If you haven’t already, read Matthew Continetti’s column on how cable giant (and MSNBC parent company) Comcast has effectively bought the Democratic Party. This will likely prove a wise investment, as Comcast is currently seeking government approval for its $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable, a move that would create the largest cable conglomerate in the country.
If you were a giant corporation looking to purchase Democratic loyalty, you would naturally target the most powerful, such as Barack Obama. So it’s no surprise that Obama is by far the largest recipient of donations from Comcast employees (including family members) and political action committees.
Then there are the campaign committees. Comcast donations to the Democratic National Committee and Democratic House and Senate committees total more than $1.8 million. And Comcast would certainly be short-changing its shareholders if it hadn’t bought off Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) as well. Don't worry, they have.
Comcast is the fifth largest contributor to Reid’s campaign committee in the current cycle. The majority leader has received $76,550 from Comcast employees, and $23,000 from the company’s political action committees. He’s received an additional $101,350 from Comcast lobbyists and their family members. That includes $5,800 from Comcast lobbyist Waldo McMillan, a former Reid aide.
Oh yeah, there’s also the fact that Reid’s current chief of staff, David Krone, is a former senior vice president of corporate affairs at Comcast, and a former donor to Reid’s campaign. After joining Reid’s staff in 2008, Krone received a $1.2 million "severance" package from Comcast. More specifically, the company purchased Krone’s condo from him at a price well above the market value.
We already know that Harry Reid takes money from associates of the "un-American" Koch brothers. Now he’s willing to sit by and allow a giant cable corporation to buy our democracy, as long as they continue to fund his campaign/granddaughter’s trinket business. He might as well wear a Comcast insignia on his suit to denote its sponsorship.
