Follow The Money
February 25, 2009
We hear a lot about “money in politics,” but it’s worth asking: who’s actually behind all the money in politics?
According to the extremely valuable statistics at OpenSecrets, “Lawyers/Law firms” ranked as the top special interest contributor to 2008 federal campaigns, funneling over $230 million to candidates for Congress and President. More than $176 million, or 76% percent, went to Democrats.
When you look at contributions just to Members of Congress, “Lawyers/Law firms” gave $126,040,278 – five times as much as “TV/Movies/Music” (David Geffen, call your office) and over seven times as much as the much-maligned “Oil & Gas” industry. The next closest special interest group was the “Securities/Investment” industry, which could only manage a comparatively paltry $63 million. Since 1990, lawyers have spent a staggering $1 billion to influence federal elections.
Unsurprisingly, Barack Obama was the top recipient of lawyers’ funds in the last cycle, raking in a whopping $43,106,747. Hillary Clinton came in second with a cool $17,477,579.
I’m the first to defend any American’s right to free speech, including political contributions. But I still have to ask: what do the lawyers think they’re getting for all this money? Take a look at my post earlier in the week for a partial answer.