Here’s how much corporations paid US senators to fast-track the TPP bill. (list at theguardian.com)
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Two days before the fast-track vote, Obama was a few votes shy of having the filibuster-proof majority he needed. Ron Wyden and seven other Senate Democrats announced they were on the fence on 12 May, distinguishing themselves from the Senate’s 54 Republicans and handful of Democrats as the votes to sway.
In just 24 hours, Wyden and five of those Democratic holdouts – Michael Bennet of Colorado, Dianne Feinstein of California, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Patty Murray of Washington, and Bill Nelson of Florida – caved and voted for fast-track. Bennet, Murray, and Wyden – all running for re-election in 2016 – received $105,900 between the three of them. Bennet, who comes from the more purple state of Colorado, got $53,700 in corporate campaign donations between January and March 2015, according to Channing’s research.
Almost 100% of the Republicans in the US Senate voted for fast-track – the only two non-votes on TPA were a Republican from Louisiana and a Republican from Alaska.”
“And these are the members of the coalition to pass it.”
3M Company Abbott
ACE Group
Advanced Medical Technology Association
Aflac International
American Apparel & Footwear Association
American Automotive Policy Council
American Chemistry Council
American Council of Life Insurers
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Feed Industry
Association American Forest & Paper Association
American Insurance Association
American Legislative Exchange Council
American Meat Institute
American Soybean Association
Amway
APL
Apple
Applied Materials
Archer Daniels Midland Company
American Natural Soda
Ash Corporation
Association of Global Automakers
Biotechnology Industry Organization
Boeing
Business Roundtable
BSA – The Software Alliance
CA Technologies
Cargill
Caterpillar
Chevron
Chubb Corp.
Citigroup Inc
Coalition of Services Industries
The Coca Cola Company Inc
Computing Technology Industry Association
Conoco Phillips
Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA)
Corn Refiners Association
Cotton Council International
Council of the Americas
Crop Life America
The Walt Disney Company
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
The Dow Chemical Company
EBay
Emergency Committee for American Trade
FedEx Express
Express Association of America
Exxon Mobil
Financial Services Forum
Fluor
FMC Corporation
Food Marketing Institute
Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America
Gap, Inc.
General Electric
General Motors
Glanbia USA
GlaxoSmithKline
Goldman Sachs
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Halliburton
Hanesbrands
Herbalife
Hewlett-Packard
Honda North America
Idaho Potato Commission
IDS International
IBM
Information Technology Industry Council…includes Google (don’t be evil?), along with Adobe, AMD, Agilent, Alcatel-Lucent, AOL, Apple, Blackberry, Canon, Dell, Epson, Ericsson, Facebook, Fujitsu, HP, HTC, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Kodak, Lenovo, Lexmark, LinkedIn, Logitech, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Samsung, Seagate, Sony, Toyota, Twitter, Visa, Yahoo, and others.
Intel
Interactive Advertising Bureau
International Dairy Foods Association
International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA)
J.C. Penney
John Deere
Johnson & Johnson
Kraft Foods
Levi Strauss & Co.
Lilly Louis Dreyfus Commodities
Mars
McGraw Hill Financial
Metlife
Microsoft
Mondelez International
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motion Picture Association of America
Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
National Association of Manufacturers
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
National Center for APEC
National Confectioners Association
National Corn Growers Association
National Council of Wheat Growers
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
National Fisheries Institute
National Foreign Trade Council
National Milk Producers Federation
National Oilseed Processors Association
National Pork Producers Council
National Potato Council
National Retail Federation
National Turkey Federation
Nike
Northwest Horticultural Council
Novartis
Oracle
Outdoor Industry Association
Pet Food Institute
Pfizer
Philip Morris International
PhRMA
Plastics Industry Trade Association
PPG Industries
Procter & Gamble
Qualcomm Incorporated
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International
Software & Information Industry Association
SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association
Sudbury International Sweeteners
Users Association
Target Inc.
TechAmerica
Telecommunications Industry Association
The Entertainment Software Association
The National Chicken Council
Time Warner Inc.
Toyota North America
TUMI
U.S. Apple Association
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Grains Council
U.S. New Zealand Council
U.S. Wheat Associates
USA-ITA
United States Council for International Business
United Technologies Corporation
UPS
US-ASEAN Business Council
Viacom
Visa
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Washington Council on International Trade
World Trade Center San Diego
Xerox
Zimmer
~
Some solutions:
Bonus:
As McKibben says, overturning Citizens United is the most important environmental (let alone social equality or democratic) action we can strive for.
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