Political Punch

Common scenario-
You are hired at $x. You get paid $y where y>x. You get "recommendations" to donate particular amounts to certain political candidates, the sum of which equals $y-$x.

Tapper accurately points out the votes are more important that the money, but lists valid arguments from both sides with no independent review of the bill in question, or additional review of votes on other bills energy related bills.

In contridition to his suggestion that bill-votes trump money, Tapper spends much more text on the money. So let's look at that. First, he only seems to be looking at campaign contributions, which, as you know, leaves out the vast majority of the funds going to support McCain: the RNC. Now, I don't know for sure which party gets more money from big oil, but I have pretty good guess. Either way, Obama's money mostly comes from his own campaign with the DNC funds being relatively unimportant. So, if you are looking just at campaign money and dismissing party money, then still, the oil contributions to McCain listed here represent considerably larger percentages than the mix of the Obama money.

In addition, Tapper only says that the money came from employees of the companies listed, but he does not say how many. It is entirely possible, and highly probable, money to the Obama campaign came mostly in small amounts from many middle-class and lower income workers of these companies. Based on how the campaigns have been running, I have to imagine McCain's money came in larger chucks from fewer individuals.

So, if anything, the money argument is definitely on Obama's side, but I agree that the money is not as important as the votes. Rather than look up a bill I don't remember and spend more time than I have reviewing it, I just think back to the gas-tax holiday. There was no mixed blessing in that bill and it was an oil subsidy in tax-break clothing, plain and simple. McCain championed that bill. Obama fought hard with the opposition to successfully defeat it.

For you uber-dems that might be reading this, don't forget, Clinton supported it, and even campaigned on it, so don't go thinking that party defines loyalties. Even the "great" Al Gore is trying to put the focus on coal before oil with his 10-year challenge, even though oil energy is arbitrarily more important to replace than coal energy in the short term. Both need to go for the good of all man-kind, so I'll let Gore and Pickens slug it out, and if they both make significant progress, all the better.

Don't fool yourself folks. Both parties are crooked and all politicians are dishonest some of the time. Some more than others and some are dishonest for more good reasons than bad. The trick is to figure out which are more justified in their moments of dishonesty and vote for them. Easier said than done, for sure.

what people above -- save mr trapper -- say is true: obama is receiving funds from average folks, not from influencers.

and THAT is the key. mccain is in trouble the more he dicsusses this issue, because influence is exactly what everyone will come around to, and then mccain's long, long list of people on the take will become more broadly known.

and, no surprise, mccain continues his track of completely distorting reality.

There is a big difference between employees and investors, employees and members of the Board and the CEO, employees and lobbyists and PACs.

The key word in this article is "employees". "Obama has recieved more campaign cash than McCain has from employees of .... Exxon, Chevron, and BP". What excactly do the emloyees of these companies have to do with policy decisions of these corporations. It seems to me this reporter is the one in the pockets of "Big Oil".

I work as a cashier for Chevron making $8 an hour, I have donated a total of $250 to Obama in the last 6 months. So I am considered a big oil? Nice to know

The big difference between Obama and McCain is the wealth of their donors. With half of Obama's money coming from small donors giving donations of $25 or less he is making regular Americans have hope that as president he will be standing up for them. And with Obama not accepting money from industry lobbyists and pacs, with his modest upbringing, his career path choice of turning down corporate law for public service, it is obvious that Obama's heart and policies are concerned largely with poor and middle-class Americans.

MCAIN is a crook and he is a traitor. He voted against the GI BILL that sends me to College. He would rather keep me and us soldier Dumb, ignorant and uneducated.
His sons don't need the GI BILL like we do.
So More power to OBAMA.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF!

I don't care where Obama gets his Money (although he has been getting most of it from the poor like me).
We VETERANS just want all the REPUBLICAN CROOKS LIKE MCAIN OUT OF WASHINTON DC.

We know Obama received bundled money from the oil companies - where individual donors donate, then the money is "bundled" and given. It's like when your boss comes around and asks you to contribute to United Way - do you donate or not? And isn't it helpful when your boss whispers in your ear to go ahead and donate and he'll reimburse you in your Christmas bonus.

Before you start decrying this, here's an example we all saw in action. When Obama made his "bitter" comments, he was addressing big donors in San Francisco who had maxed out their donations. He was asking them to recruit money from other people and "bundle" their donations. So while the donation isn't directly coming from them, were it not for them, the donations wouldn't have come.

It's politics, and no matter how new or different or clean or inspiring people think Obama is, Rev. Wright was right when he said, "he's just a politician doing what politicians do".

Obama got his contributions from individual people. He did not get it from industry companies lobbyists or oil company pac's. A person who goes home and sends Obama a contribution who happens to work for Exxon doesn't mean that money is coming from Exxon. Mine don't mean they come from the U S Government I am retired from.

Appears a lot of people don't understand the law, or the even people as superbly ethical as Obama intentionally misrepresent it. Corporations cannot, by law, give to political campaigns. ALL of the money being referenced as coming from Exxon or Chevron or whatever actually comes from individual citizens who happen to work for those companies. None comes from the companies themselves, whether from Exxon or from Google (how do Google's numbers stack up, by the way?).

Obama points out that he thinks John McCain is in the pocket of the big oil companies? What about all the richy rich pockets he is in? He accepted lengthy contributor's lists from gasbags like Kerry and Kennedy. You mean he won't be in those contributor's back pockets? Cut me a break! Whether you are in oil's pocket or other richy rich's pockets you are still owned by someone. So he shouldn't be pointing his finger at McCain. He should point it at himself! He's a joke! I am totally disgusted with the entire democratic party and I have been a lifelong democrat. People say a boycott doesn't work politically but they are wrong. When Howard Dean heard that baby boomer women, for the first time in American Histoy, had to to be convinced to come back under the fold and vote for Obama, that absolutely proved that boycotts do work! He called our group and asked what it was we needed and we told him it is too little and too late. Way back when, someone should have told Obama to cut the sexist comments nonsense, so, he would not alienate a huge group of reliable voters, and the Democratic party stood by and allowed him free reign. If he hadn't behaved so poorly towards Hillary Clinton he would be ahead in the polls by leaps and bounds. For the first time in American History the Dems can't count on the older women's votes and they have themselves and Obama and his big insulting mouth to blame. If all democrats refused to vote Democrat you would see how quickly the Dems would ask what our list of demands were, toot sweet! I am boycotting the Democratic party until they become more like the Democratic party of old and not like a second Republican party, because that is what they are now! They should be ashamed of themselves for dragging our party down like this! If Obama can't win fairly his machine will buy his way in to the Presidency. I thought that Republicans acted like that, and that Democrats took the high road, so what is a Democrat doing acting the same way! Shame on them!

Gee, I thought Barack Obama made all his money from being a lawyer! (HEAVY SARCASAM). He is such an honest person, how can this story be true? :)

Is it OK to equate Employee contributions to Employer contributions in order to prove Obamo deceptive?

"No wonder Obama has flip-flopped on oil drilling. He's getting more money from these big oil companies than McCain!"

Complete Lie. McCain has gotten over 3 times as much money from oil companies.

An employee of Exxon donating to the Obama campaign, is not an Exxon donation to the Obama campaign.

In America everyone is free to make their own political decisions, donate to whom ever they wish and vote as they see fit, irregardless of who you work for.

Obama lies, because he claims he doesn't get any money from the big oil companies. Obama is trying to deceive the voters into thinking he's a clean politician, in fact he is the worse cause he's getting money from the companies and individuals that work for these same companies he claim to get no money from. Stop it with the lies Obama, you will not get anywhere like that.

No wonder Obama has flip-flopped on oil drilling. He's getting more money from these big oil companies than McCain!

republicans are funded by big oil and other big businesses were democrats are funded by commom hard working men and women----see the difference.. evil republicans---- good democrats real simple