Howard Dean’s presidential campaign has received at least $470,093 in Hollywood-related campaign donations in the 2004 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org–not that far from George Bush’s $522,725. And yet millions think Dean is supposed to be Our Guy for Net interests in the copyright wars? This is surrealistic. Yes, Hollywood is liberal and mostly anti-Bush, but mightn’t there be other motives, too, in its throwing half a million in campaign cash at Governor Blogger, who, like the other leading Democratic candidates, won’t utter a a syllable against the DMCA or Bono? Remember, these laws are the status quo. To be mute on the DMCA and Bono is in effect to support them.
Other figures for “TV/Movies/Music”: John Kerry, $416,625, Richard Gephardt, $297,381; Barbara Boxer, $188,300; Tom Daschle, $176,750; John Edwards, $$166,875 (remember, this excludes the 2002 campaign cycle during which an Edwards-linked PAC raised at least a million dollars in Hollywood-related cash); Patrick Leahy, $128,650; Joe Lieberman, $127,850; and Wesley Clark, $100,000. These figures are for presidential campaigns except for Boxer and Daschle–for Senatorial elections.
Friendly observation and suggestion for the high-tech industries and others potentially opposed to the DMCA: No true elections exist nowadays, I guess–just auctions. Perhaps it’s time to take off the gloves and outbid Hollywood.
Update: These figures were updated on Dec. 2, 2003, to reflect new information from OpenSecrets.org. Please click on the relevant links for the most current figures via OpenSecrets, part of the Center for Responsive Politics.
