I was surfing the Web Friday morning looking for local reaction to news that Anheuser-Busch Cos. has agreed to
"friendly talks" with InBev SA. And while there wasn't much in the local media so far, I did come across a
piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on how foreign ownership of A-B would affect the company's ability to donate to political campaigns.
As we previously noted, A-B chief executive August Busch IV gave $2,300 to former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, while his father gave the same amount to Republican John McCain. As the Times Dispatch points out, A-B as a company has been an active contributor to both political parties for decades and highly visible at their national presidential conventions. Citing the Center for Responsive Politics, the paper reports that A-B has donated $23,250 to McCain as of late June, $12.010 to Clinton and $3,250 to Barack Obama. Since 1990, A-B has given $5.2 million to federal Dems and $5.8 million to GOP candidates. A-B also regularly sponsors the national parties' political conventions.
Perhaps most significant, though, is that A-B's ability to keep itself politically connected through campaign giving could change if the InBev deal moves forward. As the article points out:
Federal election rules don't allow donations from foreign nationals. That means companies owned by interests outside the U.S. have to establish political action committees that are independent of foreign ownership.
It's a tiny wrinkle in the overall fabric of this deal. But in a regulated industry where remaining friendly with influential politicians is often a part of doing business, it's a noteworthy one nonetheless. -
Suzanne Stevens
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You all know that McCain's wife's money is from Hensely & Co., the largest Budweiser distributor in the U.S based out of Phoenix. You think he has an opinion on this deal. Big conflict of interest that is being ignored by the mainstream press.