‘Blue Dog Coalition’ rakes in corporate cash

[marmar]

from ThinkProgress:



‘Blue Dog Coalition’ rakes in corporate cash.

The 52-member Blog Dog Coalition has been constantly attempting to weaken President Obama efforts to pass progressive health care, clean energy, and economic recovery legislation through Congress. According to a new report by the Center for Public Integrity, many of the industries that are opposing Obama’s agenda are now contributing heavily to the Blue Dogs:

So far this year, the political action committee attached to the fiscally conservative House Democratic voting bloc is on track to shatter all its fundraising records, raising more in the first six months of 2009 — more than $1.1 million — than it did in the entire 2003-04 fundraising cycle.

Nearly 54 percent of the Blue Dog PAC’s haul this year comes from the energy, financial services and health care industries, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to analysis of CQ MoneyLine data by the Center for Public Integrity.

Former Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) told Politico that the reason for the corporate cash influx is an obvious attempt to influence Blue Dog’s policy views. “I mean, what other conclusion could you come to?” he said with a laugh. “And that’s something that the Blue Dogs have sought. They want to be in that position, to have influence.”


http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/23/blue-dog-cash/