CH_1: Know who I'm really supporting (Part 1)

For my first post on a choice for change, I'd like to address corporate campaign contributions, and how to unravel the trail of funding from the corporations we do business with.

During the last election cycle, the Target corporation donated $150,000 to a group that was running ads to support Tom Emmer, a conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate who was running on an anti-gay platform. I would not choose to donate my own money to support Tom Emmer, yet by shopping at Target, I had done so nonetheless. This made me wonder about who else I'm supporting without knowing it.

I went to FollowTheMoney.org, and entered the names of my cell and internet providers, as well as the names of other businesses where I typically shop. I found out that, via Verizon Wireless, I had unwittingly supported Meg Whitman's campaign with a healthy donation. On the other hand, I found out that Charter Communications, my internet provider, supports mostly Democratic candidates with their donations.

FollowTheMoney.org provides a record not only of a corporation's donations to parties, but also to individual candidates and ballot measures. The search results can be a little difficult to navigate, so feel free to leave questions in the comment section of this post. The site also offers a tutorial that uses Verizon as an example.

Some other great resources on who's giving and who's getting in politics include OpenSecrets.org and the Federal Elections Commission at fec.gov. The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism also has a great article on tracking campaign funding.