This week's The New Yorker magazine features an in-depth look at two of Roy Blunt's greatest allies: brothers Charles (Chairman & CEO) and David Koch (Executive VP) of Koch Industries. According to Jane Mayer, author of the investigation, the Kochs are not only notable for running the second largest privately-held company in the United States. Since 2006, Koch Industries has led all other energy companies in political contributions.
And a hefty chunk of that has gone to Big Oil Blunt: in his 14 years in office, Koch Industries' political action committee has given Blunt $39,500 in campaign contributions.
The Kochs - operators of oil refineries in Alaska, Texas, and Minnesota and controllers of some four thousand miles of pipeline - are clearly dead-set on shaping an energy future that puts their interests over the public interest. Tax records indicate that since 1998, Koch Industries and a number of its affiliates have given more than $328 million to political and policy organizations, political campaigns, and lobbyists. Many of these recipients advocate for tax breaks for oil companies, making these investments almost a write-off for Koch Industries.
Unfortunately, that's only the tip of the iceberg. The article elaborates upon the Kochs' covert efforts to prevent environmental regulation and perpetuate our dependence on fossil fuels. They continue to spend millions to support highly influential academic institutions, think tanks and other oil industry-friendly front groups whose policies – shockingly – align with the Kochs' interests.
Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-founded advocacy group who has worked tirelessly kill comprehensive clean energy legislation and keep America addicted to oil, has announced that it will spend an additional forty-five million dollars before the midterm elections in November.
No telling how much of that will benefit Roy Blunt.
August 24, 2010
ShareThisAugust 05, 2010
July 23, 2010
...With a Little Help From His Friends
Reading this piece in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the classic Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends":
When it comes to raising money, Roy Blunt is finding that oil companies and other corporate donors enjoy writing checks to groups of Republican Senate hopefuls.Yes indeed. Big Oil Blunt gets by with a little help (more than $1 million...and counting) from his friends.
[snip]
Blunt's backing from oil companies and energy interests has been a campaign trail topic in the aftermath of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.
The reports show that oil, coal and other energy interests were among several dozen PACS that donated liberally to an entity called the Senators Classic Committee, which divided much of $664,000 in proceeds among Blunt and a dozen other Republican hopefuls and GOP senators running for re-election.
Contributors to the Republican committee included ExxonMobil, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum and Halliburton. Blunt enjoyed proceeds of slightly more than $30,000 from the joint effort...
July 21, 2010
Big Oil Blunt, Meet Rubberstamp Roy
Though we've long since left the schoolyard, many lessons learned during our formative days remain salient. In this case, it's that age-old, insult-repelling rhyme: "I'm rubber, you're glue. Whatever you say, bounces off me and sticks to you."
This week Big Oil Blunt launched a new TV ad accusing Robin Carnahan of rubber-stamping the "liberal agenda." Let’s set aside the fact that comprehensive energy and climate legislation, which the Blunt ad falsely describes as a tax, would in fact create thousands of new jobs in Missouri while also curbing our dangerous dependence on oil and reducing harmful carbon pollution.
What's really amusing -- and has the added benefit of being true -- is that during his 14 years in Congress, Big Oil Blunt has consistently rubber-stamped Big Oil's agenda at the expense of transitioning to a cleaner, safer energy future.
In fact, the oil industry has given him perfect marks for rubber-stamping their legislative priorities in Congress (and, for his troubles, Big Oil and other energy interests have given him more than $1 million in campaign contributions).
The American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying arm for the big oil companies, gave Big Oil Blunt a perfect 100% on its Voter Guide for the 110th Congress. Read about some of the big votes that Big Oil was saying "thank you" for here and more about Blunt's record here.
Hmmm..."Rubberstamp Roy." That just might stick.
This week Big Oil Blunt launched a new TV ad accusing Robin Carnahan of rubber-stamping the "liberal agenda." Let’s set aside the fact that comprehensive energy and climate legislation, which the Blunt ad falsely describes as a tax, would in fact create thousands of new jobs in Missouri while also curbing our dangerous dependence on oil and reducing harmful carbon pollution.
What's really amusing -- and has the added benefit of being true -- is that during his 14 years in Congress, Big Oil Blunt has consistently rubber-stamped Big Oil's agenda at the expense of transitioning to a cleaner, safer energy future.
In fact, the oil industry has given him perfect marks for rubber-stamping their legislative priorities in Congress (and, for his troubles, Big Oil and other energy interests have given him more than $1 million in campaign contributions).
The American Petroleum Institute, the main lobbying arm for the big oil companies, gave Big Oil Blunt a perfect 100% on its Voter Guide for the 110th Congress. Read about some of the big votes that Big Oil was saying "thank you" for here and more about Blunt's record here.
Hmmm..."Rubberstamp Roy." That just might stick.
June 25, 2010
Ethics-Challenged Big Oil Blunt Plans TWO Fundraisers With Ethics-Challenged Karl Rove
Politico reports that Big Oil Blunt will hold two high-dollar fundraisers with ethically-challenged former George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove on Monday.The article describes the fundraisers as fancy affairs:
Rove is slated to host two events for the seven-term congressman: a breakfast in St. Charles and a luncheon in Springfield, the Blunt campaign confirmed to POLITICO.
Donors who buck up the maximum $2,400 contribution get a private roundtable with President Bush’s top political adviser, while supporters donating $1,000 will receive a photo opportunity with Rove. The event alone is $500 a head.
But for someone who's used to rubbing elbows with dirty energy lobbyists at Washington's most posh restaurants (to the tune of more than $1 million in campaign cash, no less), the Rove event would seem like the perfect next step for a career politician who has twice been named one of the "Most Corrupt Members of Congress."
Big Oil Blunt: offering Missourians the chance to relive the Karl Rove-style politics that defined George W. Bush's eight years in office, for the low price of $500 a head.
June 17, 2010
And coming in at #1...
The Associated Press is out with a fascinating look at how much members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have received in campaign cash from oil and gas interests since January 2009.
Guess who tops the list with $133,100 in contributions from PACs run by oil and gas companies and from individuals employed by those companies?
None other than Big Oil Blunt.
Guess who tops the list with $133,100 in contributions from PACs run by oil and gas companies and from individuals employed by those companies?
None other than Big Oil Blunt.
June 14, 2010
A Match Made in Heaven: Big Oil Blunt and the Big Oil Bailout
Last Friday, it came as no surprise that Big Oil Blunt was disappointed when Sen. Murkowski's "Big Oil Bailout" resolution failed to pass in the Senate. The Murkowski Resolution, which would have dismantled or frozen the Clean Air Act, was just another bailout aimed at protecting Big Oil, corporate polluters and lobbyists. It would have put public health at risk, jeopardized long-overdue action to hold the biggest polluters accountable and kept America addicted to oil.
But Blunt has never been a fan of holding polluter's responsible for their actions and clearly puts special interests ahead of public interests. That's why he is a cosponsor of multiple pieces of companion legislation in the House (HJ Res. 77, HR 391).
However, it's never enough for him to just sponsor bills designed to protect special interests. In typical Big Oil Blunt fashion, he felt the need to tweet bad information for all the world to see.
@RoyBlunt - Washington Democrats this week supported a backdoor cap & tax scheme. Cap & tax will kill 32,000 jobs in Missouri in 1st year.
He also fails to mention that Missourians spend over $10 billion on oil each year, while the U.S. spends $1 billion a day on foreign oil. Blunt's buddies in the oil industry have been blocking energy reform for decades, but with oil spewing across the Gulf, it is now more clear than ever that our dependence on oil -- be it from hostile nations or friendly coasts -- hurts our economy, threatens our national security and harms our environment.
Sadly, instead of helping Missouri transition to a local sources of clean, secure energy, Big Oil Blunt is determined to continuing siding with the Big Oil companies that fund his campaigns.
Sadly, instead of helping Missouri transition to a local sources of clean, secure energy, Big Oil Blunt is determined to continuing siding with the Big Oil companies that fund his campaigns.
June 03, 2010
Unbelievable: Big Oil Blunt Takes Halliburton Money While His Committee Investigates Halliburton/BP/ Transocean Oil Spill
Politico reported yesterday that Big Oil Blunt took a $1,000 campaign check from perennial bad actor Halliburton while his Congressional committee was investigating the massive oil spill in which Halliburton is involved:As Congress investigated its role in the doomed Deep Horizon oil rig, Halliburton donated $17,000 to candidates running for federal office, giving money to several lawmakers on committees that have launched inquiries into the massive spill.Where does Big Oil Blunt factor into the equation?
Halliburton’s political contributions in May are the highest they’ve been since September 2009, when the PAC also gave $17,000 in donations. In fact, the last time the company gave more than $17,000 in one month was when it donated $25,000 during the heat of the presidential campaign in September 2008.
In the House Reps. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), who serves on the Natural Resources Committee, Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Dave Camp (R-Mich.) all received $1,000 from the oil giant.In fact, Blunt's committee held a hearing May 27th on the massive spill's causes and the response.
Conflict of interest much? Well, now that you mention it, yes: Big Oil Blunt has also taken $11,500 from the oil giant BP's federal PAC, which makes him one of the top ten Congressional recipients of dirty BP PAC money.
May 17, 2010
NEW POLL: Big Oil Blunt is the Least Popular Major GOP Senate Candidate
According to new polling data from Public Policy Polling, Big Oil Blunt has the worst favorability ratings of any major Republican Senate candidate this year. 41% of Missourians have an unfavorable impression of Big Oil Blunt, while only 25% view him favorably.
Maybe that's because he's so out of touch with Missourians on the issues that matter. As we've reported in this space, Big Oil Blunt is wearing his unpopular support for Big Oil over clean energy jobs for Missouri as a badge of honor: he's proud of his 100% rating on the Big Oil scorecard, and he's repeating phony attacks on clean energy that fact-checkers have called "FALSE" over and over again.
Worst of all, Big Oil Blunt doesn't even seem to know where his constituents stand on passing common-sense clean energy and climate legislation.
Two major polls show that voters support a comprehensive clean energy jobs bill like the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a piece of legislation (opposed by Blunt) that would help create more than 35,000 jobs statewide.
•A January 20th, 2010 poll of battleground states including Missouri showed that the public overwhelming supports a clean energy bill that caps carbon pollution: respondents supported by a 58 – 37 percent margin an energy bill that contains cap-and-trade. Independents supported cap-and-trade by a +11 point margin.
•A November, 2009 Pew poll also revealed Missouri's strong support for a comprehensive clean energy bill, with 67 percent of respondents in support of a bill that would require factories and power companies to reduce their emissions of the carbon pollution that causes global warming by 20% by the year 2020, and require power companies to generate 15% of their power from clean energy sources like wind and solar by the year 2025.
Missouri voters also overwhelmingly approved a Renewable Electricity Standard in 2008, indicating their strong support for policies that invest in clean energy, create new jobs and reduce pollution.
At least Big Oil Blunt is better at raising money than he is at representing his constituents -- he ranks among the top ten members of Congress in campaign contributions from the federal PAC connected to BP, the oil giant responsible for the disastrous spill that's currently threatening thousands of jobs and ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.
Maybe that's because he's so out of touch with Missourians on the issues that matter. As we've reported in this space, Big Oil Blunt is wearing his unpopular support for Big Oil over clean energy jobs for Missouri as a badge of honor: he's proud of his 100% rating on the Big Oil scorecard, and he's repeating phony attacks on clean energy that fact-checkers have called "FALSE" over and over again.
Worst of all, Big Oil Blunt doesn't even seem to know where his constituents stand on passing common-sense clean energy and climate legislation.
Two major polls show that voters support a comprehensive clean energy jobs bill like the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a piece of legislation (opposed by Blunt) that would help create more than 35,000 jobs statewide.
•A January 20th, 2010 poll of battleground states including Missouri showed that the public overwhelming supports a clean energy bill that caps carbon pollution: respondents supported by a 58 – 37 percent margin an energy bill that contains cap-and-trade. Independents supported cap-and-trade by a +11 point margin.
•A November, 2009 Pew poll also revealed Missouri's strong support for a comprehensive clean energy bill, with 67 percent of respondents in support of a bill that would require factories and power companies to reduce their emissions of the carbon pollution that causes global warming by 20% by the year 2020, and require power companies to generate 15% of their power from clean energy sources like wind and solar by the year 2025.
Missouri voters also overwhelmingly approved a Renewable Electricity Standard in 2008, indicating their strong support for policies that invest in clean energy, create new jobs and reduce pollution.
At least Big Oil Blunt is better at raising money than he is at representing his constituents -- he ranks among the top ten members of Congress in campaign contributions from the federal PAC connected to BP, the oil giant responsible for the disastrous spill that's currently threatening thousands of jobs and ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.
May 10, 2010
Big Oil Blunt's BP Money & Big Oil Record
We've pointed out before that Big Oil Blunt has taken more than $1 million from Big Oil and other energy interests over his entire career in Congress -- including $487,798 from the oil and gas industry alone.
But, as the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf Coast continues, it's worth pointing out that over the last decade Big Oil Blunt has been among the top ten congressional recipients of campaign cash from BP's PAC, having received $11,500 from the oil company's political action committee since the 2001-02 election cycle.
It's also not surprising that Big Oil Blunt has consistently supported efforts to expand offshore drilling, voting to do so in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Additionally, he voted against efforts to increase fuel efficiency standards in automobiles in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The 2007 vote, in which automobile mileage standards were raised to 35 miles per gallon, will reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2020.
Need more on Big Oil Blunt's record? Click here.
But, as the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf Coast continues, it's worth pointing out that over the last decade Big Oil Blunt has been among the top ten congressional recipients of campaign cash from BP's PAC, having received $11,500 from the oil company's political action committee since the 2001-02 election cycle.
It's also not surprising that Big Oil Blunt has consistently supported efforts to expand offshore drilling, voting to do so in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Additionally, he voted against efforts to increase fuel efficiency standards in automobiles in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The 2007 vote, in which automobile mileage standards were raised to 35 miles per gallon, will reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2020.
Need more on Big Oil Blunt's record? Click here.
April 15, 2010
Tax Day Edition: Big Oil Blunt Favors Oil Profits Over Clean Energy Jobs
On April 15th, we are all especially attentive to how our tax dollars are being spent. So here at Big Oil Blunt, we thought it fitting to point out today that Big Oil Blunt has consistently voted to continue billions in wasteful taxpayer-funded giveaways to oil companies.
Meanwhile, Blunt voted against three initiatives that would have taken away wasteful subsidies from Big Oil and turned them into job-creating clean energy tax breaks:
- Oil Subsidies Repeal (Roll Call Vote 40, 1/18/07)
- Clean Energy Tax Credits (Roll Call Vote 84, 2/27/2008)
- Clean Energy Tax Credits (Roll Call Vote 344, 5/21/2008)
Investing in clean energy would create four times as many jobs as continuing wasteful oil subsidies. And the comprehensive clean energy bill Blunt voted against last year would help create 36,000 jobs in Missouri alone. But none of that matters to Big Oil Blunt, whose main concern is pleasing his oil industry pals.
March 30, 2010
Big Oil Blunt's "Jobs Tour" Ignores One Of Missouri's Best Job Creation Opportunities: Clean Energy
There he goes again.Big Oil Blunt is spreading more misinformation about clean energy jobs, this time as part of a misleadingly-named "Jobs For Missouri's Future" tour. On the campaign's promotional video for the jobs tour, Blunt says a few things that don't quite sync with his career-long stand against creating clean energy jobs, like:
"We're going to talk to people about how we can create jobs. Not just jobs for Missouri's future, but jobs for right now."
and
"We need to have more American energy."
Now, most reasonable observers of public policy would put together those two comments and say "Wow, you're right: we need to create jobs by investing in more American energy."
But here's where Big Oil Blunt's logic gets a little whacky. According to independent analysis at the Political Economy Research Institute, if you want to create new American jobs by investing in American energy, then clean energy sources are the very best way to create new jobs. That's because investing money in clean energy creates four times as many jobs as similar investments in fossil fuels, like oil.
But that doesn't jive with Big Oil Blunt's view of energy policy: he's taken more than $1 million from dirty energy companies and their lobbyists, and voted against a bipartisan clean energy and climate bill that would help create more than 35,000 jobs in Missouri.
Oh, and the clean energy bill wasn't the only bipartisan jobs measure that Blunt opposed: he voted against another new jobs bill that passed the House and Senate with support from numerous Republicans, including Kit Bond - the retiring Senator he's running to replace.
Which begs the question: How far would Big Oil Blunt go in the U.S. Senate to block the creation of clean energy jobs for Missouri?
Photo: Fired Up! Missouri
March 26, 2010
Distracting Voters From His Record
Big Oil Blunt's campaign has once again called LCV an "extremist" organization. We point this out not do defend ourselves (we mostly find it amusing) but to highlight that this is yet another instance in which Big Oil Blunt is attempting to distract voters from the fact that he has taken more than $1 million in campaign cash from Big Oil and other energy interests. At the same time, and as we've noted before, he's consistently sided with the Big Oil companies and other corporate polluters over a cleaner, more secure energy future for America.
Missouri voters deserve better.
Missouri voters deserve better.
March 23, 2010
Blunt Spokesman: I Think We Know A Little Bit Better Than Missourians What Missourians Think
Energy & Environment News is out with an extensive piece [subscription req'd] today detailing Big Oil Blunt's amusing response to LCV's efforts to highlight his anti-jobs, anti-clean energy, anti-environmental record. The article reads:
Yet the most bizarre aspect of Big Oil Blunt's strange stand against clean energy jobs for Missouri is his seeming inability to read a public opinion poll. Here's what one of Big Oil Blunt's campaign flacks, Rich Chrismer, said in the E&E article about public support for clean energy in Missouri:
•A January 20th, 2010 poll of battleground states including Missouri showed that the public overwhelming supports a clean energy bill that caps carbon pollution: respondents supported by a 58 – 37 percent margin an energy bill that contains cap-and-trade. Independents supported cap-and-trade by a +11 point margin.
•A November, 2009 Pew poll also revealed Missouri's strong support for a comprehensive clean energy bill, with 67 percent of respondents in support of a bill that would require factories and power companies to reduce their emissions of the carbon pollution that causes global warming by 20% by the year 2020, and require power companies to generate 15% of their power from clean energy sources like wind and solar by the year 2025.
Missouri voters also overwhelmingly approved a Renewable Electricity Standard in 2008, indicating their strong support for policies that invest in clean energy, create new jobs and reduce pollution.
For months, the League of Conservation Voters and its allies have targeted Blunt. Ads have filled the Missouri airwaves, LCV placed Blunt on its official target list and launched a Web site to highlight Blunt's record on energy issues. But instead of simply firing back or ignoring those attacks, Blunt wears them as a badge of honor, portraying the message of opponents as an endorsement of his policies.You see, Big Oil Blunt is proud that he has stood with Big Oil 100% of the time. He's also proud of the real whoppers he's told about clean energy and climate legislation, repeating attacks that fact-checkers have called "FALSE" again and again.
Yet the most bizarre aspect of Big Oil Blunt's strange stand against clean energy jobs for Missouri is his seeming inability to read a public opinion poll. Here's what one of Big Oil Blunt's campaign flacks, Rich Chrismer, said in the E&E article about public support for clean energy in Missouri:
"Missouri families understand the disastrous effect that cap and tax would have on their energy bills, fuels costs and jobs."You'd think that Big Oil Blunt would have some sort of poll to point to showing that Missouri families oppose a clean energy bill, or at least the concept of cap-and-trade. Yet two major polls show the exact opposite, that Missouri families support a comprehensive clean energy jobs bill like the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a piece of legislation (opposed by Blunt) that would help create more than 35,000 jobs in Missouri.
•A January 20th, 2010 poll of battleground states including Missouri showed that the public overwhelming supports a clean energy bill that caps carbon pollution: respondents supported by a 58 – 37 percent margin an energy bill that contains cap-and-trade. Independents supported cap-and-trade by a +11 point margin.
•A November, 2009 Pew poll also revealed Missouri's strong support for a comprehensive clean energy bill, with 67 percent of respondents in support of a bill that would require factories and power companies to reduce their emissions of the carbon pollution that causes global warming by 20% by the year 2020, and require power companies to generate 15% of their power from clean energy sources like wind and solar by the year 2025.
Missouri voters also overwhelmingly approved a Renewable Electricity Standard in 2008, indicating their strong support for policies that invest in clean energy, create new jobs and reduce pollution.
March 16, 2010
Big Oil Blunt's Big Oil Money Machine: Oil Companies And Their Lobbyists "Make It Rain" On Roy Blunt
Big Oil Blunt has raised more than $1 million in campaign cash from Big Oil and energy special interests – the same folks who are blocking clean energy and climate reform in order to protect their record profits.So exactly how does Big Oil Blunt raise all this dirty energy money? According to publicly available records, Big Oil Blunt has attended at least 15 different fundraisers thrown for him by oil companies, electric utilities, and their lobbyists in the past year alone. It's a who's-who of the Big Oil universe, from oil mega-conglomerate ExxonMobil to lobbyists for an African petrodictator who claims to be a living god.
Big Oil Blunt’s dirty energy money machine is a well-oiled example of the stranglehold that Big Oil has on some of our less scrupulous elected officials. Let’s take a look at how Big Oil Blunt and his Big Oil Money Machine spent the past year together:
• On April 23rd, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised money at an event hosted by Mark Anderson, a lobbyist with Kelley Drye, a firm that was paid $360,000 for lobbying by ExxonMobil in 2009 alone. Also hosting the event was Sam Geduldig, whose firm lobbies for the pro-oil Chamber of Commerce, which has called for a "Scopes monkey trial" of climate science.
• On April 23rd, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised money at an event hosted by Mark Anderson, a lobbyist with Kelley Drye, a firm that was paid $360,000 for lobbying by ExxonMobil in 2009 alone. Also hosting the event was Sam Geduldig, whose firm lobbies for the pro-oil Chamber of Commerce, which has called for a "Scopes monkey trial" of climate science.
• On April 28th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised money at an event hosted by Cassidy & Associates, a firm that lobbies for some of the nation's largest electric utilities as well as Teodoro Mbasago, the petrodictator of Equatorial Guinea who sells the United States 32 million barrels of oil per year and claims to be a living god.
• On May 13th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised money at an event hosted by three of the top partners at mega-lobbying shop Ogilvy Government Relations, whose clients include oil giants Chevron and Hess as well as the Big Oil front group the American Petroleum Institute.
• On May 19th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt went back to Cassidy & Associates to raise more campaign cash.
• On May 20th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised money at an event hosted by Baker & Hostetler, a firm that did nearly a half-million dollars in lobbying for Texas oil giant Denbury Resources in 2009 alone.
• On June 16th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt was thrown a fundraiser by Dickstein, Shapiro partner Allison Shulman. Dickstein, Shapiro lobbies for mining giant Peabody Energy, which Newsweek in 2009 named as having the worst environmental record among the 500 largest U.S. corporations.
• On June 17th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt hit the dirty energy money jackpot at an event co-hosted by Texas oil giant Valero Energy, utility giant Emerson Electric, Valero lobbyists at Bracewell & Giuliani, and the ExxonMobil lobbyists at Kelley Drye. Fun fact: Valero Energy is spending upwards of $2 million to fight clean energy laws in California.
• On July 23rd, 2009, Big Oil Blunt hit up Peabody Energy's PAC and the National Mining Association for campaign cash.
• On September 15th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt went back for cash to the Peabody Energy lobbyists at Dickstein, Shapiro as well as lobbyists for oil giant Sunoco and Illinois oil and gas company Nicor Inc.
• Big Oil Blunt hit a big oil bonanza on September 16th, 2009, when he raised money from the PACs of ExxonMobil and Marathon Oil.
• The "marathon" fundraising continued on September 17th, 2009, when Blunt hit up ExxonMobil and Marathon again, as well as the Devon Energy and Valero Energy PACs.
• On October 29th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt raised cash with lobbyists at Patton Boggs, which represents Marathon Oil and Devon Energy.
• On November 9th, 2009, Big Oil Blunt shifted gears a bit to attend a fundraiser thrown for him by Lyle Beckwith of the gas station trade group the National Association of Convenience & Petroleum Retailers.
• On March 10th, 2010, Big Oil Blunt attended a fundraiser thrown in his honor at the offices of the lobbying firm Navigators Global, which represents the American Petroleum Institute.
Phew! That was quite the lobbying run... and they're sure hoping Big Oil Blunt doesn't forget who his friends are if he gets to the Senate!
Phew! That was quite the lobbying run... and they're sure hoping Big Oil Blunt doesn't forget who his friends are if he gets to the Senate!
