You might remember that last week, I mused about the corporate visibility at the Democratic Convention in Denver. This isn’t a small thing–do we think that those folks are ponying up six- and seven-figure contributions just out of civic pride? This isn’t a new subject. But, it’s worth continually hammering home.

   So, I’ve been carrying around this now-rumpled full-age ad in the Denver Post from Friday. It’s an ad placed by the Denver host committee as a "thank you to our sponsors". It has a couple of hundred names. Yes, there are a few unions in the list. But, the list is basically a "Who’s Who" of corporate America, particularly from industries with a very keen interest in what will happen in Washington in 2009 and beyond.

   Take insurance/health care: Prudential, Merck, Amgen, United Health Group, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, PhRMA, Aflac, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. I’m sure all these folks are for single-payer health care…

   Or how about banks/financial services: KeyBank, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, First Bank, US Bank, Visa, Inc and the good folks from the National Association of Home Builders who never saw a sub-prime mortgage they didn’t like. And these folks are very sorry about the mortgage crisis they helped create.

   And, then, there is the other assortment of corporate leaders: General Electric, Target, Coca-Cola, Waste Management, United Airlines, Verizon and FedEx…and many more…

   Change election, indeed.