Since five right-wing activist ideologues ignored the Constitution in Citizens United, deciding that corporations have more rights than people, and that money supersedes speech, federal elections have become dominated by Super PACs. In my research I found an excellent article that describes the ten largest super PAC donors. Here is number one.
The coming election cycle will likely be the most expensive in history. Thanks to Citizens United and other recent court decisions, individuals, corporations and unions can make unlimited donations to so-called super PACs that support a candidate. The money is flowing in. So, exactly who is donating, and what do they want?
Here’s our guide to the top 10 super PAC contributors through Jan. 31, the latest date for which donors have been required to disclose. Unless otherwise noted, all estimates of net worth are from Forbes. (See our PAC Tracker for an interactive breakdown of all the money going to super PACs and others.)
Harold Simmons
Amount donated: $11.2 million (Contran, a company owned by Simmons, has donated $3 million.)
To whom: $10 million to American Crossroads, the Republican super PAC affiliated with Karl Rove; $1 million to Winning Our Future, the super PAC supporting Gingrich; $100,000 to Restoring Prosperity Fund, the super PAC supporting Rick Perry; and $100,000 to Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney
Net worth: $9.3 billion
Residence: Dallas
How he made his fortune: Buying and selling companies.
Background: Dubbed “Dallas’ most evil genius” by D Magazine, Simmons made waves in the Longhorn State a decade ago when his company, Waste Control Specialists, won permission to build a $500 million, low-level radioactive waste disposal site in West Texas. At the time, Simmons was Gov. Rick Perry’s second-largest donor, having given $100,000 to Perry’s campaign 10 days after Perry signed legislation allowing WCS to accept low-level radioactive waste from outside Texas. Much of the waste WCS was cleaning up came from another Simmons company that had repeatedly been cited for environmental violations. A Simmons spokesman said at the time that concerns about the project were exaggerated.
On a personal note, Simmons has been sued by two of his daughters. In 1997, the daughters alleged that he had used trusts set up for them for his own purposes. They also claimed that Simmons had pressured them to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the funds. Two other daughters sided with Simmons, whom The New York Times called a “corporate version of King Lear.” The legal battle ended a year later when Simmons agreed to give his daughters $50 million each if they would relinquish claims to the rest of his fortune. Simmons denied all wrongdoing... [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Truth-out>
I strongly recommend that you click through to the original article to read about the other nine.
You won’t find an Obama donor until you get to number seven and he’s the only one on the list. The Super PAC-Men are overwhelmingly Republican.
14 Responses to “Who Are The Super PAC-Men?”
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I did some research a while ago on the top million dollar donors for the Mitt Romney SuperPAC. You might find that interesting. What is most interesting about it is how hard they tried to hide their connections.
Restore our Future: A Closer Look at Contributors to Mitt Romney’s Super PAC
Welcome Nomad. 🙂
That is an excellent article!
Giving corporations the same rights as human beings led to this. Of course, with this kind of system, only the richest and most powerful have ‘a say’; they decide who will run the world and how it will be run. They have everybody on their side – the judiciary, law-enforcement, the financers, the media and the lobbyists.
OWS tried and look what happened. It’s going to take a lot more than protesting and petitioning in order to stop the machine.
Welcome Tinkie! 🙂
These changes take time. Step one is to put the Republican Party out of business.
Inserted from <Truth-out>
I strongly recommend that you click through to the original article to read about the other nine.
You won’t find an Obama donor until you get to number seven and he’s the only one on the list. The Super PAC-Men are overwhelmingly Republican.
That’s what I said. 🙂
Thanks for revealing these perverters of the electoral process to us, TomCat. They should lose the privilege of casting a ballot for having taken the destructive actions they have done.
YVW Jack. I don’t care if thetycast ballots. I want them to be forced to stop buying ballots.
I have never subscribed to the idea of a huge conspiracy aimed at taking control of the government — I do believe I was wrong , as the very obvious evidence mounts that ‘We the People” have no real control– everything and every person in government is bought and paid for by corporations and their power- including the SCOTUS– We are a Fascist State already– The window of opportunity where control can be taken back- is very small–with a window closing rapidly– this next election will truly determine our future–
Two especially poignant quotes! And to think that Lincoln’s was made almost 150 years ago. He did indeed have great understanding and insight into the nature of power and corruption.
What excellent quotes. Nameless! Isn’t it ironic that that author of the first founded the party that is trying to bring what he dreaded to pass.
A. Jerry Perenchio
Amount donated: $2 million, through his living trust
To whom: American Crossroads, the super PAC affiliated with Karl Rove
Net worth: $2.3 billion
How he made his fortune: Former chairman and CEO of Hispanic TV network Univision
Interesting how #6 on the list, A. Jerry Perenchio, was the chairman and CEO of Hispanic TV network Univision. Odd for a Republican whose party is so bigoted and racist.
All of these people are nothing more than power mongers, not necessarily because they want to be, but because they can be. Truth be told, they probably want to be too!
The money has to come out of politics, as does the lust for power. To be a president, representative or a senator should be a service position, in service to one’s country, in keeping I think with the ideas of the Founding Fathers, based on what I have seen. It should not be a power position. Perhaps, since so many politicians, particularly Republican/Teabaggers, want to use pay for performance with teachers, maybe a similar system could be set up for legislators with the people creating the criteria, not the legislators. That might reduce the Congressional costs!
Good catch, Lynn. Latinos should be informed of that betrayal.