Those generous and helpful Big Oil lobbyists
Just yesterday, at a campaign stop in Indiana, Barack Obama said, “[I]f Sen. McCain wants to talk about why Washington is broken, that’s a debate I’m happy to have. Because Sen. McCain’s energy plan reads like an early Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists. And it’s no wonder — because many of his top advisors are former oil and gas lobbyists.”
And as if the point needed additional reinforcing, Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld move the ball forward on John McCain’s Hess troubles.
It turns out that two high-ranking McCain campaign officials, one of whom is also one of McCain’s more prolific bundlers, were both were paid lobbyists for Hess for roughly three years, according to disclosure forms.
The two lobbyists are Wayne Berman, McCain’s national finance co-chairman, and John Green, who’s been the McCain campaign’s chief Congressional liaison since March. Both men worked for a firm called Ogilvy Government Relations. The firm has been paid $800,000 by Hess from 2005 up to the present, including $720,000 during the period that both of the two lobbied for the company, the forms say.
Berman, a prolific fundraiser and bundler for McCain, appears to still be lobbying for Hess. The most recently filed form shows that he was lobbying for the company as late as mid-July. Green took a leave of absence from Ogilvy to join the campaign, but was still on the Hess account up through the first quarter of 2008, the forms show.
“That John McCain’s campaign also has Hess lobbyists as two of its top advisers raises additional questions about how McCain and the RNC came to raise $300,000 from Hess employees, including the controversial contribution reported earlier this week,” David Donnelly of Campaign Money Watch told TPM. “Hess oil would stand to make a killing from offshore drilling. Berman and Green were their lobbyists. Did they play any role in lining up these contributions?”
What a good question.
And just as a refresher, let’s not forget why Hess is of particular interest.
Ten senior Hess Corporation executives and/or members of the Hess family each gave $28,500 to the joint RNC-McCain fundraising committee, just days after McCain reversed himself to favor offshore drilling, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Nine of these contributions, seven from Hess executives and two from members of the Hess family, came on the same day, June 24th, the records show. The total collected in the wake of McCain’s reversal for the fund, called McCain Victory 2008, from Hess execs and family is $285,000.
We were alerted to the contributions by Campaign Money Watch, a non-partisan group that tracks campaign contributions. The contributions were given a quick mention deep in a report the group issued late last week, but with no names or other details provided. The Hess contributions are clearly newsworthy on their own.
This became even more noteworthy when we learned that lower-level Hess employees, including an office manager and a Hess driver, also contributed thousands to McCain and the RNC fund established on McCain’s behalf.
And now that we learn Hess lobbyists are also high-ranking officials in the McCain campaign, you can see why there are questions about McCain’s willingness to stand up to Big Oil.
Lance
says:There is buying politicans, and there is crassly buying politicans.
Thank you Hess for showing us the difference.
If anything demonstrates the absolute impotence of the Federal Election Commission it will be the fact they will do NOTHING about this.
Chopin
says:Time for a surge in investigative journalism (assuming there are any recruits still in existence).
McCain Troll
says:I’ve posted this at other sites as well because McCain is too humble to mention it, but did you know McCain was a POW?
Chad
says:Um, check out factcheck.com to see that Obama himself has accepted $300k+ from oil donors. What does that make him? Oh yeah, a hypocrite.
joey(bjobotts)
says:Geez Chad…the two don’t even correspond. Just forget the lobbyist connection all together or that the donations were coming from unregistered voters employees or those who can barely afford to live on their current wages donating thousands. Talk about missing the point. Get a box of rocks and start throwing till you hit something huh?
“McCain just shot someone in the head and killed him”…Chad’s response =”Yeah, well Obama called me names” Troll full yet?
What exactly is the FEC’s job anyway if not to investigate and react to obvious policy bribes? We pay them for what exactly?
NonyNony
says:Oooh – Chad is stockpiling those McCain Campaign Points at a furious rate. I wonder if he’s hoping for an autographed copy of “Faith of My Fathers” or if he’s trying to rack up enough to get a hug from the big guy the way Bush did. I’ll bet he wants the hug.
Of course, nothing he says makes any difference to the fact that McCain takes money from oil executives and then changes his position to be one more beneficial to them while Obama takes donations from oil executives and then proposes to do things that they don’t like. It’s exactly the same thing, of course.
(Oh and Chad, it’s factcheck.org. You won’t get your hug if you make those kinds of mistakes, bud.)
MsJoanne
says:Ooh, Chad…how many buttons did you get today?
Chad
says:Yeah, I’m finally getting the attention I so ravenously crave.
You guys are making it sound like McCain is a mindless puppet for the oil companies. Who do you think the oil companies are going to give most of their campaign contributions too? Obama? Obama can accept all the alternative and green energy money he wants but no one’s crying foul about that.
What is your deal with oil companies anyway? They’re a business that tries to make profits much like Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, Movies companies, etc… None of these companies contribute to politics? Let’s attack Hollywood for putting trash on the big screen. Let’s tax Movie studios and force them to pay me for having to sit through “Bewitched” and other crappy movies.
And Nony, .org, .com, .edu… Who gives a flying fart, you were smart enough to figure it out, I’m sure others were too.
slappy magoo
says:Actually, McCain is making it sound like McCain is a mindless puppet for the oil companies. If you don’t see the difference between what McCain is doing & what Obama is doing, do America a favor: don’t breed.
Wajim
says:Oh Chad, that you would even consider coughing up six or eight bucks to view a flick as obviously lame as “Bewitched” (not to mention the time and gas it cost to get to the theater, or buy the DVD) suggests you’re easily swayed by mindless, glossy advertising, bleached blond women, magic, and overpriced junk food. Oh, and, you did say you’re voting for McCain, didn’t you? Makes sense to me.
Shalimar
says:So your argument is that corporations should be allowed to screw all of us over, it’s just their natural right as capitalists? And government doesn’t have any responsibility to protect it’s citizens? Seriously?
Chad
says:Right, like not one democrat sat through bewitched.
Okay, I guess I’m up against a bunch of anti-oil democrats. “Oil bad, wind good. Me want oil from Soddy Abia, no oil from Laska. Bama going to make thing better cuz he send me tire gowge.” That sounds mindless to me.
vermontdave
says:Irony is funny, sometimes.
I haven’t seen a troll in action at CB.
Chad,
We don’t buy much oil from the Saudis, except to fuel or military machine, and the oil that comes from Alaska, already goes to Japan and China.
Gee Wiz, pay attention.
Fast Eddie
says:Not to mention that it was the RNC that sent out ‘tire gowge’. They had ‘Obama’s Energy Policy’ written on the side. See what they did there? (Damn, I’m going to have to go hospital now because my sides have split.)
Strange how Bush and Cheney spoke about breaking America’s ‘addiction to oil’ and then ended up carving up Iraq’s oil contracts amongst their friends. But McCain’s a different kind of guy. He talks about ‘energy independence’ and then gets large amounts of money from the people most likely to benefit from off-shore drilling. Big difference.
libra
says:Um, check out factcheck.com to see that Obama himself has accepted $300k+ from oil donors. — Chad, @4
Um… in $28.5K increments, like those Hess donations to McCain? Another question: were those donations from executives or from derrick operatives? A one day haul — like McCain’s — or a 2yr accumulation?
Bruno
says:moron chad said:
That may very well be true, and that point has been made several times: Big Oil will give a token contribution to Obama / DNC to prove that both of them are recipients.
Except: McCain received more than a million dollars withing the last month.
Funny how troll refuse to see that.
Education and research, and critical thinking are NOT valued in the GOP– Chad is a perfect example of that.
Ron Feinman
says:Hey guys, give Chad a break. He is out here putting up ideas and it seems to me genuinely looking for a response. At least he is engaging.
I think you can answer him without sarcasm and ad hominem arguments. Address his points respectfully. He’s clearly ventured into hostile territory but has stuck around. I have more respect for that than for name calling which is not designed to educate or move a conversation forward. Think for a minute — how would you feel if you posted something on a right leaning blog and were met mostly bwith ridicule?
How about some long term thinking — engaging Chad respectfully with a goal towards changing his mind?
Chad, I think most people on this site are so frustrated with the right because they have spent the last 30 years or so fighting against efforts to clean up the environment and to put in place meaningful reform to lessen our dependence on oil. The free market does somethings well, but it stinks at making those who, e.g. pollute, pay the clean up costs of their actions. If you saw Los Angeles in the late 1960’s you would have seen glaring evidence of the complete inability of the free market to prevent air pollution without government regulation.
As to oil, the major producers have formed a cartel designed to manipulate supply and prices. It is not a free market. The oil companies get a free ride of “extra” profits from this arrangement. It is crazy in this sort of situation to give them tax breaks. The oil companies fund disinformation to efforts to prevent regulation. They have opposed fuel mileage standards for cars. If we had started those standards 30 years ago imagine where we might be today.
Ron
Bruno
says:ron feinman @ 17 said:
I agree with the engaging part, except Chad isn’t really engaging. He refuses to accept factual information, and only comes back with republican talking points that don’t make any sense.
In regards to how liberals/progressives are being treated on right wing blogs…. Are you talking about the ones that aren’t immediately blocked because they posted a valid counter argument?
BuzzMon
says:Gotta agree with Bruno on this one.
Chad (& Aaron, if they actually are different people) don’t respond to facts, they just spout talking points.
My fact (never responded to) Republicans rule brought on the Great Deperession. This is the legacy of unfettered worship of “The Marketplace.”
But you can’t shake the beliefs of fundamentalists, if you get my drift.
tomj
says:Where are Andrea M. and Mike B. when you need them? McCain is being used and abused by his supporters and his staff.
The thing you have to understand about Republicans is that they stumble into success and good luck. They are hapless winners. But all you poor folk out there: you are totally responsible for it.
libra
says:How about some long term thinking — engaging Chad respectfully with a goal towards changing his mind? — Ron Feinman, @17
What mind? Show me a shred of proof that he has any. I — mostly — agree with you vis ad hominem attacks/name calling but, “answer him without sarcasm”??? Why? Because the poor thing (like all Repubs) is unable to understand it? Respect, besides being a two-way street, is something most people have to earn; all Chad’s been earning, for the past couple of days, is McCain campaign points towards golf gear.
He’s not looking for “response”, as you claim; he’s looking for reaction.
chrenson
says:CHAD: “Right, like not one democrat sat through bewitched.”
I, a Democrat, sat through Bewitched because my nine-year-old daughter wanted to see it. The movie stank horribly. But, did I hold the studio responsible for that? No. I blame my daughter.
What is my deal with oil companies? Well, if you look at their behavior, starting with Standard Oil during the Eisenhower administration right up through the forty or so “energy policy” meetings that Cheney has held with them, it’s easy to see how very profit-driven and dishonest they are. There is plenty of evidence [and by plenty I mean tankers full] that oil concerns have actively, even flagrantly worked to oppose any efforts that would attenuate their profits.
The original plan for the Interstate Highway system was that they include train tracks right down the middle, all around the country. This would have made a lot of sense because, as the topography was being graded, the tracks would have been relatively easy to add. But, Standard Oil, GM and Firestone were able to unite, lobby, buy off congress and stop the rail idea. The result, an enormous highway system [basically a subsidy] for the automotive, petroleum and tire industries, all of which swallow up non-renewable — meaning profitable — resources.
The US government doesn’t pay for your Coca-Cola glasses. The US Government doesn’t build movie theaters [except in Iraq, but they hire Halliburton to do it]. Meanwhile, as they are corporations, Coca-Cola, Buena Vista, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Wal-Mart, etc. all pay taxes. Or at least are supposed to. Meanwhile, the companies making the greatest profits ever known in the history of our nation enjoy subsidies and tax right-offs and tax loopholes galore.
Our petroleum-based economy is destroying the earth. The only people who don’t want you to believe this are funded by the oil lobby. Meanwhile, there is only so much oil left in the ground. And when it’s gone, in your lifetime or not, the petroleum-based economies of the world will fold like the Poles who tried to stop Nazi Panzers on horseback.
Chad, you’re the one who is Bewitched. You complain about harmless movies and feel you’re owed something for suffering through them, but can’t grasp that while you’re here stumping for offshore drilling, you are a witless accomplice to a corporatist scam decades in the making. And you expect nothing in return but the fantasy of cheap gas. Cheap gas will never happen again. Those days are long gone. And you? You’re breathing fumes. And ultimately they will kill you.