both sides now

[Dan Scanlan <dscanlan@xxxxxxx>]

In Kevin Phillip's American Dynasty, he writes that one reason Baby
Bush's run for governor against Ann Richards was successful was
because Enron gave Ann Richards only half of what it gave family
friend Bush. The corporate scam continues.

Dan Scanlan

-------------------

BUSH RAISING CAMPAIGN FUNDS FROM KERRY'S TOP CONTRIBUTORS

Contact:  Larry Noble or Steven Weiss, 202/857-0044

President Bush begins the head-to-head battle for the White House against
Sen. John Kerry with a $100 million advantage in fund raising. For that,
Bush can thank his incumbent status, his network of fund-raising Pioneers
and Rangers -- and several of the top contributors to the Kerry campaign.

Nearly half of Kerry's biggest financial supporters contributed more money
to Bush than to Kerry himself through Jan. 30 of this year, according to
the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics' study of campaign finance
reports filed this month with the Federal Election Commission.

The finding is one of many examples of Bush's fund-raising dominance, and
it illustrates how much ground Kerry must make up to approach financial
parity with the president. Bush raised a total of $145 million for his
re-election effort in the first 13 months of the election cycle, dwarfing
Kerry's $33 million.

Kerry's third-largest contributor, Citigroup, gave more than $79,000 in
individual and PAC contributions to the presumptive Democratic nominee
through January. Louis Susman, Citigroup's vice-chairman, is one of
Kerry's biggest fund-raisers. But the financial services giant gave more
than $187,000 to the Bush campaign during the same period, good enough for
12th on the president's list of top contributors.

Goldman Sachs contributed nearly $65,000 to Kerry through January, earning
it the No. 6 ranking among Kerry's top givers. But the company's employees
and PAC sent Bush nearly $283,000 -- more than four times the amount it
gave to Kerry. Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson and managing director
George Walker are Bush Pioneers who have raised at least $100,000 for the
campaign.

Even MassMutual, which ranks among the biggest donors to Kerry over the
past 15 years, has contributed more money to Bush than to its home-state
senator in the current election cycle. The insurance conglomerate gave
$69,000 to Bush through January, compared with slightly more than $50,000
to Kerry. MassMutual CEO Robert O'Connell was a Bush Pioneer in
2000.

In all, nine of Kerry's top 20 donors favor Bush with their contributions.
Kerry's top contributor, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, has given
nearly $106,000 to his campaign. But the nation's largest law firm has
contributed an additional $65,000 to the Bush campaign.

Kerry's No. 2 contributor, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, has been far
more lopsided in its giving. The trial law firm has contributed nearly
$92,000 to Kerry and just $4,000 to Bush. The firm's chairman, Mike
Ciresi, is one of Kerry's top fund-raisers.

Two of Kerry's top donors -- Chicago-based Clifford Law Offices and Hill,
Holliday, the Boston-based ad firm -- have given no money to Bush. Bob
Clifford of the Clifford Law Offices and Hill, Holliday Chairman Jack
Connors are top fund-raisers for Kerry.

Half of Kerry's top contributors through January are law firms. Two-thirds
of Bush's top contributors represent the financial sector. Bush's No. 1
financial supporter, with nearly $458,000 in individual and PAC
contributions, is Merrill Lynch, the financial services firm that has
topped the list of the president's contributors since he began fund
raising last spring. Second among Bush's top donors is
PricewaterhouseCoopers with nearly $430,000 in contributions.

This release, along with relevant links and a chart showing Bush fund
raising among Kerry's top contributors, is available at:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pressreleases/2004/PresFRJan.asp

Detailed profiles of the presidential candidates, complete with the latest
fund-raising figures, are available at:
http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/

--
---------------------------
IMPEACHMENT: BRING IT ON!
----------------------------------------------

ANYBODY BUT BUSH OR KERRY

--------------------------------------------------

END OF THE TRAIL SALOON
Alternate Sundays
6-8am GMT (10pm-midnight PDT)
http://www.kvmr.org

--------------------------------

"I uke, therefore I am." -- Cool Hand Uke
"I log on, therefore I seem to be." -- Rodd Gnawkin
"I claim, therefore you believe." -- Dan Ratherthan

Visit Cool Hand Uke's Lava Tube:
 http://www.coolhanduke.com