Candidates Sport Nascar Style Jackets

Report by Rick Talbert, AL Chapter

It is no secret that, in the modern political arena, corporations are seeking increasingly more from candidates in exchange for campaign contributions. Never has this phenomenon been more apparent than in the present Presidential contest. White House hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama, at the request of corporate donors, ripped a page from the Nascar marketing playbook and began this week’s stumping by each wearing sporty jackets covered in corporate logos.

The move not only grants added brand name recognition to corporate donors, but also gives the candidates a legal loophole for accepting significant sums from corporations. It has been the tradition of candidates to accept cash bribes “under the table” or some other form of illicit inducement from big business for years. By displaying corporate logos, candidates find themselves on par with professional athletes who get paid to don certain athletic apparel. In exchange, corporations can deduct the money paid for a spot on the jacket as an “advertising expense.”

Brian Dorr, a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, called the new strategy a “win-win” for candidates and corporations. “Candidates can avoid legal hurdles, and put the money straight into their personal accounts, and businesses can account for the expenditures as a legitimate expense ... and write it off.” Dorr continued, “It business as usual, but now it’s legal!”