I find this no end of interesting.
Telecommunications companies donated more money, on average, to Democrats who changed their minds last week and supported immunity for those companies’ cooperation with administration wiretapping practices, a report by MAPLight.org finds.
Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T donated $8,359 on average, between January 2005 and March 2008, to 94 House Democrats who switched their stances and voted yes last week on the House’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) overhaul bill.The same companies donated $4,987 on average to those who consistently opposed immunity and voted no, the study finds. …
The 94 Democrats flagged by MAPLight.org as flip-floppers had previously supported a March 14 bill that would not grant immunity, according to the group. The study finds that 88 percent of those Democrats received PAC money from the three companies since 2005. …
And that, friends, is an excellent illustration of why I stay registered Dem only for purposes of voting in their primaries. Otherwise, you can have all my share of ‘em.
Great post, lotus. Let’s see:
$8,359 – $4,987 = $3,372 (the excess required to swing the vote per member).
$3,372 * 94 (the number of Congresspersons indicated in the post) = $316,968
So, that’s what the telco’s “insurance policy” cost, or that’s what your freedom is worth to Congress. I never can tell which one.