(T)he amount contributed to federal candidates and parties -- $5.1 million -- is 20% less than in the same period in the last presidential election cycle, in 2003-04. In that cycle, Democrats got just 22% of the money contributed, compared with 33% so far this year.

The swing is even more pronounced when looking at Detroit's automakers.

From General Motors Corp., the split is an even 50-50 between the parties this year. Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC contributions have swung even more definitively to the Democratic side.

"What we now have is a year when it looks like this is likely to be a Democratic cycle, so it's not surprising we're starting to see some shift toward the Democrats," said Anthony Corrado, who studies campaign finance as a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution and as a professor at Maine's Colby College.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not decrying money in politics.  Campaign giving is an entirely reasonable and acceptable method of exercising free political speech, assuming of course you're a United States Citizen.  But when you see shifts like these it's not difficult to deduce that the new Democrat donations aren't being made because of an ideological shift at the companies.  They're being extorted and it's all perfectly legal.

Because if they don't give... if they don't have that seat at the table... well, the Democrats aren't necessarily going to be job-maker friendly.  Just take a look here in Michigan where we continue to be the nation's petri dish for cataclysmic economic policy development.  The latest horrific experiment from that mad scientist, Andy Dillon, and his pack of Igors in the House came last night in dramatic fashion.

The House and Senate spent the entire day yesterday in closed door negotiations on a repeal of the Democrat's service tax hike circa October 1st.  This is the tax, for the record, that was projected to bring in $613 million, is now projected (after further research) to bring in over $700 million and carries with it a $900 million compliance cost that works out to $14 million a day.  It's a $1.6 BILLION tax hike on Michigan job makers that sends less than half that cash to the State (not a lot of bang for the job-killing buck, is it) and it's scheduled to go into effect on Saturday, December 1st.  

So, obviously, there's a sense of urgency in Lansing these days as they try to replace it (the Dems will have nothing, NOTHING, to do with a repeal) with a less onerous tax.  So much urgency actually that after hitting a bump in the negotiation road the House adjourned, voted on a ridiculous bill and promptly adjourned, leaving the Senate without a negotiation partner.

And it looks like they could be without a negotiating partner for a while, too.  While the GOP controlled chamber has scheduled an emergency session for Friday and Saturday the Dems in the House still plan on taking their nice long five-day weekend. Yep, they've adjourned until Tuesday. Which is especially problematic when you realize that the rocket scientists running the show in the House were in such a hurry to get out of town last night they forgot to waive the rules in order to allow the bill to be enrolled before December 1. So even if the Senate had a mass seisure and accidentally pushed the "approve" button in unison we'd all still be screwed. Oh, and every one of those days that we sit and wait for the House to get it right Michigan businesses burn another $14 million that they'd otherwise use to pay salaries.

The Detroit News reports:

"Have you ever seen anything like this? I know I haven't," Bishop said after the House vote. "For them to just bolt and go home is cowardice, especially after all the time we spent negotiating today."

Dillon said the Senate "kept making proposals that were non-starters with the governor. We moved something we know the governor will sign to replace the service tax..."

"I think we have a services tax right now," said Chuck Hadden, chief lobbyist for the Michigan Manufacturers Association, which represents the Big Three auto companies and other businesses across the state. "I hope the Legislature takes a deep breath because I think this was a rash decision..."

Tricia Kinley, tax policy expert at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, called Wednesday night's developments "pretty shocking." "This sends a horrible message to the business community about the way the Legislature is operating."

Job makers seem to be sounding a unified message on this one.  The Democrats are behaving badly.  But the more interesting quote is Andy Dillon's.  Non-starters with the governor?  That's not exactly a passionate defense of his issue positions.  Not exactly sound economic theory and reasoning for the benefits of his form of full replacement "plus" (remember, the Dems originally demanded another net tax increase as a part of any replacement).  In fact, that sounds almost resigned.  Almost disheartened.  Like "hey, reporter guys, it's not my fault... the Governor made me do it!"

But you know what they say about excuses.  Dillon is the Speaker of the House.  Jennifer Granholm isn't.  You think she's going to veto a bipartisan agreement between the Democrat House and the GOP Senate to protect this abomination of a tax hike?  No way, no how.  Because of the tight time frame the legislature controls this process right now.  It's December 1 or bust.  No time for her to rally her special interest troops.  No time for her to hold town hall meetings to bust their... chops.  Pass something and send it to her and dare her to veto it.

Instead Dillon takes his marching orders like a good soldier and starts firing bullets into the back of the head of one job after the next.

House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche was equally exasperated, firing off a statement which read in part:

"Tonight we've seen yet another half-baked tax increase passed late at night with no public input that will hurt the economy. How many times are the Democrats going to play with Michigan jobs like this?

"This isn't a game of chicken - the economy will greatly suffer under this plan. Trading one bad plan for the next is not governing. When 97 percent of businesses in the state think the Legislature is failing, something is obviously wrong.

I don't know... maybe I'm unfairly giving the House a hard time.  I mean, they were working pretty hard yesterday.  In fact, they moved some pretty important legislation.  The kind of stuff that can save the universe from collapsing in on itself.  Legislation that will improve the lives of men, women and children, healing the lame and giving sight to the blind.  Or at least making sure that that four year old never-going-to-be-used gift certificate won't expire after another 365 days in the bottom of the junk drawer.  Says the AP:

The legislation approved Wednesday would prohibit selling gift certificates or gift cards that have expiration dates less than five years from the date of purchase.

Lawmakers also voted to stop retailers from tacking inactivity or other service fees onto gift certificates.

And I know we're only a couple days away from a cataclysmic multiple billion tax increase taking effect, but knowing that my $20 Target gift card will be good well into 2013 goes a long way to soothing my soul.  Yessir, I'm going to sleep better tonight.