| How about our politicians in Washington? Almost every one of the leaders of both parties has accepted huge campaign contributions. Steve Wynn (Mr. Las Vegas) has sent his plush jet to the Capitol to bring powerful politicians to lucrative fundraisers.65 His guests have included Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, each of whom was hustled off to Vegas in 1996 to pick up $500,000 checks.66 Ultimately, they received more than a million dollars each in "soft money."67 Dole attended so many Nevada fundraisers that he was nicknamed "Vegas Bob" by one magazine.68 Newt Gingrich,69 Trent Lott,70 Al Gore,71 Thomas Daschle,72 Richard Gephardt,73 Tom DeLay,74 Mitch McConnell,75 Bill Frist76 and many other political leaders have been treated to the same "courtesy." Senator Richard Bryan (D-Nev), who has received $264,000 in gambling-related PAC and individual contributions since 1991,77 has done everything possible to undermine the Commission and interfere with its work. Almost every "big name" in Washington is tainted by gambling money, and their gratitude becomes evident when votes are cast in Congress.
In all, more than 13 million dollars has been contributed to political campaigns in recent years, totaling $6.1 million to Republicans and $7.6 million to Democrats.78 Obviously, it matters not which party a politician represents as long as he or she plays the tunes dictated by the piper. And, by the way, the person calling most of the tunes these days, other than Steve Wynn, is Frank Fahrenkopf, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is now paid $800,000 per year79 to use his influence on behalf of the gambling industry.
Here are some other recipients of "hard money" from the gambling industry for the period of 1991-96: 80
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) $348,459
Rep. John Ensign (R-Nev) $214,686
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) $ 77,150
Rep. James Gibbons (R-Nev) $ 75,100
Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) $ 70,600
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) $ 36,250
Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo) $ 24,000
Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn) $ 21,500
Sen. Thomas Daschle (D-S.D.) $ 18,750
Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) $ 18,500
Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) $ 17,500
(Cont.)
65 "Senators to Vegas: Wynn-ter Wonderland," The Hotline, November 21, 1997.
66 Martin Koughan, "Easy Money," Mother Jones, July/August 1997, p. 37; "Dole Raises $500,000 with LV Visit," Las Vegas Sun, June 2, 1995.
67 Brett Pulley, "Casinos Increase Their Contributions to U.S. Campaigns," New York Times, March 23, 1998; Don Van Natta Jr., "Indian Tribes Say Aid Comes Only to Those Who Donate to Democrats," New York Times, November 17, 1997.
68 "Vegas Bob: Nevada Gambling Interests and Bob Dole," The Nation, February 12, 1996.
69 Jon Ralston, "Terms of Surrender," Casino Journal, June 1996.
70 Richard S. Durham, "Guess Who's Raking It in From Gambling," Business Week, October 12, 1998.
71 "Gore, Gephardt Head to Vegas," The Hotline, March 10, 1998
72 "The Casino-Campaign Connection," The Hartford Courant, July 7, 1997, p. A8.
73 Robert L. Koenig, "Trips Gephardt Takes Frequent Flights in Corporate Jets," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 26, 1991, p. 1A.
74 German, op. cit.
75 "GOP Senators Go For Gambling Money," The Bulletin's Frontrunner, November 21, 1997.
76 Ibid.
77 "Top 1996 Donors by Industry: Senator Richard Bryan," Center for Responsive Politics.
78 Brett Pulley, "Casinos Increase Their Contributions to U.S. Campaigns," New York Times, March 23, 1998.
79 Brett Pulley, "A Gambling Impresario Leaves Little to Chance," The New York Times, December 7, 1998.
80 "Top 1996 Donors by Industry," Center for Responsive Politics.  |