The 15 Biggest Congressional Recipients Of Wall Street campaign cash

[blindpig]

The 15 Biggest Congressional Recipients Of Wall St reet Campaign Cash
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Reforming Wall Street is a hot topic on Capitol Hill these days. Congress is currently weighing two financial reform bills that would, to varying degrees, reshape the way the financial system is regulated.

Still, Wall Street's influence in Washington appears to be as strong as ever. After all, it was just last spring that Senator Dick Durbin, frustrated by pushback on bankruptcy reform, denounced the financial sector's influence on the Senate: the banks, he said, "they frankly own the place." The Center for Responsive Politics, a research group that tracks money in politics, reports that financial industries -- the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, specifically -- have been one of the biggest benefactors to Congress over the past two decades:

"The finance, insurance and real estate sector has given $2.3 billion to candidates, leadership PACs and party committees since 1989, which eclipses every other sector. Nineteen percent of total contributions from the employees and political action committees across all sectors came from the financial sector."
And while campaign contributions don't equate to wrongdoing, it's worth noting that, while lawmakers ponder reforming the financial sector, the industry's campaign contributions have remained strong:

"Even with a number of large financial institutions folding or merging since last fall, the sector has still given more to federal candidates and party committees than any other sector this year at $78.2 million. Current lawmakers have brought in $661.6 million from the sector through their candidate committees and leadership PACs, with Democrats collecting 53 percent of that."
We took a look at the Center for Responsive Politics's database, OpenSecrets.org, to see which members of Congress have so far received Wall Street money for the 2010 election cycle. The answers may surprise you. Check out our slideshow of the top 15 recipients and choose which politician may be taking too much money from Wall Street.


#15 Barney Frank (D-MA) -- $387,749


Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank has received $387,749 in contributions from the financial sector. Frank, who is Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, received more donations from hedge funds than any other House member.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/the-15-biggest-congressio_n_360514.html

Any questions?

[Captain Hilts]

1. He's only #15???

[blindpig]

2. Yep

small change, comparatively, but seemingly more than enough for the desired effect.

[Romulox]

3. 11/15 are Democrats, by my count.

:wow:

[Captain Hilts]

4. The joys of being the majority party. nt

[AllentownJake]

5. Mostly Democrats on committes that legislate financial reform

or are in the leadership.

Why would big business do such a thing?

[blindpig]

6. kick

[blindpig]

7. Morning bump

[Selatius]

8. Gee, could this have shit to do with the bank bailout being ram-rodded through Congress so fast?

And why exactly does it take a frakking FOIA lawsuit to find out the list of banks that got bail-out funds along with the collateral that they pledged to receive those funds?

[blindpig]

9. #4

Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has received $752,698 in contributions from the financial sector. He's received more from the mortgage banking and brokerage industry than any other congressperson, and Citigroup, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley have been among his biggest donors.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Ahh, c'mon. Wall Street donates the money for purely patriotic and charitable reasons.

And, the pols wouldn't even accept it if they thought there were any strings attached.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: