Money In Politics
During the 2018 session I received a curious meeting invitation, hush-hush, from somebody who indicated a possible alliance in the struggle against the pending utility legislation. We had to meet away from the Pocahontas Building to avoid observers. My curiosity led me to take the meeting, and it turned out to be about the Clean Virginia effort which sparked a Washington Post story Friday.
As the person described back in the winter how they were planning to fight Dominion’s political clout by asking legislators to take a pledge against Dominion money, and in exchange replace those dollars with their own funds, my reaction was immediate: What is the difference? Aren’t you also assuming that all legislators care about is who gives them money? Aren’t you also trying to buy votes?
That was the counter attack to expect, and I wanted nothing to do with it. It would be detrimental to our efforts. I predicted it would blow up. It was a short meeting and forgotten until reading Blue Virginia Sunday reacting to the Post. (I cannot remember if the Feb. 8 Times-Dispatch story about this was before or after I had that meeting, but at that point the group had not begun its pitch.)
Emailing a cash donation offer to 140 publicly-funded legislative inboxes – as Clean Virginia apparently did recently — was an intentional invitation to media attention. They had to expect a story. The assertion by Blue Virginia that the new Post story was a Dominion-inspired hit piece (“fed to the stenographers”?) is just more evidence that for far too many clueless activists these days (all sides), the end justifies any means and anyone who questions the means is an enemy.
The pitch came across as a quid pro quo because that is what it is. “Don’t take Dominion’s money and we will replace it” is pure “that for this.” It was the story I had predicted 90 days ago. A less sympathetic newspaper would have written a much tougher story. More coverage may yet follow. They have done Dominion a major favor.
I try not to argue with smart lawyers (Clean Virginia claims to have them) but every one of them who has ever advised me said do not, ever, not even indirectly, not in writing or just with a wink or nod, promise financial support in exchange for any action by a legislator. Likewise do not link financial support to any specific action after the fact.
As previously noted by me three weeks ago, the 2018 energy omnibus was all about political clout and huge campaign contributions, but it was the eventual alliance between Dominion Energy and the big environmental groups that pushed the final anti-consumer product onto the desk of a governor who had received unprecedented financial support from environmental groups plus the usual attentions from Dominion.
Nobody gives millions of dollars to politicians without expecting a return, not Dominion, not the League of Conservation Voters and not Clean Virginia if it gets into that big league. Everybody believes the return they are expecting is the right thing for Virginia. The conversation in Virginia about contribution limits should start now.
