Campaign donors hedge bets in governor's race

]I can think of only three motivations for donating to a political candidate's campaign:

1. You believe strongly in what that candidate stands for.
2. You staunchly object to what that candidate's opponent stands for.
3. You want to curry favor with that candidate, should he/she win office.

It's difficult to imagine someone who likes what both Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker and Tom Barrett stand for. They have diametrically opposing viewpoints on virtually every issue, ranging from their philosophies of government's role in society to strategies for economic development.

Yet, more than 300 lawyers, manufacturers, builders, bankers and other business people each made contributions to both candidates for governor totaling nearly $450,000 between July 2009 and June 2010, according to a new analysis by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Walker received $245,374 from these "double givers," which was 7 percent of the $3.44 million in large individual contributions he received during the period. Barrett received $203,928 from these contributors which was 8 percent of the $2.54 million in large individual contributions he accepted during the period.

According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the "double giving" to candidates in both major parties "undercuts the frequent claim by special interests that they contribute for the same reason as average citizens - to participate in the democratic process and support the candidate and party that best reflect their views, and not to obtain favors from policymakers."

Maybe. However, it could be these captains of industry are simply hedging their bets in what could be a very close race on Nov. 2, and they want to evoke a sense of loyalty and allegiance to Wisconsin's next governor, whomever that may be. Also keep in mind that in this particular election, the loser of the governor's race presumably will still hold office -- either Walker as Milwaukee County executive or Barrett as mayor of Milwaukee.

Regardless, the list of double givers reads like a "who's who" of southeastern Wisconsin business executives:

• Dennis Klein, Brookfield, KBS Construction, $14,150.
• Michael Jones, Delafield, MillerCoors, $9,400.
• Dennis Kuester, Milwaukee, M&I Bank, $9,400.
• John Burke, Fox Point, Burke Properties, $8,400.
• Richard Schmidt, Brookfield. C.G. Schmidt, $7,411.
• William Nasgovitz, Milwaukee, Heartland Advisors, $7,150.
• Jeffrey Knauf, Pewaukee, Beacon Hill Advisory Group, $6,500.
• Riaz Mian, Franklin, Mian's Oil Company Inc., $6,200.
• Richard Meeusen, Pewaukee, Badger Meter Inc., $6,000.
• John Stollenwerk, Mequon, Allen Edmonds Shoes, $5,600.
• Angelo Fallucca, Mequon, Palermo Villa Inc., $5,500.
• Mark Irgens, Wauwatosa, Irgens Development Partners, $5,250.
• John Crichton, Milwaukee, Shoreline Co., $5,000.
• Aldo Madrigrano, Waukesha, WOW Distributing, $5,000.
• Stanley Kritzik, Milwaukee Metropolitan Associates, $5,000.
• Dominic Giuffre, Milwaukee, Giuffre Brothers Cranes, $4,800.
• Stephen Marcus, Milwaukee, The Marcus Corp., $4,750.
• John Busby, Milwaukee, Miller Compressing Co., $4,600.
• Barry Mandel, Milwaukee, Mandel Group, $4,500.
• Giacomo Fallucca, Grafton, Palermo Villa Inc., $4,500.
• Beverly Greenberg, Milwaukee, Time Warner Cable, $4,500.
• Richard Pieper, Mequon, Pieper Electric, $4,400.
• George Meyer, Elm Grove, Kahler Slater Architects, $4,150.
• Mark Cameli, Brookfield, Reinhart, Boerner Van Deuren, $4,000.
• Cynthia Broydrick Delafield, Broydrick & Associates, $3,986.
• Curt Culver, Nashotah, MGIC Corp., $3,500.

I know most of the donors on this list. These are not evil people engaged in sinister, diabolical schemes. They are just playing the political game the way it is played.

The trouble is that the recent Citizens United ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court has opened a floodgate of unrestricted and unaccountable donations from large special interests that are drowning out all of the individual donations. Thanks to that ruling, now, more than ever, our democracy is a polluted game of "pay to play."