Center for American Progress releases donor list

[alp227]

Source: Politico

The liberal think tank Center for American Progress on Friday revealed that it’s funded by some of the country’s largest and most powerful corporations, trade associations and lobbying firms.

Major donors to the group and its affiliate social welfare nonprofit Center for American Progress Action Fund include major retailers, energy interests, health care companies and other corporate actors who spend millions on lobbying and influence peddling in the nation’s capital, according to a list posted on the center’s website.

The group — which is a fundraising powerhouse that takes in about $40 million a year — released its donor list as founder and chairman John Podesta heads into the Obama White House to serve as a senior adviser.

Those corporations and trade associations represent a cross section of corporate America and include Walmart, Goldman Sachs, Google, defense giant Northrop Grumman, T-Mobile, Toyota, Visa, GE, among others. CAP did not disclose the donation amounts.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/center-for-american-progress-donor-list-101140.html

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Ken Silverstein of The Nation wrote about this back in May, here and here.

[Raine1967]

1. From TP" 33 Times Our Efforts To Shill For Defense Contractors Went Horribly Wrong

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/12/13/3061591/33-times-efforts-shill-defense-contractors-went-horribly-wrong/

I'm rather disgusted about this raft*cking.

And that is EXACTLY what it is. The NYT posted this last night: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/us/politics/new-obama-adviser-brings-corporate-ties.html


GOD FORBID we should have an actual progressive advising the President.

CAn't have that -- so looky looky the NYT and politico put out hit pieces.

Anyone with a brain knows that CAP is an up and up organization -- they have done it with donations and still kept credibility.

[KoKo]

2. But...it's getting to be "They All Do It."

That's what's sad. There just isn't enough money from the rest of us "We the People" to fund our own Think Tanks.

Corruption is easy when Big Corporations give to both parties to use their power for influence and are now considered "People."

[geek tragedy]

4. Citizens United was one of the greatest gifts to corporations ever nt

[valerief]

8. Well, to be fair, the corporations bought it for themselves. nt

[geek tragedy]

3. This is the Citizens United world. If you want any kind of megaphone, you need money.

And the money ain't with the people.

[Octafish]

5. And people wonder why the Rich get Richer.

And the rest of us are lucky to live in a world where the bounty from their table trickles down to us in the form of spillage and crumbs.

[Phlem]

6. And the public seems to be stuck in the mind set that

Last edited Fri Dec 13, 2013, 10:29 PM - Edit history (1)

we're trying to protect what we have.

It's already been taken!

We need to start fighting for more, now! All this f)@$ing around with the Turdway is just a waste of time, We need to take out their influence with no doubt and we have to move forward to the next thing. This dancing around the bush is exactly what they (corporations and the 1%) want so they have time to plan another heist.



-p

[ancianita]

7. So there's a Koch brother in there. Dammit.

[JDPriestly]

9. It isn't that all corporations are inherently BAD.

That is not the problem.

The problem is that corporations have so much money that they can out-scream the rest of us in the marketplace of ideas.

It would be great if we could have some balance.

The corporations should participate in that marketplace of ideas, but so should the rest of us. As it is, we don't have the money to buy ads on TV. Corporations do. We as individuals probably wouldn't have a seat on the board of some organization like Center for Progress. Corporate heads and those supported by and supporting corporate interests do.

So, it isn't that the corporations are always evil. It's that the rest of us should have equal time and an equal voice. And I don't see how that is possible. So it would be best to limit the amount of money and representation that corporations get on the various boards, etc.

I often have the feeling that when I call the President's office or my senators' offices I am just given a number and passed on in the form of yet another checkmark on a list. I don't think that is true of my representative. I know him personally. He probably doesn't know my name, but he seems to recognize me. That's because I am one of his active supporters. Most Americans don't even have that much access.

Talk about too big to fail. That's the plight of the whole country I sometimes think. Individual citizens just have no access. Corporations (at least some corporations) have a disproportionate amount of access. Monsanto is one such corporation although I don't personally think it is totally as evil as some seem to think.