Robert Reich: Dems reluctance due to Wall St Campaign Donations & Promise of Jobs upon Retirement

[mod mom]

HE CALLS IT "ROT"-"Much of the reason for the Democrats' astonishing reluctance to place blame where it belongs rests with big business's and Wall Street's generous flows of campaign donations to Democrats, coupled with their implicit promise of high-paying jobs once Democratic officials retire from government. "

-snip

Anyone with an ounce of sanity understands government is the only effective countervailing force against the forces that got us into this mess: Against Goldman Sachs and the rest of the big banks that plunged the economy into crisis, got our bailout money, and are now back at their old games, dispensing huge bonuses to themselves. Against WellPoint and the rest of the giant health insurers who are at this moment robbing us of the care we need by raising their rates by double digits. Against giant corporations that are showing big profits by continuing to lay off millions of Americans and cutting the wages of millions of more, by shifting jobs abroad and substituting software. Against big oil and big utilities that are raising prices and rates, and continue to ravage the atmosphere.

If there was ever a time to connect the dots and make the case for government as the singular means of protecting the public from these forces it is now. Yet the White House and the congressional Democrats' ongoing refusal to blame big business and Wall Street has created the biggest irony in modern political history. A growing portion of the public, fed by the right, blames our problems on "big government."

Much of the reason for the Democrats' astonishing reluctance to place blame where it belongs rests with big business's and Wall Street's generous flows of campaign donations to Democrats, coupled with their implicit promise of high-paying jobs once Democratic officials retire from government. This is the rot at the center of the system. And unless or until it's remedied, it will be difficult for the President to achieve any "change you can believe in."

-snip

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-enthusiasm-gap_b_479981.html

HE GOES ON TO SAY THEIR INACTION HAS CAUSED THE DEM BASE TO BE "PACKING UP" WHILE THE GOP BASE IS FIRED UP.

[ananda]

1. He got that right.

It explains why they don't mind retiring or not being
Senators any more.

[grassfed]

2. Supreme Ct ruling on Corp Campaign Contributions has magnified this

exponentially. There are no incentives for confronting corp America, only huge rewards for serving them.

[mod mom]

5. The only way to rid of this problem is not to reward corporate Dems by voting for them

as the best of 2 evils. Unfortunately, they don't even care because they have their cushy jobs all lined up for themselves, if they lose.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[Vidar]

4. K&R.

[spanone]

6. it's called bribery, pay for play, payola. it should be criminal, but 'they' make the rules

[DirkGently]

7. Yep.

All this wailing and gnashing of teeth about the present "emergency," and yet still no sign of real regulatory reform to prevent it from happening again.

Hard to dismiss an oversight. Hard to blame on Republicans alone.

[amborin]

8. k and r open secrets:

Health Sector Totals to Candidates
Display: Select a Sector Agribusiness Communications/Electronics Construction Defense Energy/Natural Resources Finance/Insurance/Real Estate Health Lawyers & Lobbyists Transportation Misc Business Labor Ideology/Single-Issue Other

Total to these candidates: $41,912,484 (Dems 66.7% and Repubs 33.1%)

Health
Obama, Barack $19,462,986
McCain, John $7,389,547
Clinton, Hillary $6,397,849
Romney, Mitt $2,283,350
Giuliani, Rudy $2,075,197
Paul, Ron $828,483
Richardson, Bill $778,170
Edwards, John $587,941
Thompson, Fred $537,429
Huckabee, Mike $491,202
Dodd, Chris $339,850
Biden, Joe $283,880
Brownback, Sam $108,580
Thompson, Tommy $67,811
Nader, Ralph $62,251


Goldman Sachs and other bankster donations to Obama:

Goldman Sachs $994,795 ***********
Harvard University $854,747
Microsoft Corp $833,617
Google Inc $803,436
Citigroup Inc $701,290 ************
JPMorgan Chase & Co $695,132 *************
Time Warner $590,084
Sidley Austin LLP $588,598
Stanford University $586,557
National Amusements Inc $551,683
UBS AG $543,219
Wilmerhale Llp $542,618
Skadden, Arps et al $530,839
IBM Corp $528,822
Columbia University $528,302
Morgan Stanley $514,881 *****************
General Electric $499,130
US Government $494,820
Latham & Watkins $493,835

[mod mom]

11. I remember in the primary that Hillary's numbers were higher. They probably switched camps

once they realized Obama was going to win.

[amborin]

13. those $$$$ amounts are for the primary

[mod mom]

19. My numbers were for 2008 Presidental-Lobbyist that had Hillary ahead by far:

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.php?cycle=2008

[eShirl]

9. I want to say, "Duh!" but far too many people don't even realize this.

[liberal_at_heart]

10. That is the problem

They don't really even care if we vote them out because the lobby firms have jobs waiting for these dems when they get out of office. Some dems are quitting ahead of the election and I'm sure they have nice cushy jobs waiting for them on the other side. If we can't even influence their behavior by voting them out then we are in BIG trouble.

[guruoo]

14. It's not about who we vote OUT, it's about whom we vote IN. n/t

[upi402]

12. Good on Reich, now explain how NAFTA is a great deal

:crickets:
I remember him slinging mud at NAFTA opponents. I'd like to hear what he has to say about that little psychotic episode.

[MisterP]

15. inaction, collusion, 6 of 1, half a 12 of the other

it's like asking "why is Leonel Fernandez/Alan Garcia so neoliberal?" really...

the corporate behavior
1) keeps the masters happy
2) whips up the libertarians and teabaggers (or whichever organization will replace it after its impending collapse)
2a) thus ensuring that enough moderates and nervous liberals end up pulling the "'D'" lever because "YOU DON'T WANT A REPUBLICAN WIN ON YOUR CONSCIENCE, NADERITE!"

[Odin2005]

16. K&R

[JCMach1]

17. Why isn't Reich Sec. of Treasury and Krugman replacing Bernanke?

-Crickets- Anyone?

[mmonk]

18. He is correct. Being third way at this time in history is a mistake

we all going to have to suffer through as changing this country into some semblance of a civilization is now more unlikely.

[lonestarnot]

20. Traitors!

Forgetting who brought them to the wine and cheese party, preferring instead to collect dough. :thumbsdown: