Associated Press
At a campaign stop in San Antonio this week, Mitt Romney took a moment to single out Harold Hamm for praise. At the surface, that's wasn't too surprising -- Hamm is a billionaire oilman who's been sharply critical of President Obama, and who's donated to Romney's campaign.
But as Michael Isikoff recently reported, there's a little more to the connection between the two wealthy conservatives.
Just one month after he was named Mitt Romney's top energy adviser, Oklahoma billionaire Harold Hamm contributed $985,000 to the top pro-Romney Super PAC -- a donation that was the second largest the group collected in April, according to a new campaign disclosure filing today.
The cash infusion from Hamm, the chairman and CEO of Continental Resources -- a firm that touts itself as "America's Oil Champion" -- is a new example of how big Super PAC donors can make their policy views heard by the campaigns they are supporting.
Just a few months ago, the Republican nominee announced that Hamm would serve as the chairman of the Romney campaign's "Energy Policy Advisory Group," putting Hamm in a position to shape a new "pro-jobs, pro-market, pro-American" energy agenda, which Romney would presumably pursue if elected.
And wouldn't you know it, soon after Romney gave Hamm the influential post, the oilman contributed nearly $1 million to Romney's super-PAC, on top of the money he'd already contributed to the Romney campaign itself.
As Isikoff explained, Hamm's "huge new donation to the Romney Super PAC ... could potentially raise questions about the connections between his donations and his role in shaping campaign policies that might benefit his company. So far, the campaign has not publicly disclosed the other names of the energy advisory group, making it impossible to determine whether they have also given money to the Super PAC or the campaign."
There's also, of course, the matter of what Hamm intends to do with his influence. Kyle Roerink reported a few weeks ago on Hamm's policy wish list, which includes protecting oil industry tax subsidies and completing the Keystone pipeline.
To understand what kind of agenda Romney would pursue in the White House, it's critical to know who has his ear. In this case, when it comes to energy policy, the Republican nominee will apparently listen to the billionaire oilman who's writing very large checks to Team Romney.
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"...Hamm's "huge new donation to the Romney Super PAC ... could potentially raise questions about the connections between his donations and his role in shaping campaign policies that might benefit his company."
So Hamm is like Chaney with Haliburton and that "secret energy task force", and if I remember correctly didn't gas prices go up past $4.00/gal....Yep, no quid-pro-quo there, just amazing!
My thoughts, exactly!
Cheney's secret meetings got the job done. Maybe Hamm should get the VP nod- does he have any good ideas on invading countries?
I thought Romney was going to do away with the Energy commision? Does Hamm know that? I could here him trying to explain that one to Hamm, first he lies to Hamm, but, that's okay, because the Large Corporations told him that it was okay to lie to them before he's elected and then he runs and gets his favorite toy the Etch-A-Sketch, and tells Hamm "Wait a minute you told me to lie to you." Sorry, no Energy Chairman job for you. "Do you know who I am?" I am Skip, and you cannot trade places with me." Buffy, where are my slippers? and how many times have I told you kids, about that damn dog?"
Didn't somebody in Illinois get in trouble for this very thing when they tried to sell a seat that was vacant, namely President Obama's seat. I sure would have liked to have bidded on that job like Hamm did. Isn't it illegal not to interview all applicants who request a job working for Romney. Isn't Romney a Corporation? A Corporation where one need not apply.
Just what the country needs. Another oil billionaire telling Republicans what to think.
Hey, at least it's not a "union thug" stealing tax-payer money to line their tool chests and support that Kenyan, Muslim, Communist guy who wants to make sure we have healthcare and a job and stuff.
/end snark/
Hey Birther girl - First off it is your party who is trying to Dictate what Political Ideology People should have, What religious beliefs we should have, What the morality of the American people should be and it is your party trying to suppress voters rights in order to eliminate voters based on ethnicity, color and age.
Are you aware that the person most Republican Elected Officials signed a pledge to (Grover Norquist) is married to a Muslim. In 2011 he hired a Muslim protege and supported the group who wanted to build an Islamic Center by ground zero. Paul Ryan claims to be a Catholic, but yet his economic philosophy and his budget are based on his mentor who was an Atheist. In addition at CPAC this year, they would not allow any representatives from the gay and lesbian community to speak, but welcomed with open arms two representatives from White Supremacist groups to speak.
So based on your logic of guilt by association: The Republican party is Racist-Muslim-Atheist.
Lorr ... dude or dudette, calm yourself and check the last line of my post. I was being snarky by posting as if a GOP defender.
Exactly Lorr , if there was a union boss who gave obama $2 million for a job in the labor dept , the gop msm would be screaming about it to this day
oh sorry 80-'s girl , got it
My apologies - I have to remember to take a deep breathe and make sure I have completed reading the post.
Again my apologies to you and Patango. It is Dudette - with a very red face OMG.
No worries Ms Lorr :-). I find it hard to breathe myself sometimes when I read the shyte right-wingers write.
Thanks for the backup Patango! That was exactly the point. It's always okay for the corporations and the uber-rich to play at politics but god-forbid a union tries to have any influence.
80's girl, I agree at least there aren't any union thugs, just a lot of hard working people paving the way so that a lot of your ancestors didn't drop dead on a factory floor from industrial disease. I guess you must be one of the lucky ones who have benefited from the blood, sweat and tears of the Middle Class and the poor of our great nation. You should also try researching the struggle that your armed forces also risked and that was the freedom from slavery, if you believe in slavery then you are living in the wrong country. If you do not believe in your own rights that's fine but, don't expect free Americans to join you in that false belief. Seriously, you're not happy here so you better try living elsewhere.
Oh my freaking god. Does no one read anymore? Seriously, Angel, read it all again.
All of it. Read slowly.
@Patango...Right...a TX billionaire wants to join the Romney cabinet. Why be free and run your own company making decisions and money when you can go to the WH and be under the microscope/criticized for every decision. I'm sure that's what Hamm wants. Sarcasm intended.
@Chris Helms-3040482...Wait, didn't Obama get a $1M superPAC donation from Bill Maher? I bet Maher is trying to influence Obama. Just what the country needs. Another left-wing millionaire telling Obama what to think.
@nobody-aka-nobo - seriously? Chaney did as he pleased, and shut it down for anyone that wanted to put him under a looking glass! These wars cost the tax-payers billions and Haliburton received money for services they never even provided!
As for Bill Maher and his donation - it's not likely that he's telling this President what to think, he's trying to give him an edge up on that Rawmoney guy who should he get into office will make Shrubs incompetence and graft for his corporate buddies - look like competence!
You should stop sniffing the FAUX NOISE glue - it's been shown to damage the brain. And you sheeple really can't afford more damage to what's left of your brain.....
Sorry, I thought the 80's girl was smarter than that.
So again the election is going to be about oil billionaires telling the US what to do.
This isn't the loony billionaire Romney visited with the 2 Hitler paintings and the first edition copy of Mein Kampf, signed by the author?
When is there a law of diminishing returns on these expenditures?
It reminds me of the 'bubble' economy where the investors were absolutely certain of incredible returns on their money. Our state governments would have to end up giving all their tax revenues to these loony donors and it still not might make up for the expenditures.
Of course, as long as billionaires are not outlawed by our tax code, there is little reason to assume that they are acting like rational capitalists in their own actual interests instead of the anti-commie paranoid desire to overthrow the working classes and make the world safe for their fascistic fantasies?
Oh, plutocracy, how I love thee, let me count the ways....
(snark off)
It's always nice to know that the fox is guarding the henhouse.
Country Club Romney hard at work paling around with his country club friends. He and W. Bush are seeming more similar every day.
So in response to criticism, President Obama will stop going to Hollywood when Mitt stops going to oilmen. Uh-huh, like that's going to happen.
So Hollywood is effecting u s entertainment policy ? As opposed to this guy buying a job that can make him and his pals even wealthier , another swing and a miss
The corporate motto of the new Amercia, government of the ultra-rich, by the ultra-rich, for the ultra-rich
Gawd Bless Amercia!
Isn't it wonderful? Now the ultra-rich can openly bribe candidates without fear of prosecution thanks to the Supreme Court. What's next? A reality show where candidates and pols get together on camera and exchange favors for cash and then we the viewer can decide which ones we like best without the actual annoyance of having to schlep all the way to the polling station.
"What would a Romney Presidency look like? Day One - President Romney scratches the backs of all of his wealthy campaign contributors by cutting their taxes, selecting them for high-ranking positions, and awarding them government contracts, while ignoring the other 99%.
That's what a Romney Presidency would look like."
"I'm Mitt Romney and I REALLY approve of this message."
Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy you the most perilous job in the world - in the wrong hands; not that Obama hasn't personally continued to @!$%# all over habeas corpus (with a Nobel peace prize even!), drone murder people, etc. It's all bad!
"Parlez-vous français?"
$985,000?! Imagine what good could come of donating that in the interest of others over the interest of self.