Bush’s White Tie Pioneers

Just as the British provided us with pioneering American stock, President Bush ensured a few modern day Pioneers dined with royalty. How does a white tie evening with Queen Elizabeth compare to a night in the Lincoln bedroom? I’m sure a few of these folks can tell us as many Bush campaign heavy hitters donned white tails to dine with the Queen of England. The Guest List includes a number of Bush Pioneers (raised over $100,000 in donations) and their immediate relations:

Mr and Mrs. Lee Bass (2)
Mr. and Mrs. Sid Bass, older brother of Lee Bass (2)
Anne Armstrong, the mother of Katherine Armstrong (2)
Katherine Boyd (2)
James Click (2)
Donald Evans (2)
William Farish (2) (cited as major donor by Brian Ross ABC News)
Brad Freeman (1)
Ray Hunt (2)
Nancy Kinder (2) (Husband Richard formerly of Enron donated nearly $750,000 to Republican candidates)
Herb Kohler (2) (cited as a major donor by Fox News)
Charles Moncrief (2)
Joseph O’Donnell (2)
Hank Paulson (2)
Jerry Perenchio (2)
Gerry Shaheen (2) (cited as a major donor by Fox News)
Robert Tuttle (2)

While not a Pioneer, Harold C. Simmons (2) and Boone Pickens (2) are heavy hitters in the financial arena. Harold donated $370,000 and Boone $322,851 to Republican candidates.

Harold and his wife Annette funneled $20,000 to mainly Republican candidates in 2006 through Contran Corporation’s Political Action Committee, a virtual repeat of their 2004 contributions. In the last two election cycles Harold donated $43,000 to Republican office seekers while his wife Annette forked over nearly $185,000. They shattered the Bush Pioneer level of $100,000 from their contributions alone, averaging $114,000 for the 2004 and 2006 elections!

Boone Pickens dropped $136,700 on a Republican dominated slate the last two election cycles.

Other guests are hard working federal servants, part of the Queen’s entourage, or American news/sports icons. How do they total out?

Out of some 133 guests, 37 came from good Pioneering or heavy Republican fundraising stock. That’s nearly 28% of the crowd. Who says large political donations don’t buy much anymore? Fox News even bragged about it.

What happened to our national head hanging over the selling of overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom? The news brags about high dollar donors rubbing elbows with royalty over Dover Sole. It appears American politics may have just sold its national soul...