From Texans for Public Justice:
A little more than a year after more than 200 “Pioneers” narrowly helped put him in the White House, George W. Bush has rewarded at least 43 of these elite fundraisers with federal appointments. The Bush “Pioneers” raised a minimum of $100,000 for Bush by bundling together contributions of up to $1,000 (the legal limit) from other individuals. Bush’s 43 Pioneer appointees delivered more than $4.3 million to Bush’s presidential race. Collectively they also gave $204,000 to Bush’s two gubernatorial races.
“Political patronage is alive and well in the Bush White House,” said Craig McDonald, Director of Texans for Public Justice. “Rewarding big donors with ambassadorships is a sure-fire way to keep the campaign money rolling in. If Congress outlaws soft money, Pioneer bundling will become a blueprint for the future of special-interest politics in Washington.”
The highest-ranking Pioneers are Terrorism Czar Tom Ridge (a former Pennsylvania Governor) and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao (an ex-Heritage Foundation Fellow and the wife of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell).
Other Pioneers who received Bush appointments include:
- 19 U.S. ambassadors to countries from Austria to Uruguay
- Five members of the Energy Department Transition Team that first envisioned Bush’s supply-side energy policy (including ex-Enron CEO Ken Lay) and
- Two seats on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
More on the ‘Pioneers’ and their backgrounds available here.
It’s called, the “good ol’ boy hookup”. Its been that way for years.