Businesses Reluctant to Donate to RNC

[GoneOffShore]

Republican 'Soft Money' Groups Find Business Reluctant to Give


By Thomas B. Edsall
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23283-2004Jun7.html

Republican operatives attempting to compete with Democratic groups for large sums of unregulated presidential campaign funds have run into a number of roadblocks, including reluctance on the part of many corporations to contribute to new independent groups.

(Snip)


"I would say that on the whole the corporate business community has been very reluctant to support 527s," said GOP lawyer Jan W. Baran.


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Overall, pro-Democratic 527 organizations have raised at least $106.6 million, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, three times the $33.6 million raised by pro-Republican groups in this election cycle.


The Democratic advantage disappears, however, when these figures are added to the amounts raised by the national party committees and the presidential campaigns. Then the GOP pulls far ahead, $557.6 million to $393.6 million.

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Lobbyist and former House member Bill Paxon, who is vice president of the Leadership Forum, a Republican 527, acknowledged that the GOP 527 effort will not be able to match the Democrats'.

Signs of corporate wariness toward making soft money contributions could be found in a number of places.

(snip)
After Francis rejected the chairmanship of PFA, a key leadership role has fallen to co-chairman James W. Cicconi, general counsel and executive vice president at AT&T, but the company has declined to say whether it will give any money to the 527s. "We have not made a comment about that at all," said Claudia B. Jones, director of media relations for AT&T.


(Snip)

Baran said that in addition to corporate wariness toward making soft money contributions, the success of the Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee has worked as a disincentive to giving to the 527s:


"A lot of folks on the business side are looking at the $2oo million the Bush campaign has raised, and the millions the RNC has raised, and they aren't sure the funding is all that necessary."

Well - this sounds like good news, despite the huge Republican warchest.