Steve understands that while we’re trying to work our way out of this economic crisis, we have to hold the financial industry accountable to prevent the next one. That’s why Steve wrote a bill that would have taken back the bonuses paid to top executives at Wall Street firms – like AIG - that received federal bailout funds. (Source: Steve Israel For Congress Website)

Do you ever wonder where a self-proclaimed corporate raider and Occupy Wall Street supporter such as Congressman Steve Israel gets his campaign donations from?

According to Open Secrets, Israel has raised $1,581,081 for this election cycle (2011-2012), of which $15,790 comes from small donors, the “average Joe” like you and me.

Another $965,850 was raised from his top 100 donors, an all-star team of big labor and big business; many of those businesses from industries, which based on his committee assignments, Israel is supposed to be overseeing (including those Wall Street firms he talks about on his campaign site). The following takes a look at the donations to his reelection campaign and political action committee (PAC). All of the raw data comes from Opensecrets.org, a non-partisan organization that tracks campaign donations for all candidates of all parties.

Big Labor: $190,600 of the $965,850 raised by the DCCC Chair (almost 20%) comes from Big Labor. Labor is a huge supporter of most Democratic candidates, that’s why unions got exemptions for Obamacare that the rest of us didn’t. It is also why union shops were given preferential treatment for stimulus construction projects (even though they represent about one eighth of total construction shops). Union heads have better access to this President and the Democrats in Congress than the rest of America. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has bragged that he speaks to the President four times or more a week. As part of the Democratic Congressional Leadership, Israel has been well rewarded for his party’s support of Big Labor (as DCCC Chair Rep. Israel is number five in the House Democratic Party pecking order).

These are the unions who have donated to Steve Israel’s Campaign: