When big biz contributes to lefty groups maybe they're just trying to keep from being attacked

The news that a lot of big corporations are donating money to lefty groups got a lot of attention in the blogosphere.

The easy presumption is that the companies are headed by a bunch of lefties who agree with the lefty causes. But there's another factor at play -- maybe they're just feeding the crocodiles to keep from being eaten. See Crystal Goodremote's article in which she quotes Peter Schweizer's remark about solicitations for political contributions:

You are essentially being told by individuals who can make life very difficult for your company, ‘I will understand your issues better if you donate or hold a fundraiser for my campaign.’ What are you going to do? You’re going to do what a lot of large corporations do in America, and that is you give to both sides. You often times give to both candidates in a particular race because you’ve learned that to be on the bad side of a politician is not a good place to be.

Although that was intended to apply to politicians, it should apply to the big lefty groups as well as they've got the ability to inspire a lot of mischief. So there's a strong possibility that the companies are donating to lefty groups merely to stay alive in a world of corrupt politics and rabid ideologues.