An interesting article in today's Washington Post examines the pattern of campaign contributions by business interests in recent years, and correctly concludes that the Democratic Party is in trouble.

Major industries such as accounting, aerospace, commercial banking, defense, HMOs and pharmaceuticals have abandoned their tradition of bipartisan campaign contributions in favor of a commitment to the GOP, a trend that could deepen the problems of a Democratic Party rocked by this month's elections.

An analysis of political donations by industry groups shows that over the past decade, 19 major sectors have shifted from a roughly 50-50 split between the two main parties -- or in some cases, a slightly pro-Democratic tilt -- to a solid alignment with the Republican Party, which now enjoys advantages exceeding 5 to 1 in some of these sectors. The shift has produced at least $78 million in additional GOP support from these groups over 10 years, while donations to Democrats have declined slightly.

While cozying up too closely to any one political party is probably a short-sighted policy on the part of Big Business, Democrats -- and I mean rank-and-file party members, not the Terry McAuliffs of the world -- need to take this problem seriously, and to understand that they have no one but themselves to blame for it.

For years, professional fund raisers have understood that one of the bedrock truths of American politics is that most Democratic activists would rather take a bath in acid than write a small check in support of the candidate of their choice. (Yes, this changed somewhat during the Clinton years, but Republicans still enjoy an enormous advantage in low-dollar contributions.) This has had the ironic effect of pushing the Party closer to the corporate types most Democrats distrust, while, at the same time, heightening the level of resentment toward the Party among many business leaders, who have come to see the whole relationship -- money in exchange for "access" when their industry is under the regulatory gun -- as a legal protection racket. Given these circumstances, should anyone really be surprised that business contributions have dried up now that the only access the Party has left to sell is a backstage pass to yet another Barbra Streisand fund-raiser?

The simple truth is that the Democratic Party will never straighten out its financial situation until its most vocal members stop complaining about campaign finance, and start financing campaigns.
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