Oh this just gets juicier and juicier. Turns out that advisers working for Swindlers' Inc. main man for becoming president was also behind this Airbus deal. The more you delve into this, the more realize how their red-state piggy hands are soaked deep. Could Northrop-Grumman and EADS be John McCain's Haliburton?
For all his talk of reform and lobbyists, it seems that John Airbus McCain isn't practicing what he preaches. With each passing day, we're learning of more and more of EADS (European Aerospace & Defence Systems), the parent of Airbus, is tying itself more and more to the gang at Swindlers' Inc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Boeing is innocent, but I think we the people need to know what's going on with both parties in this "tankergate".
The Associated Press is now reportingthat several top advisers to the McCain campaign lobbied for EADS. That folks like his national campaign finance chair, Tom Loeffler, still actively lobbied for the European defense giant while serving on McCain's campaign speaks volumes. I mean, let me ask you dear readers this, do you believe if a Democrat had done this on Clinton or Obama's campaign, that they could get away with this?
WASHINGTON - Top current advisers to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign last year lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion Air Force tanker contract, taking sides in a bidding fight that McCain has tried to referee for more than five years.
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Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain's campaign. A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain's national finance chairman.
- excerpt from McCain advisers lobbied for Airbus
Oh, but it gets better my friends! From 2004 to 2006 (gee I wonder why they stopped then?) EADS got into the donations game. According to the AP story, they went from $42,500 to $141,930 in their donations. Nothing really, not even a trickle in a bucket compared to what probably Boeing blew on politicians. Now this could be because they were new in the payola game and weren't sure who to give to. One thing is for certain, if one looks at where the jobs will be a pattern shows up. It may seem as if they figured targeting GOP congressional areas was the best way to go. Given their rookie status in this, perhaps Northrop guided them.
The Northrop Grumman KC-45A tanker program will create a new aerospace manufacturing corridor in the southeastern United States.
- taken from company news release, Northrop Grumman Sets the Record Straight Concerning the U.S. Air Force KC-45A Misinformation
The news release by Northrop Grumman tries to paint that everyone is going to benefit. The letter is even attempting to point out that the aggregate number of jobs created would outnumber what the Boeing deal would have established. But upon further reading, they are basing this on a claim they have 200 subcontractors; to me this almost sounds like Samsung or Hitachi saying they employ X amount of people because they partner with Walmart. Now some will say that I'm off base because there will are jobs being made. But the issue at hand right now, other than the fact that a foreign competitor will be in the tanker deal, is politically how much benefit goes to red states at the cost of the rest of the country. The news release goes on to say that the primary subcontractors are American.
Northrop Grumman KC-45A primary subcontractors include EADS-North America, General Electric, Honeywell, AAR Cargo Systems, Sargent Fletcher, Knight Aerospace Products, Parker and Telephonics.
-Northrop Grumman Sets the Record Straight Concerning the U.S. Air Force KC-45A Misinformation
Out of curiosity, last night I decided to look up each of these companies (well many, I plan on doing the rest soon), not to mention perusing through whomever I could find of the 200+ subcontractors. From what I can gather, while companies like Parker Aerospace and Telephonics are in Ohio. Most of these folks are either located in red states, like Knight Aerospace and the primary subcontractors also tend to farm out this work. General Electric has not been 100% upfront about who the outsource too. Also, a lot of these states, like Alabama have next to nothing in pro-Union protection.
Getting back to the McCain campaign, it looks as if the lobbyists like John Green and his firm, Ogilvy, were advising McCain while the presidential contender was promoting opening up the bid process.
EADS retained Ogilvy Government Relations and The Loeffler Group to lobby for the tanker deal last year, months after McCain sent two letters urging the Defense Department to make sure the bidding proposals guaranteed competition.
- excerpt from McCain advisers lobbied for Airbus
Now Republicans are like hyeenas and wolves and tend to act in pacts. Something tells me that John Airbus McCain isn't the only Swindlers' Inc senator connected to this. I would be willing to bet that if we pry hard enough, there are house members who have a connection to both lobbyist groups. The stink eminating from McCain's supposed altruistic motives to supposed crusade to save taxpayers money is getting worse and worse. I remember when they made a big deal a decade or so ago about White Water with President Clinton. Something tells me "tankergate" could eclipse White Water.