May/June 2008 Issue

Work, Then Party

Who’s more conservative, plastic surgeons or brain surgeons? We tabulated presidential giving to see whether a donor’s occupation can predict which party will get the money.

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STATED OCCUPATION

TOTAL GIVEN

GOP Share GOP SHARE 
Democrats Share DEM SHARE

IF YOU CAN’T DO, TEACH

Musician

$351,273

21%

79%

Music Teacher

$50,501

40%

60%

SUBJECT MATTERS

Science Teacher

$14,216

 

3%    97%

Art Teacher

$16,252

19%

81%

Math Teacher

$15,578

26%

74%

English Teacher

$15,373

56%

44%

PAULITES GONE WILD

Servant

$937

100% Ron Paul

 

Sex Slave

$425

100% Ron Paul

 

Wizard

$1,500

100% Ron Paul

 

Pizza Guy

$350

100% Ron Paul

 

WHEELS OF FORTUNE

Driver

$103,875

62%

38%

Chauffeur

$7,165

78%

22%

TITHING AT WINDMILLS

Reverend

$7,888

16%

84%

Rabbi

$32,392

18%

82%

Priest

$57,858

38%

62%

Minister

$196,723

49%

51%

Preacher

$3,023

78%

22%

IN VESTEMENTS

Episcopal Priest

$14,887

  7%

93%

Catholic Priest

$26,410

68%

32%

CAPITAL GAINS

CEO

$7,557,381

27%

73%

Executive

$10,315,259

50%

50%

LEGAL TENDER

Attorney

$47,439,316

20%

80%

Lawyer

$3,723,192

42%

58%

GENDER BENDER

Businesswoman

$74,465

  11%

89%

Businessman

$772,480

42%

58%

Businessperson

$36,835

62%

38%

TAKE A MULLIGAN

Professional Golfer

$15,225

68%

32%

Golf Professional

$17,916

46%

54%

PUSH POLL

OB-GYN

$34,910

 5%

95%

Midwife

$6,890

35%

65%

OKAY, OKAY, WE’RE LIBERAL

Cartoonist

$12,968

  8%

92%

Reporter

$19,233

  7%

93%

Journalist

$136,393

  9%

91%

Editor

$430,724

16%

84%

RIGHT TURN

Truck Driver

$123,460

73%

27%

Trucker

$9,540

83%

17%

FARM BILLS

Grower

$6,515

80%

20%

Rancher

$398,981

62%

38%

Farmer

$778,775

60%

40%

Organic Farmer

$4,931

 

100%

BENCHWARMERS

Judge

$104,011

21%

79%

Arbitrator

$38,713

 1%

99%

NO OBJECTION

Prosecutor

$19,107

17%

83%

Public Defender

$24,829

 2%

98%

COOKING THE BOOKS

Chef

$92,934

27%

73%

Pastry Chef

$8,017

 

100%

HOMEBODIES

Homemaker

$30,221,323

52%

48%

Housewife

$369,391

56%

44%

House Husband

$632

100%

 

MEET THE PARENTS

Mom/Mother

$174,554

19%

81%

Dad/Father

$2,791

34%

66%

GUARDIAN ANGELS

Stay-at-Home Mom

$33,992

39%

61%

Stay-at-Home Dad

$7,309

41%

59%

DOG EAT DOG

Dog Trainer

$4,585

 

100%

Dog Groomer

$4,997

34%

66%

Dog Walker

$1,601

48%

52%

GREAT OUTDOORS PARTY

Sportsman

$1,500

100%

 

Fishing Guide

$3,300

100%

 

Hunting Guide

$2,300

87%

13%  

UH, MAYBE NOT

Conservationist

$22,917

21%

79%

Ecologist

$5,874

14%

86%

Biologist

$45,324

16%

84%

NOVEL IDEAS

Tinker

$671

100%

 

Tailor

$6,662

33%

67%

Soldier

$71,726

68%

32%

Intelligence Analyst

$8,644

38%

62%

KNAVES ALL THREE

Butcher

$996

100%

 

Baker

$18,028

61%

39%

Candle Manufacturer

$500

100%

 

CUT AND RUN

Barber

$8,702

70%

30%

Hairdresser

$30,321

26%

74%

WHERE DOES IT HURT?

Nurse Practitioner

$143,087

16%

84%

Physician

$7,737,760

40%

60%

Surgeon

$380,936

52%

48%

IT’S OUR SPECIALTY

Oncologist

$10,050

 

100%

Pediatrician

$146,797

28%

72%

Dermatologist

$42,150

46%

54%

BRAIN VS. BEAUTY

Neurosurgeon

$114,582

45%

55%

Plastic Surgeon

$49,548

65%

35%

I’M IN CHARGE HERE

Manager

$3,412,186

44%

56%

Supervisor

$127,027

49%

51%

Foreman

$14,321

77%

23%

RANK AND FILE

Worker

$15,159

45%

55%

Employee

$36,349

65%

35%

Laborer

$31,393

64%

36%

Construction Worker

$9,030

84%

16%

BASE BUILDERS

Developer

$1,312,880

49%

51%

Builder

$382,196

55%

45%

Contractor

$1,107,554

64%

36%

HOMIES

Realtor

$1,659,597

31%

69%

Landlord

$49,515

58%

42%

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Winemaker

$16,178

   11%

89%

Vintner

$44,078

27%

73%

SEEING GREEN

Landscape Architect

$93,876

22%

78%

Landscaper

$51,177

41%

59%

EDUCATION MATTERS

Elementary School Teacher

$9,311

54%

46%

High School Teacher

$26,300

16%

84%

Professor

$2,957,950

14%

86%

Preschool Teacher

$8,924

 

100%

NUMBER CRUNCHERS

Statistician

$48,406

  9%

91%

Mathematician

$35,776

14%

86%

Scientist

$544,854

19%

81%

Physicist

$113,371

27%

73%

Chemist

$124,873

31%

69%

Rocket Scientist

$2,150

72%

28%

MIND YOUR ELDERS

Retired

$46,623,171

72%

28%

SOUP AND SOAPS

Self-Employed

$1,594,188

44%

56%

Unemployed

$187,185

58%

42%

BIG TIPPERS

Waiter

$19,504

26%

74%

Waitress

$19,052

59%

41%

Server

$33,817

43%

57%

CHAIN OF COMMAND

Police Officer

$77,068

68%

32%

Police Sergeant

$7,541

59%

41%

Police Lieutenant

$3,585

50%

50%

Police Captain

$6,132

19%

81%

Police Chief

$3,148

84%

16%

Source: Huffington Post/FundRace.org: Presidential campaign donations Jan. 1, 2007-March 21, 2008. Numbers have been updated since a version of this chart appeared in print. Note that some of the totals combine common alternative spellings of a given profession (chauffer/chauffeur, businessman/business man, etc.).

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we need readers to show up for us big time—again.

Getting just 10 percent of the people who care enough about our work to be reading this blurb to part with a few bucks would be utterly transformative for us, and that's very much what we need to keep charging hard in this financially uncertain, high-stakes year.

If you can right now, please support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a donation at whatever amount works for you. And please do it now, before you move on to whatever you're about to do next and think maybe you'll get to it later, because every gift matters and we really need to see a strong response if we're going to raise the $253,000 we need in less than three weeks.

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