Party donations in U.S. raise public suspicions<\/p>\n
By Susan Cornwell<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (Reuter): Bill Clinton's ties to an Indonesian
\nbusinessman and Bob Dole's to a U.S. industrialist seem likely to
\nreawaken public suspicions that influence and access are for sale
\nin Washington.<\/p>\n
The White House has been thrown on the defensive by stories
\nabout an Indonesian businessman named James Riady and suggestions
\nthat his friendship with President Clinton helped bring big
\ncorporate contributions into Democratic Party coffers with the
\naim of influencing U.S. foreign policy.<\/p>\n
But just as Dole, the Republican presidential candidate, was
\nseizing on the \"Indonesian connection\" and demanding answers from
\nClinton, the news broke that Archer Daniels Midland Company, a
\ngiant agriculture conglomerate, would pay a record $100 million
\nfederal fine for price-fixing.<\/p>\n
That prompted reports highlighting the firm's generosity in
\nmaking campaign contributions to many politicians including Dole,
\nand noting his support of farm policies it favored.<\/p>\n
Don Simon, executive vice president of Common Cause, a self-
\nstyled \"citizens' lobby\" and a watchdog on the flow of money in
\npolitics, said the current episodes underscore how corporations
\nand the rich evade limits on political campaign donations by
\nchanneling vast sums through the party machinery rather than
\ngiving directly to the candidates.<\/p>\n
That is called \"soft money\" because it is unregulated.
\nSimon commented: \"These are different case studies of the same
\nunderlying problem: that soft money in particular is a way for
\nspecial interests, for wealthy individuals, and for companies to
\nfunnel unlimited sums of money to the national parties, and their
\ncandidates.\"<\/p>\n
\"And that inevitably creates the impression that money is
\nbeing used to buy access and influence with federal officials,
\nwhether that is Bob Dole or Bill Clinton -- whether it comes from
\nwealthy individuals with foreign ties or a wealthy industrialist
\nwith a company that has a direct stake in federal agricultural
\npolicy.\"<\/p>\n
U.S. law prohibits corporations or labor unions from
\ncontributing money to federal campaigns, and limits individuals
\nto giving no more than $1,000 to a candidate per election and
\n$20,000 to a party per year.<\/p>\n
But U.S. parties are raking in record amounts from
\nindividuals, corporations and unions who designate the money for
\npurposes supposedly unrelated to individual campaigns.<\/p>\n
Critics say that is just a ruse because most of the money goes
\nfor advertising, voter contacts or other things that influence
\nelections or political causes.<\/p>\n
Dole has asked Clinton to explain whether hundreds of
\nthousands of dollars given to Democrats from individuals with
\nlinks to an Indonesian financial giant, the Lippo Group, have
\ninfluenced U.S. foreign policy in places like East Timor.<\/p>\n
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, integrated into
\nIndonesia in 1976.<\/p>\n
Dole said he would press Clinton in Wednesday's campaign
\ndebate about \"taking money from a foreign nation.\" He added:
\n\"They gave it back when somebody caught them, but why did they do
\nit? Why did he (Clinton) meet with these people?\"<\/p>\n
But with the huge price-fixing fine putting Archer Daniels
\nMidland back in the news, the Washington Post ran an article
\nfocusing on the firms largesse to politicians of both parties --
\nand especially Dole.<\/p>\n
The Post said ADM chairman Dwayne Andreas, his family and
\nother ADM executives had funneled more than $200,000 in funds to
\nDole's campaigns over the years.<\/p>\n
It said Dole had vacationed with Andreas, staying at a Florida
\napartment that the industrialist sold to Dole's wife and her
\nbrother in the 1980s. It said that as a senator Dole had
\nchampioned tax breaks for the corn-based ethanol fuel industry
\nthat ADM controls.<\/p>\n
But analysts say Clinton and the Democrats have also benefited
\nfrom ADM's generosity.<\/p>\n
\"Archer Daniels Midland is an equal opportunity donator to
\npolitical campaigns,\" said Dean Stansel, a fiscal policy analyst
\nat the conservative CATO Institute in Washington.<\/p>\n
He cited a report in the \"National Journal\" that said ADM had
\ncontributed over $300,000 in soft money to Democratic groups in
\nthe first 18 months of the Clinton administration.<\/p>\n
Both Clinton and Dole say they favor campaign finance reform
\n-- or, at least, appointing a commission to study it.<\/p>",
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