This photo was easily my favorite of the week. Say whatever you want about Bill Clinton, but nobody plays the role of ex-president better than him. In the photo, Bill is Snow White with Kim as Grumpy; the two of them and the other six dwarves seem to be posed in front of the evil witch’s mirror gone hi-def. Or is that a scene from Fantasia behind them? Sorry to mix my movie metaphors.
I don’t understand what all the fuss was about. Bill will go to the opening of a car wash if the money is right, so in this case he got paid in his favorite currency – attention – and he brought home the bacon. Speaking of the bacon, why has no one asked, “what were those women doing strolling along (or over) the border of North Koreas?” Hadn’t they heard it was dangerous there? I’m glad they got home, and I’m glad we made the effort to get them, but isn’t the appropriateness of their own behavior worth examining here?
I’d call the response to last week’s post “general agreement” with the premise that Congress is corrupt, but it fell short of an outcry to light the torches and grab the closest pitchfork. In the meantime, Billy Tauzin, who was formerly a US Congressman who oversaw the drug industry, and is now the $3 million a year hear of PhRMA, the drug industry lobby group, took President Obama to the cleaners. Billy is the guy who got Congress to insert a provision into the Medicare part D legislation enacted under Bush II, which prohibited the government from negotiating for the best price with prescription drug manufacturers.
Last week, in closed-door meetings with administration officials, he got them to agree to prevent Congress from rescinding that law in gratitude for the $80 billion in savings Billy’s group already offered to cut from drug expenses over the next 10 years. Never mind that independent audits say the provision is costing the government $20 billion a year in foregone savings. Another case of democracy in auction.
Because of his former position in Congress, BT isn’t even supposed to engage in lobbying but what’s a minor detail like that to important people like him?
If you want more examples, read Frank Rich’s column from last Sunday to see who big pharma and the insurance industry is paying off now. According to the Congressional Quarterly, in the first half of 2009 the 18 members of Congress overseeing health care reform got an average of $100,000 each – including Nancy Pelosi. But I’m sure that won’t effect their decisions.
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6 comments:
Good to see you understand that our fine public servants will put the "peoples" interest first. None of them could have their votes swayed by political tribute paid in the form of campaign contributions by the wealthy. The Speaker from down by the harbor in Little Italy in Bawlmere would never forget the little guy.
I have always believed that the main reason that the GOP went into paranoid overdrive when Billy the C was President was he would sell out faster than they would to the moneyed class.
If you are a gop pol, your job is to represent business and receive the largess that ensues. Bill started skimming that money and the right was challenged. They represent God, Country and Big Business and Billy was cutting in on the Big Business scam and that means allot more than God and Country. Some of the cowards in charge switched their vote on Sotomayor when they heard that the NRA was going to score the vote, yet another profiles in courage moment.
Dennis, you have begun to pull back the covers of political reality of our fair land to reveal the dirty sheets. As Frank Rich said in the column, the real fallout is the public's perception that nothing is what is seems: all playing fields are not level. It is an insider's world. We are not supposed to pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.
I am 3/4 through reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. You would be shocked at the political, moral, environmental implications of our food industry. It is just a further pulling back of those blankets: more dirty sheets.
Like you, I trust neither right or left. It does appear our society on all levels is actually the deck of the Titanic with an open bar paid by shareholders back on shore. If Obama is the reformer he claims to be, he must be finding the wheel of the ship of state to be just like the Titanic, too little and too late.
I think you both make very important points. The Republican and Democratic parties are almost as meaningless as liberal and conservative, as far as labels go. It is all about the money. Money doesn't talk -- it is more like an electric cattle prod.
I try to put myself it the head of one of these Congressmen. "There's money out there and someone is going to get it. Why not me? And if not me, then it will go to my opponent. So it's eat or be eaten." Hobbs would recognize the system immediately.
The question I'm seeking an answer to is, "what can I do about it?"
a Warren boy making a Hobbs reference? Not bad. I just hope it's not Roy Hobbs. Transparency and public financing is the only way this gets exposed and stopped. It must be demonstrated that taking this money will do more to defeat them than bring victory. The only problem is that these are the people that need to enact this legislation. Don't hold your breath.
Are there 2 Hobbes? Roy is the only one I know. Anyone who suggests public financing will be labeled a commie -- and they will deserve it. Any individual should have the right to support his/her candidate. Forget it. But why should any organization have that right? They aren't people. As it stands now, the chairman of Goldman Sachs can, and does, suggest to a large number of employees, that they contribute to the GS PAC. They even suggest the appropriate amount. You either give or you are not a team-player. GS management then decides how to spread the money around. Why is that possible? And now the Supreme Court is about to consider allowing corporations (and unions) to contribute directly. God help us all then.
The players are too big and they ARE basically the government. Any change would be perceived as endangering national security. Banks get trussed up with public funds but we the underwriters can't dictate who or what runs them and does with our money. Goldman Sachs wins, we lose. The companies which make fertilizers will not be restricted as they also make munitions. Environmental laws will not restrict users because any restrictions will affect national security. Hog and cattle waste fall outside EPA jurisdictions. E Coli waste, hormones, heavy metals and pesticides are getting into our water and food supply and the government solution is to irradiate for fecal matter in meat and ignore water.
Whether it comes to federal bailouts or pollution, we all live downstream.
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