GE employee Olbermann insists corporations are inherently conservative

[originally posted at Beltway Confidential]
Keith Olbermann went on a rant last night based on the premise that "there is no liberal media." Here's Olbermann's proof that there is no liberal media: "The media which is, after all, owned by corporations naturally leans to the right. Corporations, by definition, lean to the right, towards the status quo."

I will let someone else argue with Olbermann over his equation of "the right" and "the status quo" (maybe the Center for American Progress can do that, considering their focus on the right wing's "radical" agenda). I want to address the claim that "corporations, by definition lean to the right."

Let's start with Olbermann's employer, a corporation called General Electric. By what measure does GE "lean to the right"? Not by campaign contributions, I'll tell you that. For instance, 69% of GE's political action committee cash to House candidates so far this year have gone to Democrats, with Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. (95% liberal rating from Americans for Democratic Action), the top recipient. On the Senate side, Democrats have pocketed 55% of GEPAC cash, with Chris Dodd the top recipient.

But maybe GE has a conservative lobbying agenda? Hardly. The company lobbies for cap-and-trade, embryonic stem-cell research subsidies, the stimulus, alternative energy subsidies, and more.

If you actually examine the campaign contributions and lobbying agenda of corporations, you'll realize it's ridiculous to pin them with labels like "conservative." But fact-checking is not really Olbermann's thing.