| 2008 Total | 2009 Total | 08-09 Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Chamber of Commerce | $91,725,000 | $144,456,000 | 57.5% |
| Exxon Mobil | $29,000,000 | $27,430,000 | -5.4% |
| PhRMA | $20,220,000 | $26,150,520 | 29.3% |
| Pfizer Inc. | $12,180,000 | $21,930,000 | 80.0% |
| AARP | $27,900,000 | $21,010,000 | -24.7% |
| Chevron Corp. | $12,994,000 | $20,815,000 | 60.2% |
| National Assn. of Realtors | $17,340,000 | $19,497,000 | 12.4% |
| ConocoPhillips | $8,459,053 | $18,069,858 | 113.6% |
| Verizon Communications | $18,020,000 | $17,820,000 | -1.1% |
| Boeing Co. | $17,540,000 | $16,850,000 | -3.9% |
| BP | $10,450,000 | $15,990,000 | 53.0% |
| Northrop Grumman | $20,743,252 | $15,180,000 | -26.8% |
| AT&T Inc | $15,076,675 | $14,729,673 | -2.3% |
| Southern Co. | $14,080,000 | $13,610,000 | -3.3% |
| Altria Group | $13,840,000 | $12,770,000 | -7.7% |
| Amgen Inc. | $10,150,000 | $12,440,000 | 22.6% |
| Eli Lilly & Co. | $12,485,000 | $11,215,000 | -10.2% |
| AHIP | $7,540,000 | $8,850,000 | 17.4% |
| General Motors | $13,351,000 | $8,680,000 | -35.0% |
| Wells Fargo | $2,265,740 | $2,880,000 | 27.1% |
| Goldman Sachs | $3,310,000 | $2,830,000 | -14.5% |
| SEIU | $2,471,678 | $2,670,276 | 8.0% |
Lobbying expenditures soared in 2009. While K Street boomed, citizens suffered. Combine this with the Supreme Court decision opening the floodgates for corporate campaign funding and Americans should be nauseous. The Supreme's threw out campaign restrictions going back to Teddy Roosevelt. He once said:
Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.
How true. The United States already has the best democracy money can buy. Gramm-Leach-Bliley opened the door for Wall Street's greed driven implosion. "Modernization" sends government work to the private sector in virtually every federal niche. Congress creates huge tax loopholes for their corporate sponsors. For all this, citizens suffer greatly.
The top 19 lobbying firms had a banner year, earning huge fees fighting against health care and financial reform. How did the blue lobbying Podesta's fare?
American politics is a monstrous Gordian knot. Today's developments show it growing bigger, even more twisted.
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