Wednesday - March 09, 2005

What Lobbyists Pay Which Congressmember

Among the interests lobbying in support of the bankruptcy bill currently before the Senate is the credit industry, which has contributed more than $40 million to federal candidates and political parties since 1989. But the senators who have raised the most campaign money from credit card companies during that time do not include Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the majority leader, or Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the bill’s sponsor.

That distinction belongs to Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who has raised $316,700 from the credit industry over the past 16 years, tops among current senators. Virtually all of that—$300,700—has come from the employees and political action committee of MBNA, the nation’s top credit card issuer. Snowe is fourth on the list when all current and past members of Congress are ranked.

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) ranks second among current senators—fifth overall—in receipts from credit card companies since 1989, with $302,800. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) is third among current senators with $255,900, Sen. Charles Schumer is fourth with $253,700, and Sen. Arlen Specter is fifth with $231,800.

These figures and many more can now be found on the Center for Responsive Politics’ award-winning Web site, OpenSecrets.org. In addition to its two-year fundraising profiles of House members and six-year campaign contribution portraits of senators, the Center for the first time has created unique “career profiles” of members of Congress going back 16 years.

Career profiles display each lawmaker’s top campaign donors by organization, industry and sector since 1989, when the Center first started comprehensively tracking federal campaign contributions. The profiles also include totals raised and spent by each member of Congress over the same period, as well as top ZIP codes.

For example, House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) top industry during the past 16 years is the securities and investment industry, which has contributed $684,300 to him in individual and PAC contributions. Hastert’s top organization since 1989 is the American Medical Association, with $80,000 in contributions.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has raised $557,900 since 1989 from oil and gas interests, more than he has from any other industry. His top donor during that time is the National Auto Dealers Association, with $66,600 in contributions.

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has collected more from lawyers and law firms ($357,300) than from any other industry since 1989. The labor union AFSCME tops her list of organizations with $61,000 in contributions over the same period.

In the Senate, Frist’s career contributor list is topped by HCA Healthcare, a hospital company founded by his father and brother. HCA’s employees and PAC have sent Frist more than $83,500 since he entered the Senate in 1994. Frist has raised $1.3 million from doctors and other health professionals, his top industry, during that time.

Democratic leader and Nevada Sen. Harry Reid has raised more than $158,500 from the PAC and employees of MGM Mirage, his top contributor over the past 16 years. Casinos and gambling interests are second on his list of top industries with $1.1 million. Lawyers and law firms are No. 1 with $1.9 million.

The securities and investment industry, which has a major stake in the outcome of the Social Security debate, has topped the $1 million mark to nine current members of Congress and 10 former members. With $5.9 million in receipts, Schumer is the top recipient from the industry among current and former lawmakers.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is second on the all-time list of securities and investment industry receipts. His total, which includes money raised during his 2004 presidential campaign, is $5.5 million since 1989.

The figures are based on the Center’s processing of all individual and PAC contributions reported to the Federal Election Commission. The Center has grouped more than 6 million such donations to members of Congress since 1989 by employer or affiliated organization and coded those organizations by industry. Combined with contributions to challengers, presidential candidates, the national political parties and 527 groups, the Center’s data is the most comprehensive available outside the FEC.

To access the career profiles, visit this link and type in the name of a member of Congress. Then look for the career profile link on the left side of the page. Career profiles exist for members of the 108th Congress and will soon be created for the 109th Congress.

Posted by DR@HDfixit     on 03/09/2005 at 01:29 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Liberals Have Got To Be Seething (Part 1)

Well, another paper joins the ranks of those allowing editorials actually admitting that President Bush’s foreign policy may be right and is yielding results.  Cowboy, eh?

Read the latest from the Chicago Tribune.  (you may need to register. Go here for codes to get in.)

Successes in:

Afghanistan
Iraq
Libya
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Lebanon
Syria
PLO

What do they all have in common?  Ragheads!  Goat fornicating, Islam loving sheetheads.  All beginning to get in line.

The leftist America-haters are going apoplectic on seeing all this taking place.  Meanwhile, some newspapers FINALLY get it.

Excuse me while I gloat.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/09/2005 at 06:13 AM   
Filed Under: • Blogs-For-Bush • Muslims • Politics •  
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   Monday - March 07, 2005

One Thing He’s Done Right

I finally found something that Clinton did right:  he deferred to his elders and slept on the floor.

Did I miss anything else he may have done?

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/07/2005 at 08:18 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats • Politics •  
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The Italian Kerfuffle

I started writing this a couple of days ago so as you read it you will see how the story has evolved and why I say what I say early on.

Of course our government will make apologetic mewling noises over this but I could care less what happened to that leftist, pro-communist Italian press bitch and her body guard.

All indications are that the driver was speeding towards an American checkpoint (why speed?  they were not being chased.  She did not break out.  They were not being pursued.)

So our guys fired on the car and killed the bodyguard.

The Italians, natutally, have their collective panties in a wad over the death of ONE (1) person!!!!  But that’s really not news either considering they have no idea what it’s like to fight anymore.  Hell, you ever see the Italian Navy?  Neither have I.  It’s at the bottom of the ocean.  (ha ha)

State funerals are in order, diplomatic notes are being traded, and this bitch will now launch a drive against the US for this “HEINOUS ACT OF WAR” against her person by the war-mongering imperialistic Americans.

If any punishment is due to American soldiers it is to the one who fired the bullet that killed the guard.  He should be taken to the range and taught how NOT to miss ranting, raving, lunatic communist bitches like this one.

But it gets better.

If you go to this link

“Sgrena said the driver began shouting that they were Italian, then “Nicola Calipari dove on top of me to protect me and immediately, and I mean immediately, I felt his last breath as he died on me.”

What melodramatic bullshit!  Remember, this bitch is a communist and hates the US.  She’s also had lots of time to dramatize her story.

She also wrote:

“that her captors warned her as she was about to be released not to signal her presence to anyone, because “the Americans might intervene.  If we had run into someone, meaning American troops, there would have been an exchange of fire, and my captors were ready and they would have responded."”

What the bitch does not admit is that her government BOUGHT her freedom!!  They paid ransom.  Of course her captors don’t want anyone to be signaled because then the jig is up.

If you go here you will see that she says:

“U.S. forces may have deliberately targeted her because Washington opposed Italy’s policy of dealing with kidnappers.”

Of course,

She offered no evidence for her claim

Every time I hear the news about this I hear that over and over and over and over and over and over how she claims we targeted her but “never offers evidence for her claim.”

So why the FUCK does the MSM continue to parrot that stupid accusation? It has no basis in fact.

Oh, that’s right-------bad for Bush and America , good for the press and leftists and America haters and Democrats.  And like CBS with the Bush papers, it does not matter if it’s true or not it only matters if they THINK there may be truth in it.  So the constant telling and re-telling of the lie becomes the truth.

Saving the best for last, here is an article from the Washington Times that lays out what most probably happened.  In it we find out Italian secret service weenies kept information about the negotiations from our CIA.  Sorry, but all this leads me to believe that our soldiers had no choice but to shoot.  Hell, if a car comes at them at 25-30 MPH and the driver does not stop after being signaled not to, then ---shoot at will, boys!!!!

What irks me even more about all this is all the attention being paid to one person who dies accidentally.  It’s a fucking war, people!  I wonder how many good soldiers will now get punished for this.  And we wonder why recruitment goals can’t be met?  Hell, if you call me a soldier but tie my hands so I can’t do anything and I then become nothing but fodder for the enemy, then why the hell would I want to be a soldier?

Good God!  Using today’s rationale for taking the littlest of stories and blowing it up out of proportion, aren’t you glad we are not fighting WW II today?  With today’s leftists we’d be paying the Japanese for damage to their airplanes in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/07/2005 at 07:05 AM   
Filed Under: • International • Military • Politics • War-Stories •  
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On Democrats And The Black Vote

You know the goose is about cooked for the Democratic party when you have assholes like Donna Brazile saying:

“Once they (black voters) start listening to Republicans, some may even like what they hear.”

Yeah, Donna!  That’s right.  The smart Black person, capable of rubbing more than 2 brain cells together and shedding the cloak of victimization and reparations, will see right through the hypocrisy of the Democratcic parrty and understand what is truly is:  a means to oppress minorities into depending on the socialists in your party for everything in life.

Mona Charen points out another reason for Dummycrap “pants pissing” when she says this:

“It is a plain fact of American political life today that Democrats are completely dependent on black votes. The day African-Americans stop casting 80 percent to 95 percent of their votes for Democrats is the day Democrats stop winning elections. ... In the year 2000, George W. Bush won 54 percent of the white vote and 31 percent of the Hispanic vote. But Al Gore won 90 percent of the black vote and thus topped Bush in the total popular vote.” Democrats at the national level consistently win fewer than 50 percent of white votes.

What has been the typical Democratic response to stoking the fires in minorities?

Read this and find out.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/07/2005 at 06:25 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats • Liberals • Politics •  
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   Saturday - March 05, 2005

Religion And Politics

A few days ago one of our readers advocated the taxing of churches and removal of all their tax exempt status.

I countered by saying that as soon as you tax churches then they have a Constitutional right to free political speech.  (remember “no taxation without representation?") Churches do not have that right to political endorsements now because long ago the framers knew what they were doing.  Yes, occasionally you will see politicians in churches giving sermons or whatever but technically they can not stump for themselves (although we know Jesse Jackson and the other race baiters, to include most Democrats do this.)

Well, as luck would have it I found some pieces that focus on this subject.

The first one deals with a bill proposed by North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones called “the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act of 2005” would allow leaders of churches to endorse candidates.

You see, now, I have a problem with this.  Churches are a very strong force to be reckoned with in the US and if this passes what’s to prevent a rich powerhouse like the Catholic Church to back an individual who would then favor only those issues relevant to Catholicism like abortion, marriage, contraception?

In time we’d have ourselves a theocracy because so few other churches could match the strength of the Catholic Church. 

Now don’t go off half-cocked thinking I am against Catholics.  I just used them as an example.  I could have easily chosen Baptists or Mormons.

Furthermore, think about this:  if the bill passes, what’s to prohibit BOTH parties from ALL OF A SUDDEN finding “one church” they prefer and through that “church” channel BILLIONS of dollars TAX FREE?  What’s to prohibit anyone from leaving monstrous donations with no accountability?

“But”, you say, “Congress can make sure that does not happen by limiting those donations.”

If you, in fact, actually thought that, then think about it for a minute.  How effective was McCain-Feingold?  Look what the FEC is trying to do now--re-write the bill in order to stifle bloggers from being able to mention any candidate nor have any link on their site that endorses a candidate as that would be considered a “contribution” to that person’s campaign.  Read more here.

Every time our fuckwadded Congress-critters write a law they put huge loopholes in them in order to guarantee themselves jobs by having to re-write those laws or close the loopholes with other loopholes further guaranteeing them semi-permanent employment.  You need go no further than the latest immigration bill passed by the House and mentioned here. It’s so full of loopholes the entire country of Mexico could walk right through.

You think this would be any different?  And why mess with it at all?  Why change anything?  Long ago it was decided the best way to keep our country from having a “state religion” was this tax exempt/no politics feature.

So, you see, passing this law is WRONG for our country and would start on us on the slippery slope of a “state religion.”

For more insight, here’s an article against the legislation and here’s one that has different ideas.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/05/2005 at 07:49 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics • Religion •  
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Humor, Politics And The 10 Commandments

I found this in the St. Pete paper’s “letters to the editor” section.

It is from a Mrs. Mary Voiles commenting on why the 10 Commandments should not be posted in a courthouse:

“There’s a reason we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post “Thou shalt not steal,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not lie” in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians. It creates a hostile working environment.”

Well said, Mary.  I should have thought of that myself! 

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/05/2005 at 07:06 AM   
Filed Under: • Humor • Politics • Religion •  
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Bring Out Your Dead………..

.....to vote, that is!!!  At least that’s what the Republican party is attempting to show in the hotly contested gubernatorial race which pitted Dino Rossi (R) against Christine Gregoire (Commie Bitch-D).  She won after recounts by the slimmest of slim margins---129 votes.

So far they’ve given the Dummycrap lawyers a list of over 3000 felons, dead people and multiple voters---all who cast ballots (or had them cast for them) illegally.

This ain’t over yet and with any luck we will have a chance to expose the Democrats for what they are: preservers of justice; the party of “party over country”, and the party of criminals, perverts, malcontents and victicrats.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/05/2005 at 06:49 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats • Politics •  
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   Friday - March 04, 2005

America Haters Must Be So Pissed Off They Can’t See Straight

Yesterday I posted about an interview that Jon Stewart had with that America-hating c**t, Nancy Soderberg.  In the transcript Jon made mention of the successes the Bush administration is having in foreign policy.  Nancy chimes in with words to the effect that the only good news Dems want from Bush are stories where he is failing.

Well, in contrast to that bitch, another uber-liberal, Daniel Schorr, from NPR recently wrote a column wherein he admits:

During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, President Bush said that “a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region.”

He may have had it right.

Damn!  That must have hurt him like hell to have to admit what he did but I can’t help but wonder if he is doing so to alienate himself from the other losers in the socialist/democratic party.

This story is even better and comes from overseas.

Y’all remember the movie, “The Life Of Brian” where Reg is trying to incite his fellow citizens to revolt against the Romans and yells out:  “What have the Romans ever done for us?”

And then a whole laundry list comes out of great stuff the Romans actually did do for the people of those times?

Well, Euro-Peons are going through that right now and Gerard Baker walks us through a Monty Python-esque equivalent of “The Life of Brian” titled “What Have The Americans Ever Done For Us?”

“What have the Americans ever done for us?”

“Well, they did get rid of the Taleban in Afghanistan. ’Orrible bunch, they were.”

“All right, the Taleban, I grant you.”

“Then there was Iraq. Knocked off one of the nastiest dictators who ever lived and gave the whole nation a chance to pick its own rulers.”

“Yeah, all right. Fair enough. I didn’t like Saddam.”

“Libya gave up its nuclear weapons.”

“And then there’s Syria. Thousands of people on the streets of Lebanon. Syrians look like they’re pulling out.”

“I just heard Egypt’s going to hold free presidential elections for the first time. And Saudi Arabia just held elections too.”

“The Palestinians and the Israelis are talking again and they say there’s a real chance of peace this time.”

“All right, all right. But apart from liberating 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan, undermining dictatorships throughout the Arab world, spreading freedom and self-determination in the broader Middle East and moving the Palestinians and the Israelis towards a real chance of ending their centuries-long war, what have the Americans ever done for us?”

It’s great stuff.  Go read it.  His summation is awesome.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/04/2005 at 11:33 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats • International • Liberals • Politics •  
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   Thursday - March 03, 2005

How Do You Play Fair?

According to Democrats, when things don’t please them and they are losing there is only one way to play fair:  the other team must stop playing.

In what appears to be exactly this sort of thing going on, freshman Senator Salazar (Dumbass-Colorado) wants President Bush to WITHDRAW all his judicial nominees.

What are his reasons for doing this and what does he think will be accomplished by it?

“The decision to re-nominate these individuals will undoubtedly create the animosity and divisiveness ... that is not helpful to our nation and will sidetrack our collective efforts to work on other crucial matters.”

Now, isn’t that just like the spoiled children you used to know on school playgrounds who whined so much that the teacher had to come out and take away YOUR toys in order for them to be placated?

For a rebuttal, read this. It’s interesting to note how one of the nominees Salazar wants removed from the list is someone he endorsed while Colorado AG.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/03/2005 at 07:14 AM   
Filed Under: • Judges-Courts • Liberals • Politics •  
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Keep Your Fingers Crossed

ith any sort of luck we just might get legislation permitting the beginning of development for oil in ANWR.

About damned time, I say!

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 03/03/2005 at 07:11 AM   
Filed Under: • Environment • Politics •  
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   Saturday - February 26, 2005

I Couldn’t Pass This One Up!!

If you recall, yesterday our SecWar posted about the MSM’s fascination with Condi Rice’s sartorial choices when she visited Europe.

I just read James Taranto’s “Best of the Web” for yesterday and found this gem:

the band Cake anticipated all this with the 2001 song “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”:

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond
I want a girl who knows what’s best
I want a girl with shoes that cut
And eyes that burn like cigarettes
I want a girl with the right allocation
Who’s fast, and thorough, and sharp as a tack
She’s playing with her jewelry, she’s putting up her hair
She’s touring the facility and picking up slack
I want a girl with a short skirt,
And a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jacket

Could there be romance in the air? And if so, how long before the secretary of state becomes Mrs. Rice Cake?

Rice Cake!  What a hoot!!!!!  But those lyrics were spot-on!!!

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 02/26/2005 at 08:52 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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A Story About A Man Who Lacks Commitment……………….

.................yet is committed to be a politician. 

Our society is fucked, I tell you, fucked; as long as people like this live.

Do you remember when I wrote about the candidate for office in St. Louis who threatened, via his blog, to kill himself?  Allow me to refresh your collective memories.

Thanks to Gary I got a follow-up about this sorry excuse for a human being. He is still running for mayor!!  He still has not killed himself.  He does not expect to win but will start working on campaigning for the 2009 election. He says:

“What do you want me to do?” Haas says. “Give up?”

What I want to know is how anyone can vote for a guy who is not committed to what he says.  He did, after all, say he was going to kill himself.

He didn’t.

How can you trust a guy who doesn’t keep his word?

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 02/26/2005 at 06:52 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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   Friday - February 25, 2005

Going Where No Other Fists Have Gone?

Once you get past the mental image of one Congressman (Cadman) shoving his fist up another’s (Vigil) ass, continue to read this article and tell me if I am over reacting a bit about being pissed off at the tone of the piece.

It’s obvious the author has no love of the Republican party for the simple reason he says this:

Well, of course Vigil should have apologized immediately, too.  But an individual’s responsibility to do the right thing is not contingent on others acting first. What is shocking is not only Cadman’s reluctance to express regret but the fact that he wasn’t absolutely mortified by what he’d stooped to say.

So in other words, if someone offends me and I fire back some expletive, then I am the one who has to apologize?  What fucking planet does this assmunch live on, anyway?

Oh, that’s right!  The MSM planet where we must appease all who transgress against us.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 02/25/2005 at 06:23 AM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias • Politics •  
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