Who’s Paying for the Conventions? Corporate Sponsors Pour Millions into Party Coffers

Source: Democracy Now!

Less than two weeks after Congress granted retroactive immunity to telecoms involved in the Bush spy program, it’s been learned AT&T will be emblazoned on every delegate’s bag at the Democratic National Convention. Like Comcast, Motorola, Coca-Cola, Google and a host of other corporate sponsors, the telecom giant has donated over a million dollars to the DNC in return for prominent display space and access to elected officials. But none of these companies have fully disclosed their projected contributions to the convention, according to a new report from the Campaign Finance Institute. We speak with the group’s associate director for policy, Steve Weissman.

It’s been less than two weeks since the Senate voted to grant immunity to phone companies involved in the Bush administration’s secret domestic surveillance program. And now, some of these same telecom companies including AT&T and Comcast are focusing their attention on advertising at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

AT&T is the official wireless provider at the convention. Like Comcast, Motorola, Coca-Cola, Google, and a host of other corporate sponsors, the telecom giant has donated over a million dollars to the DNC in return for prominent display space and access to elected officials. But none of these companies have fully disclosed their projected contributions to the convention, according to a new report from the Campaign Finance Institute. Out of a reported 146 organizational and corporate donors to both the Democratic and Republican conventions, only 31 have disclosed information about their contributions, the report says.

We’re joined now from Houston by Steve Weissman. He’s the Associate Director for Policy at the Campaign Finance Institute. We’re also joined on the telephone by Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional law attorney and political and legal blogger for Salon.com. He joins us on the line from Brazil...

Read more: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/22/whos_paying_for_the_conventions_corporate

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Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Dems in Congress betrayed Constitution for a tote bag.

AT&T made a big contribution to Democratic convention and all delegates tote bags will have an AT&T logo on it.



This is on top of the money they poured on individual members of congress to change their votes on FISA immunity.

As a matter of principle, Obama should tell them to give the money back and delegates should publicly burn those tote bags.

Any victory in November will be short-lived if the public can accurately assume that Democrats are as for sale as the GOP.

I love how Greenwald doesn't source us in the interview.

http://www.demconwatchblog.com/2008/07/delegatemedia-welcome-bags-revealed.html