Obama Tied to Huge Lobby

That's right, folks, Feral Donkey is breaking one of the biggest stories of this election cycle; that Barack Obama has ties to the largest lobbying group in the country! No, it's not the auto industry, the NRA, big oil, or big tobacco. No, this lobby dwarfs all of these put together. Who is he beholden to, and owe much of his political success to? Big America.

According to the latest FEC statistics (http://www.fec.gov), the Obama camp has raised approximately $264.5 million dollars. In addition, 46% of his total haul has come in the form of contributions of $200 or less. Exactly $0 has come from PAC money. The sheer volume of money is impressive enough, but when you also take into consideration the fact that over 1.5 million individuals have donated to his campaign, well, that is just amazing.

By contrast, Obama's opponent, John McCain, has struggled to build his war chest. He has raised a total of about $89.2 million dollars, or roughly 1/3 the amount Obama has raised. About 31% of his total purse came from $200 or less donations, meaning more of McCain's backers have most likely maxed out on their contribution limit. Even in traditionally reliable Republican states like Texas, McCain is getting his clock cleaned when it comes to donations when compared to Obama. PAC money accounts for roughly $1 million of McCain's total to date.

What does all of this mean? In a word, change. You can't take money out of politics. Money is the life blood that keeps our government running. What you can try to keep out of politics is tainted money. Money that comes with strings attached. Barack Obama recognizes that he will not be able to change the culture of Washington until the people running it are free to do their jobs without fear of retribution from corporate benefactors.