Obama received $46,000 in donations from executives and workers last month alone. In a campaign ad, he said he took no money. Why is he this reckless? I'm
afraid more of this kind of contradiction is going to surface and since he's the probable nominee, if he does a downhill spiral, so do we. Not good.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-money24apr24,1,2328541.story
Los Angeles Times
Barack Obama still takes in oil money
from oil companies.
By Dan Morain
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
10:45 PM PDT, April 23, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama continued accepting donations from oil company
executives and employees last month even as he aired ads in which he
stated he took no oil company money, his campaign finance reports show.
Obama has taken at least $263,000 from oil company executives, family
members and employees since entering the presidential race last year,
including $46,000 last month. At least $140,000 has come in chunks of
between $1,000 and $2,300, the maximum permitted under federal law.
Texas oil executive Robert L. Cavnar of Milagro Exploration and his
wife, Gracie, have helped the Illinois Democrat raise at least
another $50,000 by helping host a fundraiser earlier in the campaign.
Other oil industry donors have included Sinclair Oil President Ross
Matthews of Texas and John B. Hess, chairman of Hess Corp., a New
York-based oil producer and retailer with operations worldwide. Hess,
who has given to other presidential candidates, including Sen. John
McCain, gave $2,300 to Obama last year, as did his wife, Susan. Hess
gave $14,000 to Obama's Senate run in 2003. The oil executives did
not return phone calls.
In the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama aired a
campaign spot in Indiana and Pennsylvania that sought to reinforce
his theme that he would change the Washington culture, while also
tapping into voter distress about the high price of gasoline. In the
ad, he called for a windfall profits "penalty."
"Since the gas lines of the '70s, Democrats and Republicans have
talked about energy independence but nothing's changed -- except now
Exxon's making $40 billion a year and we're paying $3.50 for gas. I'm
Barack Obama. I don't take money from oil companies or Washington
lobbyists, and I won't let them block change anymore," says the spot,
which aired as recently as April 8.
Obama's ad is factually correct. He does not take money from oil
companies. A 1907 federal law bars all corporations from giving money
to political candidates. However, oil company employees can make
donations.
As the ad aired, Obama took $12,400 from oil company executives and
employees in increments of $1,000 or more. Altogether, people who
identify themselves as working for oil and gas companies donated
$46,000 in March.
Obama spokesman Ben Labolt said unlike Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
and McCain, Obama refused to take money from federal lobbyists and
political action committees.
"He accepted no contributions from oil and gas company political
action committees, or from those who are paid to lobby Congress on
behalf of oil and gas companies -- the money that is intended to
purchase influence and access on behalf of corporate interests,"
Labolt said.
Clinton countered Obama's ad with one detailing his oil company-
related donations from employees and executives of Exxon and other
major petroleum companies. Factcheck.org, part of the Annenberg
School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, also
chastised Obama for airing the spot.
"From our perspective, if there is a distinction between oil company
PACs and lobbyists, and their executives, it is a mighty fine line,"
said Sheila Krumholz, director of the nonpartisan Center for
Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign donations. "They all
represent the same interest -- oil."
Clinton has taken $336,000 from oil company executives and employees
since entering the presidential race, including $27,000 in March.
McCain took $41,000 last month, for a total of $445,000.
Donors who spoke with The Times said their contributions were not
directed by their employers.
Bill Mintz, communications director for Apache Corp., a Houston-based
oil company, said his decision to give -- he contributed $2,300 in
February before Obama's ad aired -- was neither solicited by his
company executives nor by Obama's campaign.
Mintz said in an interview that the Obama ad did not make him regret
his donation. But he also said the spot underscored what he saw as a
persistent problem in the political discourse over energy.
"I don't think either party is addressing the country's and world's
energy needs realistically," Mintz said. "We're not going to produce
our way out of this and we're not going to solve the problem with
conservation and alternative energy."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-money24apr24,1,2328541.story
Los Angeles Times
Barack Obama still takes in oil money
from oil companies.
By Dan Morain
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
10:45 PM PDT, April 23, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama continued accepting donations from oil company
executives and employees last month even as he aired ads in which he
stated he took no oil company money, his campaign finance reports show.
Obama has taken at least $263,000 from oil company executives, family
members and employees since entering the presidential race last year,
including $46,000 last month. At least $140,000 has come in chunks of
between $1,000 and $2,300, the maximum permitted under federal law.
Texas oil executive Robert L. Cavnar of Milagro Exploration and his
wife, Gracie, have helped the Illinois Democrat raise at least
another $50,000 by helping host a fundraiser earlier in the campaign.
Other oil industry donors have included Sinclair Oil President Ross
Matthews of Texas and John B. Hess, chairman of Hess Corp., a New
York-based oil producer and retailer with operations worldwide. Hess,
who has given to other presidential candidates, including Sen. John
McCain, gave $2,300 to Obama last year, as did his wife, Susan. Hess
gave $14,000 to Obama's Senate run in 2003. The oil executives did
not return phone calls.
In the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama aired a
campaign spot in Indiana and Pennsylvania that sought to reinforce
his theme that he would change the Washington culture, while also
tapping into voter distress about the high price of gasoline. In the
ad, he called for a windfall profits "penalty."
"Since the gas lines of the '70s, Democrats and Republicans have
talked about energy independence but nothing's changed -- except now
Exxon's making $40 billion a year and we're paying $3.50 for gas. I'm
Barack Obama. I don't take money from oil companies or Washington
lobbyists, and I won't let them block change anymore," says the spot,
which aired as recently as April 8.
Obama's ad is factually correct. He does not take money from oil
companies. A 1907 federal law bars all corporations from giving money
to political candidates. However, oil company employees can make
donations.
As the ad aired, Obama took $12,400 from oil company executives and
employees in increments of $1,000 or more. Altogether, people who
identify themselves as working for oil and gas companies donated
$46,000 in March.
Obama spokesman Ben Labolt said unlike Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
and McCain, Obama refused to take money from federal lobbyists and
political action committees.
"He accepted no contributions from oil and gas company political
action committees, or from those who are paid to lobby Congress on
behalf of oil and gas companies -- the money that is intended to
purchase influence and access on behalf of corporate interests,"
Labolt said.
Clinton countered Obama's ad with one detailing his oil company-
related donations from employees and executives of Exxon and other
major petroleum companies. Factcheck.org, part of the Annenberg
School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, also
chastised Obama for airing the spot.
"From our perspective, if there is a distinction between oil company
PACs and lobbyists, and their executives, it is a mighty fine line,"
said Sheila Krumholz, director of the nonpartisan Center for
Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign donations. "They all
represent the same interest -- oil."
Clinton has taken $336,000 from oil company executives and employees
since entering the presidential race, including $27,000 in March.
McCain took $41,000 last month, for a total of $445,000.
Donors who spoke with The Times said their contributions were not
directed by their employers.
Bill Mintz, communications director for Apache Corp., a Houston-based
oil company, said his decision to give -- he contributed $2,300 in
February before Obama's ad aired -- was neither solicited by his
company executives nor by Obama's campaign.
Mintz said in an interview that the Obama ad did not make him regret
his donation. But he also said the spot underscored what he saw as a
persistent problem in the political discourse over energy.
"I don't think either party is addressing the country's and world's
energy needs realistically," Mintz said. "We're not going to produce
our way out of this and we're not going to solve the problem with
conservation and alternative energy."
