Obama's Relationship with BP

[Gunner]

FROM DAY ONE HE WAS ON THE JOB?

OBAMA WAS THE BIGGEST RECIPIENT OF BP CASH

HATTIP TO PANEMENO718


http://www.politico.com

By ERIKA LOVLEY | 5/5/10 5:05 AM EDT
Updated: 5/5/10 5:37 PM EDT
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BP has also spent millions each year on lobbying — including $15.9 million last year alone — as it has tried to influence energy policy.
Reuters
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POLITICO 44



While the BP oil geyser pumps millions of gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama and members of Congress may have to answer for the millions in campaign contributions they’ve taken from the oil and gas giant over the years.

BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years, with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Donations come from a mix of employees and the company’s political action committees — $2.89 million flowed to campaigns from BP-related PACs and about $638,000 came from individuals.

On top of that, the oil giant has spent millions each year on lobbying — including $15.9 million last year alone — as it has tried to influence energy policy.

During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.

An Obama spokesman rejected the notion that the president took big oil money.

“President Obama didn’t accept a dime from corporate PACs or federal lobbyists during his presidential campaign,” spokesman Ben LaBolt said. “He raised $750 million from nearly four million Americans. And since he became president, he rolled back tax breaks and giveaways for the oil and gas industry, spearheaded a G20 agreement to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, and made the largest investment in American history in clean energy incentives.”

In Congress, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who last week cautioned that the incident should “not be used inappropriately” to halt Obama’s push for expansion of offshore drilling, has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of BP’s largesse. Her comments created some blowback, with critics complaining that she is too blasé about the impact of the disaster, even though she was among the first lawmakers to call for a federal investigation into the spill.

As the top congressional recipient in the last cycle and one of the top BP cash recipients of the past two decades, Landrieu banked almost $17,000 from the oil giant in 2008 alone and has lined her war chest with more than $28,000 in BP cash overall.

“Campaign contributions, from energy companies or from environmental groups, have absolutely no impact on Sen. Landrieu’s policy agenda or her response to this unprecedented disaster in the Gulf,” said Landrieu spokesman Aaron Saunders. “The senator is proud of the broad coalition she’s built since her first day in the Senate to address the energy and environmental challenges in Louisiana and in the nation. This disaster only makes the effort to promote and save Louisiana’s coast all that more important.”

Several BP executives have given directly to Landrieu’s campaign, including current and previous U.S. operation Presidents Lamar McKay and Robert Malone. Other donors include Margaret Hudson, BP’s America vice president, and Benjamin Cannon, federal affairs director for the U.S. branch. Donations ranged from $1,000 to $2,300 during the past campaign cycle.

Environmentalists complain that Landrieu has played down the impact of oil spills.

“I mean, just the gallons are so minuscule compared to the benefits of U.S. strength and security, the benefits of job creation and energy security,” Landrieu said at a hearing last month on offshore drilling. “So while there are risks associated with everything, I think you understand that they are quite, quite minimal.”

 

[thoughtone]

Take your right wing Republican likes and half truths the hell out of here!!!

source: Media Matters

Palin clings to false claim that Obama received the most BP PAC money

On Facebook, Sarah Palin falsely claimed it is an "undisputed fact that Barack Obama was BP's top recipient of both PAC and individual money for the last 20 years." In fact, President Obama received no PAC money from BP during his presidential campaign, and only $1,000 during his 2004 Senate campaign

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Palin falsely claimed "Obama was BP's top recipient of both PAC and individual money for the last 20 years"

Palin: It is an "undisputed fact that Barack Obama was BP's top recipient of both PAC and individual money for the last 20 years." In a responding to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs' criticism of her suggestion on the May 23 edition of Fox News Sunday that there is a connection between "contributions made to President Obama" by oil companies and administration's response to oil spill, Palin wrote on her Facebook page that it is an "undisputed fact that Barack Obama was BP's top recipient of both PAC and individual money":

I pointed out that the media was rather silent on asking if there was a connection between the White House's hands-off response to the spill and the undisputed fact that Barack Obama was BP's top recipient of both PAC and individual money for the last 20 years. Please note that I never claimed there was a conspiratorial connection; rather, I was saying that it's odd that so few in the media have asked that question. In fact, I believe Major Garrett is one of the few reporters to pursue the issue. You can be sure that if this were a Republican administration, at the very least the media would be asking that question nonstop.
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Obama received no PAC money from BP during his presidential campaign. As Media Matters noted, while Obama received $71,051 in BP-linked contributions during his presidential campaign -- more BP money than any other candidate received -- all of that money came from BP employees, not from BP's PAC or from the company itself. A spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics confirmed that "the $71,051 that Obama received during the 2008 election cycle was entirely from BP employees." The CRP spokesman also stated that "Obama did not accept contributions from political action committees, so none of this money is from BP's PAC. And corporations themselves are prohibited from donating directly to candidates from their corporate treasuries."
Obama took only $1,000 of PAC money from BP during his Senate campaign, less than 21 other Senate candidates that year. Obama received $1,000 from BP's PAC during his 2004 Senate campaign. Twenty-one Senate candidates received more from BP's PAC during that election cycle alone.
Donations from BP or its employees represents just .01 percent of Obama's total fundraising. As Media Matters senior fellow Jamison Foser has noted, Obama has raised more than $799 million for his campaigns. The $77,051 he has received from BP's PAC and employees accounts for less than 0.01 percent of Obama's total campaign contributions.
Scherer: "People who run for President raise much more money, and received much more money from BP interests -- and just about every other interest." In a May 5 Swampland post, Time's Michael Scherer cited CRP's data and noted that "t is true that ... Obama received slightly more money from BP's PAC and employees since 1990 than anyone else." Scherer went on to explain:

But there is a major a reason for that, which the story fails to mention: People who run for President raise much more money, and received much more money from BP interests -- and just about every other interest. The fourth highest recipient of BP money in the same time period is George W. Bush. The fifth highest recipient is John McCain. In the 2000 and 2004 cycles, Bush got the most money, albeit less than Obama received in 2008. But then one could adjust these numbers for campaign inflation: campaigns overall raised much less money in the 2000 and 2004 cycles than the record-smashing 2008 cycle.
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Palin says Garrett is "one of the few reporters to pursue" her claims, doesn't note he knocked them down

Palin: Fox's Garrett "one of the few reporters to pursue the issue." In her Facebook posting, Palin stated: "Please note that I never claimed there was a conspiratorial connection; rather, I was saying that it's odd that so few in the media have asked that question. In fact, I believe Major Garrett is one of the few reporters to pursue the issue."
Garrett noted the oil industry gives far more to Republicans than Democrats. On the May 24 edition of Fox News' America Live, Garrett reported that while Obama received more BP-linked money then any other candidate in 2008, the oil industry has historically contributed far more to Rebublicans than Democrats:

GARRETT: Quickly, Megyn, just wrapping up that point that Sarah Palin made: Yes, indeed, candidate Obama received the most BP money, but as far as industry contributions, Republicans historically have received far more from the oil and gas industry than Democrats, about 75-25 percent. That's going back many, many years.
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