[296] in peace2
Bush and Oil
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (F. AuYeung)
Mon Jun 26 16:12:49 2000
Message-Id: <200006262012.QAA02196@department-of-alchemy.mit.edu>
To: save@MIT.EDU, basec@MIT.EDU
cc: peace-list@MIT.EDU
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 16:12:24 -0400
From: "F. AuYeung" <auyeung@MIT.EDU>
surprisingly from the NY Times, an article on
National Politics slamming Bush and his oil ties:
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/062300wh-bush-oil.html>
Oil and Gas Aid Bush Bid For President
By JOHN M. BRODER
WASHINGTON, June 22 -- Oil and
gas money has been the essential
lubricant of Gov. George W. Bush's
political career.
It financed his unsuccessful run for
Congress in 1978, it helped him win the
governor's office in 1994 and it is now
fueling his run for president.
In the current presidential contest, Governor
Bush has raised 15 times more money from
oil and gas interests than Vice President Al
Gore; his biggest lifetime patrons are
employees of the Enron Oil Company and
at least 25 of his top fund-raisers, the
Pioneers, are connected to the oil business.
Mr. Bush has received financial support
from many of the biggest names in the
Texas "oil patch": the Hunt brothers,
the Bass family, A. R. Sanchez Jr.,
Kenneth Lay, Roy Huffington and David
and Charles Koch. The second
largest source of contributions for
his presidential campaign is the
Houston law firm Vinson & Elkins,
which prides itself on the size and
reach of its oil and gas practice.
Mr. Bush has remained largely mute on
the recent spike in gasoline
prices, even as Mr. Gore loudly accuses
oil companies of price gouging,
antitrust violations and collusion.
Mr. Bush blames the Clinton administration
for environmental and energy
policies that discourage oil exploration
and that have contributed to the
high prices consumers, particularly in
the vote-rich Midwest, are paying
at the gas pumps. While he supports a
new Federal Trade Commission
investigation, Mr. Bush has not even
hinted that oil industry greed could
be at the root of the recent price increases.
Mr. Bush said that the administration
has shown a lack of leadership on
the issue and called on President Clinton
to lean harder on oil-producing
countries to "open the spigots" to bring
gasoline prices down.
His attitude reflects his background
in West Texas oil business, as well as
the views of his friends and financial
backers in the industry.
"He himself came out of the oil and
gas business in Midland, so his soft
stance on the current oil crisis is
understandable," said Craig McDonald
of Texans for Public Justice, a
watchdog group in Austin. "Bush's
financial support comes heavily from
the oil industry. They are the
kingmakers that put him in the
governor's mansion and are the
kingmakers that will try to put him
in the White House because his
policies coincide with their interests."
In the current campaign, Mr. Bush
has received $1.54 million from
people employed in the oil and gas
business and related industries.
According to Federal Election
Commission filings compiled by the
Center for Responsive Politics,
individuals from 670 oil-related interests
contributed to the Bush campaign,
from $250 contributions from Texas
gas station owners to scores of $1,000
donations from executives of the
nation's biggest oil companies, gas
pipeline concerns and oil field service
companies.
Among the largest contributors are
Enron ($92,250), El Paso Energy
($39,834), Koch Industries ($32,200),
Exxon Mobil ($30,575), Coastal
Corporation ($22,475) and Bass Brothers
Enterprises ($21,000).
Mr. Gore has received less than
$100,000 in contributions from people
associated with the oil business.
No single energy-related organization
provided as much as $10,000 to the Gore campaign.
The center also tallied oil industry
contributions to individual candidates
and the two major political parties.
It found the industry gave a total of
$10.7 million to Republican candidates
and committees and $3.2 million
to Democrats.
According to another study published
earlier this year, four of Mr. Bush's
top five career patrons are in the
oil and gas business. The study, by the
Center for Public Integrity, looked
at Mr. Bush's campaigns for
Congress, the governor's office and
the presidency, as well as donations
for renovations of the Texas governor's
office and Mr. Bush's inaugural
celebrations.
The four concerns are Enron, the
Sanchez family of Laredo, Tex., Vinson
& Elkins and the Bass family of Fort
Worth. Together they have given
more than $1.5 million to advance
Mr. Bush's political prospects.
Mr. Bush drew substantial support
from oil interests in his unsuccessful
run for Congress from West Texas in
1978. According to federal
campaign reports and local newspaper
accounts, roughly half of Mr.
Bush's campaign treasury came from
friends and acquaintances in the
Texas oil business.
That year, The Midland Reporter-Telegram,
in the heart of the West
Texas "oil patch," enthusiastically
endorsed the young Mr. Bush, citing his
experience in the oil fields.
"He has first-hand knowledge of the
oil and gas business, gained through
his work as an independent land man
and oil producer," the paper said.
>>>my comments:
have to say the man is "largely mute" about most issues, and when
he does open his mouth, he says stuff like "open the spigots" for
more oil and to lower gas prices. elect this man and say goodbye
to the environment and common sense, and hello to corporate control
of government, a regressive supreme court, and more state executions.
for the sake of humanity, i think he should remain mute forever. ~F
