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September 7, 2012
Busting the Democrat myth of the Koch brothers
Lee Cary
Merely mention the monstrous Koch brothers and Democrats go berserk.
But what's the truth concerning the extent of the Koch's financial impact on elections?
On the website opensecrets.org , we find this list of Top All-Time Political Donors from 1989-2012. The top 100 donors are listed below. Note the contributions from unions.
Given all the noise from Democrats, we'd expect to see the Kochs in, at least, the top ten. Not there.
Or, the top 20
Merely mention the monstrous Koch brothers and Democrats go berserk.
But what's the truth concerning the extent of the Koch's financial impact on elections?
On the website opensecrets.org , we find this list of Top All-Time Political Donors from 1989-2912. The top 100 donors are listed below. Note the contributions from unions.
Given all the noise from Democrats, we'd expect to see the Kochs in, at least, the top ten. Not there.
Or, the top 20. Not there either.
Certainly the top 50! Nope.
They rank 75th on the list.
One of Saul Alinsky's rules in his book "Rules for Radicals" -- required reading in the state university in Illinois I attended long ago -- was to "demonize the opposition". It works because attach credibility to repetition. (Like next year is the Chicago Cub's year to win the Series.)
[The first column to the right of the total is the percentage of total contributions that went to Democrats; the second column to the right the percentage of the total given to Republicans.]
|
1
|
ActBlue
|
$69,829,402
|
99%
|
0%
|
|
|
2
|
American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees
|
$61,440,473
|
73%
|
0%
|
|
|
3
|
AT&T Inc
|
$49,435,290
|
43%
|
55%
|
|
|
4
|
National Assn of Realtors
|
$44,032,938
|
45%
|
47%
|
|
|
5
|
National Education Assn
|
$43,613,263
|
71%
|
5%
|
|
|
6
|
Service Employees International Union
|
$41,809,666
|
70%
|
2%
|
|
|
7
|
Goldman Sachs
|
$39,830,663
|
56%
|
40%
|
|
|
8
|
American Assn for Justice
|
$36,480,728
|
88%
|
8%
|
|
|
9
|
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
|
$35,994,170
|
95%
|
2%
|
|
|
10
|
American Federation of Teachers
|
$34,698,466
|
86%
|
0%
|
|
|
11
|
Teamsters Union
|
$33,543,228
|
85%
|
5%
|
|
|
12
|
Laborers Union
|
$33,502,740
|
86%
|
7%
|
|
|
13
|
Communications Workers of America
|
$32,245,257
|
90%
|
0%
|
|
|
14
|
Carpenters & Joiners Union
|
$32,000,160
|
85%
|
9%
|
|
|
15
|
Citigroup Inc
|
$30,075,676
|
49%
|
49%
|
|
|
16
|
United Food & Commercial Workers Union
|
$28,652,035
|
92%
|
0%
|
|
|
17
|
American Medical Assn
|
$28,523,448
|
40%
|
59%
|
|
|
18
|
United Auto Workers
|
$28,360,837
|
98%
|
0%
|
|
|
19
|
National Auto Dealers Assn
|
$28,170,508
|
32%
|
67%
|
|
|
20
|
Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union
|
$27,690,147
|
98%
|
1%
|
|
|
21
|
United Parcel Service
|
$26,874,093
|
36%
|
63%
|
|
|
22
|
EMILY's List
|
$26,242,976
|
97%
|
0%
|
|
|
23
|
Altria Group
|
$26,098,832
|
27%
|
72%
|
|
|
24
|
American Bankers Assn
|
$25,989,790
|
38%
|
61%
|
|
|
25
|
National Beer Wholesalers Assn
|
$25,415,795
|
34%
|
65%
|
|
|
26
|
JPMorgan Chase & Co
|
$25,180,648
|
49%
|
49%
|
|
|
27
|
Microsoft Corp
|
$24,649,246
|
55%
|
44%
|
|
|
28
|
National Assn of Home Builders
|
$24,344,855
|
35%
|
64%
|
|
|
29
|
National Assn of Letter Carriers
|
$24,158,334
|
82%
|
9%
|
|
|
30
|
Morgan Stanley
|
$23,055,528
|
44%
|
55%
|
|
|
31
|
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
|
$22,948,301
|
37%
|
62%
|
|
|
32
|
AFL-CIO
|
$22,504,688
|
82%
|
4%
|
|
|
33
|
Lockheed Martin
|
$22,398,020
|
42%
|
56%
|
|
|
34
|
Time Warner
|
$22,222,405
|
73%
|
26%
|
|
|
35
|
General Electric
|
$21,947,727
|
50%
|
49%
|
|
|
36
|
Verizon Communications
|
$21,699,696
|
41%
|
58%
|
|
|
37
|
Bank of America
|
$21,639,155
|
43%
|
55%
|
|
|
38
|
Credit Union National Assn
|
$20,950,466
|
47%
|
50%
|
|
|
39
|
Deloitte LLP
|
$20,184,062
|
35%
|
64%
|
|
|
40
|
FedEx Corp
|
$20,078,811
|
40%
|
59%
|
|
|
41
|
Sheet Metal Workers Union
|
$19,992,720
|
95%
|
2%
|
|
|
42
|
Operating Engineers Union
|
$19,963,136
|
84%
|
14%
|
|
|
43
|
International Assn of Fire Fighters
|
$19,934,293
|
78%
|
17%
|
|
|
44
|
Plumbers & Pipefitters Union
|
$19,788,306
|
92%
|
4%
|
|
|
45
|
Ernst & Young
|
$19,667,518
|
43%
|
55%
|
|
|
46
|
National Rifle Assn
|
$18,979,122
|
17%
|
82%
|
|
|
47
|
American Dental Assn
|
$18,875,934
|
45%
|
53%
|
|
|
48
|
American Hospital Assn
|
$18,818,618
|
53%
|
45%
|
|
|
49
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers
|
$18,737,044
|
36%
|
63%
|
|
|
50
|
UBS AG
|
$18,276,962
|
40%
|
58%
|
|
|
51
|
Boeing Co
|
$17,884,942
|
46%
|
52%
|
|
|
52
|
Air Line Pilots Assn
|
$17,509,897
|
83%
|
16%
|
|
|
53
|
AFLAC Inc
|
$17,287,629
|
44%
|
55%
|
|
|
54
|
Natl Assn/Insurance & Financial Advisors
|
$16,979,024
|
42%
|
57%
|
|
|
55
|
Pfizer Inc
|
$16,359,097
|
33%
|
66%
|
|
|
56
|
United Steelworkers
|
$16,028,846
|
96%
|
0%
|
|
|
57
|
Union Pacific Corp
|
$15,943,095
|
25%
|
74%
|
|
|
58
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$15,598,484
|
43%
|
56%
|
|
|
59
|
Ironworkers Union
|
$15,544,424
|
92%
|
6%
|
|
|
60
|
United Transportation Union
|
$15,464,260
|
88%
|
11%
|
|
|
61
|
Comcast Corp
|
$15,323,830
|
58%
|
41%
|
|
|
62
|
American Postal Workers Union
|
$15,044,873
|
92%
|
3%
|
|
|
63
|
Club for Growth
|
$14,975,478
|
0%
|
91%
|
|
|
64
|
Credit Suisse Group
|
$14,958,586
|
43%
|
56%
|
|
|
65
|
National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn
|
$14,694,771
|
49%
|
50%
|
|
|
66
|
Merrill Lynch
|
$14,498,522
|
37%
|
61%
|
|
|
67
|
National Air Traffic Controllers Assn
|
$14,354,258
|
70%
|
18%
|
|
|
68
|
American Institute of CPAs
|
$14,074,166
|
42%
|
57%
|
|
|
69
|
Reynolds American
|
$13,961,603
|
24%
|
75%
|
|
|
70
|
General Dynamics
|
$13,894,518
|
47%
|
52%
|
|
|
71
|
Anheuser-Busch
|
$13,772,187
|
48%
|
51%
|
|
|
72
|
Honeywell International
|
$13,599,048
|
45%
|
54%
|
|
|
73
|
Newsweb Corp
|
$13,565,571
|
73%
|
0%
|
|
|
74
|
Exxon Mobil
|
$13,311,075
|
13%
|
86%
|
|
|
75
|
Koch Industries
|
$13,151,536
|
8%
|
90%
|
|
|
76
|
DLA Piper
|
$13,147,811
|
68%
|
30%
|
|
|
77
|
American Financial Group
|
$13,135,921
|
16%
|
79%
|
|
|
78
|
BellSouth Corp
|
$13,015,350
|
45%
|
54%
|
|
|
79
|
Raytheon Co
|
$12,804,298
|
45%
|
53%
|
|
|
80
|
KPMG LLP
|
$12,641,689
|
34%
|
64%
|
|
|
81
|
Walt Disney Co
|
$12,579,188
|
69%
|
30%
|
|
|
82
|
New York Life Insurance
|
$12,465,975
|
51%
|
48%
|
|
|
83
|
News Corp
|
$12,431,038
|
58%
|
41%
|
|
|
84
|
Chevron
|
$12,366,041
|
23%
|
76%
|
|
|
85
|
GlaxoSmithKline
|
$12,074,396
|
30%
|
69%
|
|
|
86
|
Natl Active & Retired Fed Employees Assn
|
$11,662,200
|
77%
|
22%
|
|
|
87
|
American Crystal Sugar
|
$11,506,989
|
61%
|
38%
|
|
|
88
|
Wal-Mart Stores
|
$11,429,091
|
29%
|
69%
|
|
|
89
|
Saban Capital Group
|
$11,317,722
|
90%
|
0%
|
|
|
90
|
American Health Care Assn
|
$11,311,524
|
51%
|
47%
|
|
|
91
|
Associated Builders & Contractors
|
$11,159,206
|
1%
|
98%
|
|
|
92
|
Prudential Financial
|
$11,157,062
|
50%
|
49%
|
|
|
93
|
Human Rights Campaign
|
$11,120,697
|
90%
|
8%
|
|
|
94
|
CSX Corp
|
$11,058,192
|
34%
|
65%
|
|
|
95
|
National Restaurant Assn
|
$11,013,295
|
16%
|
82%
|
|
|
96
|
American Society of Anesthesiologists
|
$10,988,187
|
42%
|
57%
|
|
|
97
|
Southern Co
|
$10,897,030
|
31%
|
68%
|
|
|
98
|
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance
|
$10,866,721
|
39%
|
60%
|
|
|
99
|
American Academy of Ophthalmology
|
$10,691,805
|
51%
|
48%
|
|
|
100
|
Indep Insurance Agents & Brokers/America
|
$10,680,025
|
38%
|
61%
|
|
OMG! The evil Koch brothers even gave 8% of their total contributions to Democrats!
|
|