THEY STAY BOUGHT...

Senator Joe Manchin claims to be “solely motivated” by his desire to represent the wants and needs of his constituents in West Virginia.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema claims to be an “independent voice” in the Senate, representing those whose beliefs “aren’t represented” in Washington.

There’s an old saying, “Watch what they do, not what they say.”

And what they do is, they rake it in from “the fourth branch of government,” over on K Street.

The two alleged “moderates,” whose votes are crucial to passing the whatever-the-total-is reconciliation bill, together raised more than more $400,000 from lobbyists, the influence industry and corporate and trade group PACs according to their financial reports for the third quarter, filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Neither is up for reelection until 2024, but both posted strong numbers, with cash from K Street and corporate and trade group PACs making up a big chunk

According to the reports:

Manchin reported close to $1.6 million raised between July 1 - Sept. 30. That’s close to the amount he reported for the third quarter of 2018 - when he was in the middle of one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

$278,000 - 17 percent of the total - came from 87 corporate and trade groups, and 19 lobbyists.

Sinema reports receiving $1.1 million, including more than $125,000 (11 percent of the total) from corporate and trade group PACs, and lobbyists. The report lists 30 lobbyists making campaign contributions.

One of those is Debra DeShong, the executive vice president of public affairs for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. She’s been quoted, “I like her style, I like what she stands for, and I like that she has earned the respect of her peers.”

The revolving door of politics and lobbying shows up in the donation of $1,000 from Nathan Daschle in July. He’s the son of former senator Tom Daschle . They’re partners together at The Daschle Group. Pops wrote Sinema a check for a similar mount the same day.

Sinema's numbers are impressive, but they’re nothing compared to her fellow senator from the great state of Arizona, who’s a major Republican target for 2022 when he runs for a full term. Senator Mark Kelly raised $8.2 million. He doesn’t take corporate PAC money. That’s all small donors - the people Sinema won’t talk to.

The money “Manchinema” raised from corporate PACs and K Street lobbyists doesn’t really demonstrate the full extent of their support from the industries who don’t want to see the Build Back Better plan implemented

Sinema has voiced “concerns” about the effort to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

The CEOs of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Gilead and Merck personally contributed a total $16,000 to Sinema’s campaign,. Three appear to have written checks on the same day. None had given a dime to her before.

Manchin, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, opposes the clean energy promotion section of build Back Better. He’s happy to say he has killed it this past weekend.

Surprise, surprise (not!), 30 employees of a single Texas oil-and-gas company, Enterprise Products Partners, wrote campaign contribution checks to Manchin’s campaign, along with the e company’s PAC, along with the three lobbyists who represent the company in Washington: former Democratic senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Rick Agnew of Van Ness Feldman and James Dennis of Rock Creek Counsel.

Landrieu said: “I have supported Sen Manchin since his election to the Senate and believe that his understanding about transitioning to a lower carbon future while retaining and growing high paying jobs in the US is exactly the kind of leadership we need in Washington,”

The campaign contributions from Enterprise's PAC and employees were matched with checks written to Manchin’s leadership PAC, Country Roads PAC. Enterprise’s vice chairman of the board and the company PAC each gave $5,000 to Manchin’s Country Roads PAC.

In total, Enterprise Products employees, the company PAC and its paid lobbyists gave Manchin’s campaign and his leadership PAC $113,000.

Each of the 13 individual donors who gave to Manchin’s leadership PAC in July listed a Texas or Oklahoma address.

And this represents the wants and needs of West Virginians how???

While Manchin does that, Sinema collects moeny from Wall Street, and is opposed to any increase in the corporate tax rate or change of the Carried Interest Rule, which would pay for the programs in Build Back Better. Again, Surprise Surprise (not!)

There are those cynics who say a “reliable, principled politician” is one who, once bought and paid for, stays bought. That certainly fits these two “principled moderates.” Yes indeed, the best politicians money can buy!

UPDATE: From the New York Times today: “Mr. Manchin’s own finances are tied to coal: he founded a family coal brokerage that paid him half a million dollars in dividends last year.”

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