Talk:OpenSecrets

Massie Ritsch

www.metacritic.com/tv/the-colbert-report/season-3/episode-136-craig-venter

Should there be an article? Thank You, hopiakuta - 19:05, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Probably not, unless Colbert is not the only one to feature Ritsch in the media.Michaelbusch 19:12, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

POV tag

MSNBC has disputed the neutrality of the Center For Responsive Politics when they listed donation recipients (all of whom were Democrats) from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The list was accurate in terms of the dollar amounts but misleading because the donations were from EMPLOYEES at the two lenders and were not lobbying money, as the site suggested. Furthermore, the site was not able to produce accurate numbers as to their lobbying influence which is suspected of being the antithesis of the subliminal "claim" that they were making. Here's a video of this dispute on CNN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5oN3spj8rY

Sorry, I don't know the proper format to edit these pages, so if I've done that incorrectly, I apologize. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.211.129.152 (talk) 20:04, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

This article also sounds "promotional" in nature... Is there a reference for the validity of this information? 98.211.129.152 (talk) 20:11, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

The Center for Responsive Politics is widely regarded as an esteemed nonpartisan research organization. The databases available at OpenSecrets.org are widely used by citizens and members of the press alike. At various points in the 2008 election cycle, the campaigns of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama each cited campaign contribution-related figures drawn from the research of the Center for Responsive Politics. Additionally, the funders of the Center for Responsive Politics are predominantly philanthropic organizations such as the Sunlight Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. It does not accept money from corporations, trade associations, or labor unions, and it points the finger at politicians on all sides of the aisle. Specifically regarding the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac analysis, the full report listed 354 lawmakers who had received campaign contributions from the group's political action committee or individuals affliated with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Current members of Congress were found to have received a total of $4.8 million from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with Democrats collecting 57 percent of that and Republicans collecting 43 percent. The report also broke down the contributions by whether they were from individuals or from PACs. You can see the full report here: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html For these reasons, I removed the tag disputing the article's POV Dancer090225 (talk) 21:52, 5 March 2009 (UTC) Dancer090225

Please provide evidence that McCain and Obama cited CRP for their figures. I have my doubts on your claim as CRP gets all it's raw data from the Federal Elections Commission. It is how OpenSecrets.org presents that data which can be misleading. Often times, when they posts that a candidate received X amount of dollars from a company, they are actually just adding up the individual donations from employees of that company, which is far different from a company sponsored PAC donating to a specific candidate. This is why you see Goldman Sachs and others giving to both sides on OpenSecrets. Without understanding where the data comes from, the information can easily be misconstrued. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.238.87.192 (talk) 14:46, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

When CRP presents data on contributors, it presents them with this disclaimer: "This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2008 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates." (see for instance http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638) Undoubtedly a potential exists for individuals to misconstrue data from CRP, but the organization itself seems to present the data straightforwardly and in context. Dancer090225 (talk) 20:46, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Here's one example of John McCain citing a statistic that came from CRP data: "Senator Obama took more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than anyone but the chairman of the committee they answer to" (http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/09/18/freddie-fannie-and-barack/). And here's one example of Barack Obama citing a statistic that came from CRP data: "Hillary Clinton has taken over $800,000 from lobbyists" (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/apr/17/barack-obama/clinton-accepts-lobbyist-money/). Dancer090225 (talk) 20:59, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

employees vs. lobbies

there was a valid point made about it being "misleading" and more details should be provided about where the money came from. Furthermore, i want to make the point that employees are often solicited, intimidated, and mostly lied to by their upper management about making these types of contributions. Some, but not all, of the points that are often made to employees are the following: all our competitors are doing this (and getting around regulations this way) with exaggerated numbers; you can't impact Washington without it; your livelihood is in jeopardy; it will be to your benefit if you do this, but frowned upon if you don't. basically, if you don't help then the company will hurt, and lay-offs will inevitably ensue. What often results is the company making a contribuion under the employee's name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.226.158.145 (talk) 12:53, 27 November 2008‎

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