GOP-aligned groups, 11 percent went to Democratic groups and the remainder went to organizations not aligned with either party."
This statemnet should clarify why a Republican Supreme Court gave us Citizens United. It was a blatant attempt to end a two party system in recognition that the politicians are sinking the US Titanic and that a one party system is the only way out of this grid lock.
But if you think our two party system is corrupt and incompetent, wait until you see what a one party system controlled by a bunch of wing nuts will produce.
Wow, it's not terrible that super PACS exist, it's just terrible that Romney has the biggest one on his side. Your bias is obvious.
If we don't know who is donating to this new Super PAC, how do we know it is not Iran trying to influence the election? China? Russia? Venezuela? Someone has to know what is being spent and from where...
I wonder how many people could have been hired with the 1 billion dollars spent on campaign contributions.
A billion isnt like it used to be with the Fed printing money like toilet paper, yet its still a lot. Maybe a better question is how much do we spend on politics total every 4 yrs?
Why does all this money for political parties feel like the destruction of our democracy? When interest groups spend so much money to divided the country it feels like something is lost. When outside enemy's feel less threatening than your neighbor who supports the opposite party, something is lost. Get the money out of politics!
Consider this ~ everyone who must file an income tax return (corporate and individual, whether they owe any tax or not) should be required to forfeit $5.00 which will be escrowed in a campaign trust fund. Every time any corporate entity donates money to a candidate ~ directly or though a PAC ~ all other candidates receive an equal amount from the trust fund. We would have approximately $1-billion dollars in the account to level the playing field. Its an inane plan but the only way "We, the people" can stand up to big money is to spend their asses broke. This proposal would truly be a "Citizens United" approach. If money is "speech," then its time that the average citizen spoke up or lose their voice forever. This silly proposal would allow that to happen.
How has "big money" forced your ability to check a box?
It hasent Go, but it has divided the country as most can see.
Actually I think what is dividing the country is one groups attempts to force a social agenda on people who don't want to be forced into their ideals. The real war isn't a war against women, or a war against the wealthy, or a war against the poor.... The hidden war is being quietly forced to the gigantic middle class. The people who have jobs and are comfortable are willing to give away part of their wealth to those who would like to be comfortable and working in order to protect what they have and shove the other middle class people being left off onto the public dole. Complicated, but that is what is going on, middle class who have against middle class who want to get back into the game. Believe it or not.
Too funny. 11% from privately owned companies and organizations. The only study shown was done by a left wing organization and offered no fact, jut some numbers from heaven. Coprorate contributions to PACs allowability was led into being by dems wanting more money. The DNC had the largest PAC funds on it side. Why go on? Just another stupid and unsupported article re-tweeted by NBC until it is found to be misleading and then it will just disappear after millions read the headline.... Thats how they work.
Gofigureit: Yep, they're all liars but you. Everyone lies but you. And, where do you find the Truth? Well, FOX Entertainment Network is one source, but then there are the right wing militias who live at the same intellectual level as you. Oh yes, the right wing internet is supplying your BS, too, isn't it genius? Everyone lies but you. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. You made your case as just another conspiracy theorist. Your ilk is full of them.
TJefferson-1649275
Again you libs keep referring to Fox. What's with that? Why do you spend so much time there if you hate it so much?
Just wondering how much of this money is coming from China; to keep the jobs flowing there, Saudi Arabia; to keep us dependent on their oil, Dubai: to keep the dollars that need to be hidden from taxes, and Mexico: to keep pot illegal and the profits up up up and the drug war going. We will not be controlled by votes any longer, we will be controlled by these guys and Halliburton to keep the wars going, Exon to keep us from developing better form of energy, Wall Street; to keep regulation their own responsibility, Big Banks; to keep the working guy broke, and business: to keep wages down and profits up.
NBC was quick to let you know that Colin Powell endorsed Obama, let's see if they tell you today that ..................
500 Admirals, Generals Endorse Romney with the full page ad in the Washington Times.
THAT'S VERY TELLING ON WHAT THEY THINK OF OBAMA AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
Of course they do, the Generals and Admirals would be out of a job without a new war spewing somewhere and a war mongering President willing to back them up. LMAO Obama 2012
stayinformednow: Your post is a model of a poorly educated, far right wing, extremist, fanatic. On one hand, you bitch and complain about the deficit, but then you fall right in behind Romney/Ryan who wants to INCREASE the defense budget. The defense budget is already EQUAL to the rest of the world defense budgets put together, and you want to INCREASE it. Now, you taut 500 generals and admirals who support RomneyRyan. Why? Because their salaries will go up, if he is elected and if he keeps his promise. (his promise---hahahahaha) Would you taut 500 high ranking civil servants who support Romney/Ryan. Hell, the taxpayers are supporting them as well as the military. Then, you maroons have the gall to talk about the socialist/communist Democrats! That is only one reason why the intellectuals have left today's GOP to the poorly educated, far right wing, extremist, fanatics like you. They can't live with the unethical hypocrisy of today's Republican Party.
What ever happened to "We the People?" What ever happened to candidates who are supposed to represent the people instead of their PACs? The US is for sale to the highest bidder.
How long will it be before The United States of America is changed to The United States of Corporations?!!!
Americans should be demonstrating and protesting in the streets over PACs instead of acting like 'we the sheeple.' Your country is no longer in your hands. It is now completely controlled by the 1%.
Do something about it, or put your tails between your legs and go back to your stables.
Because we let it happen. We have no one else to blame but ourselves. We have this great wonderful country and we fell asleep, and while we were sleeping.......it has been taken over by bad people. There is a website called Congress.org that is non-partisan and keeps you informed of what is going on in Washington and also makes it easy to connect with those you need to connect to. Those people we hire for Congress and the Senate, they are our voice. But if we are not telling them when they are not doing their jobs or even if we like what they are doing, they are going to just do what they usually do. There are also groups that are watching the Super Pacs and groups watching the hate groups (like southern poverty center), and groups watching out for the Koch brothers (public enemy #1). You can have their newsletters emailed to you. You can contribute to them if you want to help them fight. You just have to get involved. Please go vote tomorrow. Vote Obama/Biden 2012
The 2012 election markes the end of free and fair elections in this country and the begining of the collapse of this democratic society. The conservative Supreme Court decision that allowed this kind of anonymous corporate donating to campaigns just signed the death warrant for American Democracy.
The Wall Street and Corporate Lobby already own governement, they bought it years ago and now mean for us also to have the best elections money can buy! Corpocracy, of the corporation, by the corporation and for the corporation. The working and middle class are doomed...
This sort of crap should be illegal. No entity should be able to buy an election.
That's what Pollyanna said, too.
If you get most of your news from Fox, boy oh boy, are you people in for a big surprise.
If Republican crooks and war starters get back into office, don't come back complaining about your kids' future again. Because they're all going to be either working for minimum wage, or dying in Iran.
Vote wisely.
Why do so many libs get their news from Fox, but then come here to bash it? Secret Fox lovers? Or are you just a former Fox Troll with no place to go now that you got their comments shut down? Either way, just another loser.
I have never watched Faux News.
"corporations are people, my friend"
-Mitt Romney, August 11, 2011
I knew all the wack job libs would be out here because the article wants to make it look like the GOP is getting so much money and the poor dems aren't. Well take a close look. Both parties are wasting a good amount of money that could be used elsewhere but look closely. Sure the GOP is getting large sums of money but from who???? Business and corporations who are saying they can't continue to operate in this business climate we have now and most importantly organizations that are spending profits THEY have made. Look at obama and the dems largest contributors---the unions. Organizations that make no profits but steal from their members promising them they will look out for their rights and well being. That is why the dems and the unions are in bed together and that is why we have lost many jobs in the US--because of the unions outrageous demands and because of the blind followers of the unions which believe the crap they feed their members. How many union workers are out of work because of ridiculous demands by their organizations. Wages and salaries and benefits can only go so far until a business can no longer compete. You want to blame someone for jobs leaving the US. Blame the people who created strong unions demanding unattainable perks and blame the people who brought us NAFTA. Besides this info has been around for a long time. Why does this piece of garbage media bring it up now just before election????? Get a clue people neither of these 2 parties will ever help the middle class. Just vote out all incumbents until we have all fresh blood in the government that may be able to make decisions based on their conscience and common sense and not how much they are getting paid under the table.
I support the President every week by pushing a button on his website. It's not much. I am sure I am not the only one. It all adds up.
More spin from a liberal rag. Most of the article gives the assumption that all the big donations go to conservative campaigns. Only toward the middle, when most people have quit reading, do they briefly mention the libs. Typical lib tactic of trying to intimidate conservative donors by publishing their names. Seen it before - too many times. Rmember, to a lib tolerance is a one way street. Believe as they do or prepare to be destroyed.
Your tinfoil is very strong today. You should tighten it up even more.
Yup, MyMommy, Standard lib "argument" of insults and name-calling. No facts, just insults. That the quickest way to shut down any argument. Intelligent people don't want to argue with the less intelligent, so we just shut up. Great strategy. You win the battle, but lose the war. Small wins make small people feel big.
If they can donate money like this for campaigns, why hasn't the jobs been created, and don't feed me the untrained worker bull @!$%#. With all the money these corporations spend on crap and elections they could train and hire. Greedy asses is all it amounts too period. Obama 2012.
What about the unions with all of their donations? Why don't they train workers? Why don't they look for new ways to use the employees they have been bleeding for funds? Why do they even spend on elections? Why does a union need a party in its hip pocket? Talk about greedy asses. These people are playing with other people's money which is a typical liberal ploy. You don't have to be spend thrifty when all you are doing is spending other's money and will never be held accountable for the horrible job you are actually doing.
Why were unions formed in the first place? Why did we need unions? Why do we need government? Because greedy people in charge would walk all over the little guys without them. They are our voice. Why do you think companies hire illegals? Because they can exploit them! Why do companies like taking their jobs overseas - because alot of places could care less about the workers. Because they can go ahead and pollute their air, and their water. They don't have to worry about the EPA. That is why we have unions and government!
I don't disagree with anything you say about how unions came about, however they have now outlived their usefulness. They now are the ones that are greedy and taking money from the little guys with promises of making them better off. How many little guys have lost their jobs because union demands can't possibly be met? Union bosses never back down because they will still have their jobs tomorrow so what if it costs a few middle class jobs??? They will still be earning their millions. Yes and I also agree with your EPA comments but then if the feds are going to regulate and tax the heck out of our US companies then why aren't they enacting tariffs to tax and regulate the cheap products coming in to the United States so they would be on a level playing field with US companies? The US government wants to look good to other countries by not charging tariffs, by creating NAFTA and by continue to dump foreign aid into countries that hate the US. Screw the rest of the world let's take care of the United States first and look good to ourselves. That is why we must vote out all incumbents who's pockets are being lined by special interest group and lobbyists and then replace them with US citizens who will get rid of those groups and start legislating with common sense and the interests of the US citizens as their guiding light not the almighty dollar.
FUNNY ONE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION CBS WEBSITE HAS QUIETLY RELEASED " THE PREVIOUSLY UNAIRED PORTION " OF THE OBAMA 60 MINUTES INTERVIEW AFTER THE LYBIA 'TERROIST' ATTACK..
KROFT: Mr. President, this morning you went out of your way to avoid the use of the word terrorism in connection with the Libya Attack, do you believe that this was a terrorism attack?
OBAMA: Well it’s too early to tell exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on Americans. And we are going to be working with the Libyan government to make sure that we bring these folks to justice, one way or the other.
FUNNY HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT HE AND CANDY SAID HE SAID IN HIS ROSE GARDEN SPEECH.
You forgot to mention where he was standing when he said this......maybe it was not the Rose Garden? Or did you leave that out intentionally?
Does it really matter where he was standing?!?! I'm voting to stop the tax cuts that make the rich richer! Do you really think they are going to make jobs? They've had tax cuts for years. Where are the jobs? But yet, they continue to take home millions of dollars in bonuses!
For at least 20 years the country has been on a path to separate the "haves" from the "have nots." It is not there yet, but will be in the next 8-10. Then, like 14th Century Europe, the USA will finally have two groups of citizenry; royalty and peasants. And, if the peasants refuse to serve the royalty, the royalty will deport them; afterall, there 10s of 1000s of peasants overseas who are already on the royalty's payroll who'd live to immigrat.
WOW What kind of stupid juice have you been drinking. It is AFFECTING your brain, You do know that if you WORK hard and start anew business then YOU are the BOSS. But you have to WORK HARD to maintain a business and hope that your employees work hard also. You can NOT have workers that will only work part time you need them to put in a whole days work for a whole pay.
NOBAMA 2012 We need to get this country back to WORK. We have enough WELFARE.
Steve - the rich have had their tax breaks for years. Romney wants to continue this, under the pretense that they will create new jobs with their tax cuts. It hasn't worked so far, what makes you think it will change if Romney get in?
Romney did not create new jobs in Ma., he just cut every budget in the state to balance his budget. Including police, raising the crime rate to 7.5%. Search his record; Romney governorship. Then ask yourself why Ma. went to a democrat governor, after he quit?
By allowing anonymous donations like this the Supreme Court has perverted and corrupted our election process: The fact that 85% of these slimy dollars go to Republicans should surprise no-one.
Actually, the slimmy scumbags want to own America but won't show their grotesque faces. It's always the behind the scenes actors who are the most to fear. They hide behind the skirts as they did all their mangy lives, hiring lawyers to do most of their dirty work. Subversion of our constitution is their primary goal.
Yet ther are BILLIONS that flow into the DEMORATS pockets that should NOT surprise NOONE. Those SLIMY folks in the DEMORAT party. That is only for those that like to call names. see any JERK can call others names.
I can be as much a JERK as anyone on here.
NOBAMA 2012 For a better America. We all deserve better than OBUMMER.
As Tip O'Neil once said " A billion dollars ain't what it used to be"
Anyway, I need to correct my comments from yesterday. I said that the bookies in the UK have the odds of a tie at 35%. That is inaccurate. It was supposed to be 3.5%....somehow I left off the dot. See what this campaign has done to me? Should it come down to a tie,...and we get three more months of haggling, I doubt America could survive. We've been raked over the coals over this election and frankly I now no longer care if Mitt hasn't paid a dime in taxes or if Obama was born in Kenya. Just get it over with.
Whos to blame for this one. Why none other than The Current President.