Poll: Two-thirds of American say pols who got campaign contributions from A.I.G. should return the money

I posted here yesterday about a report that federal bailout money was being recycled into campaign contributions to some of the very politicians who control the bailouts and grandstanded against the A.I.G. and other bonuses.

According to a new Rasmussen poll, 67% of Americans believe that candidates who got such contributions from A.I.G. should return the money.

Rasmussen has begun separately polling "Mainstream" or "Populist" Americans, a group it says comprises 75% of the population, and a smaller "Political Class." On the A.I.G. campaign cash, it finds that big majorities of Mainstreamers of all political persuasions want the money returned -- 74% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans and 78% of independents. But among the elite Political Class, only 29% think the contributions should be returned, while 63% don't.

The table above from the Center for Responsive Politics shows the top 10 recipients of campaign cash from A.I.G. or its employees during the 2008 election cycle. The Center also totalled up contributions going back to 1990. Chris Dodd (D.-CT), who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, scored the most from A.I.G. over that period -- $280,000. Senator Chuck Schumer (D.-NY), who was among those denouncing the AIG bonuses last week, came in second with $112,000. Topping the list of Republican recipients for that 18-year period was former President Bush, who got a total of $200,000. The 2008 GOP Presidential candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, was second on GOP list, with $99,000.

With all that dough at stake, it's easy to see why most members of Rasmussen's Political Class don't agree with the Mainstream that the money should be returned. So paying bonuses to employees is an abomination requiring frantic and harsh Congressional action to force repayment or to recoup the money. But campaign contributions, that's a whole different story!

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