As most know, John Dougherty is suing the Ethics Board in Federal Court, trying to shield them from seeing how he spends the cash of COPE, the IBEW’s PAC. So, with data pulled from OpenSecrets.org, I decided to take a look at how Doc spends his cash. The way I figure, maybe this will let us learn more about a guy without a huge record of public service.

The first thing you notice when looking at the reports is that Doc spends a ton of cash. No surprise there, right? He donates to almost every politician in the City. But, then I decided to compile his spending from the last three election cycles, and see if Doc’s campaign rhetoric matches the actions he has taken over the last three years campaign cycles.

For example, last week, the Inquirer noted that Doc was wooing the LGBT vote. While the LGBT community certainly has complex set of political desires, I bet the ability to marry each other, to not be targets of bigotry, and to be able adopt children with their spouses has to be sort of high on their general list, right?

Meet Philadelphia’s Mike Stack, Doc's future colleague in the Senate, and a supporter of enshrining bigotry into the Constitution. In the last three cycles, Dougherty has given him over $54,000. Just a few days ago, in fact, Stack again said yes! he! can! to Bigotry.

Meet Mario Civera, a GOP State Representative from Upper Darby. In 2006, Mario Civera answered a campaign questionnaire and took the following positions:

• If Roe v Wade were overturned, he would vote to ban abortions.
• He opposes embryonic stem cell research
• He opposes the State funding contraceptive services.
• He opposes the State mandating that insurers provide contraceptive services.
• He opposes a moratorium on the death penalty.
• He supports putting bigotry into the Constitution, with an amendment to ban same sex marriage.
• He supports banning gay couples from adopting children.
• He supports school vouchers.
• He opposes state funded, public school pre-schooling.
• He supports letting healthcare providers refuse to administer services to patients if they are morally opposed- like writing a prescription for birth control, for example.

In short, Mario Civera is a bad dude. But he is also likely beatable. The face of Upper Darby is dramatically changing, and neanderthal leadership such as his will not be successful too much longer. In fact, in 2004, on a shoestring campaign, Philly for Change’s Josh Richard almost beat him- taking 46% of the vote.

Beating Civera would be a great thing for those concerned with LGBT rights, with the separation of Church and State, and with many other progressive issues. And given the changing face of Upper Darby, this is the type of seat that Democrats must have if they want to build any sort of lasting majority.

But, John Dougherty, that erstwhile champion of LGBT rights, seems to love Civera’s innovative style of bigotry. He loves it so much, that over the last three election cycles, Doc has funneled at least $26,000 to Civera, and another $66,400 to the Upper Darby Republican Party. In other words, Doc has spent a grand total of at least $92,400 to try and keep the House in the GOP’s hands, and this guy in office.

Luckily, Dougherty is not just a champion of LGBT rights. He also has told us that he will stare down the NRA and get us gun laws. Apparently, the only reason we haven’t gotten better gun laws in the State is because our legislators are big old wimps.

But besides the general threat of the NRA, there have been some concrete obstacles over recent years to getting good gun laws. In fact, there probably are some real wimps in the gun department, even among people who should be on our side. You know them, right? Those Philly Democrats who don’t generally stand up to the NRA. Like, for example, Bill Keller. Keller has a pretty solid record from the NRA (and until recently, seemed pretty anti-LGBT).

Want to take a guess at the minimum Doc has funneled to Keller in the same last three cycles? If you said $345,000, you win a wimpy stuffed gun.

Oh, and progressive stalwart, and worst person ever, John Perzel? Doc gave him $165,000. Or how about the GOP Senate Majority Leader, Dominic Pillegi? He should be pissed, he got only a pitiful 17 grand.

John Dougherty can talk about his long record of public service. But if running a union and accumulating power are the main points of reference we have for him, and he has supported politicians with explicit anti-Gay and anti-gun control agendas, why should be believe what he says now? And considering that Doc has said he will not give up control of his union and its piggybank, it is time for everyone to start asking him some tough questions.