Monday, April 11, 2016

Hillary Clinton's Ruthless Quest for a "Legacy"

Under a law signed by President Obama in January 2013, all former U.S. Presidents and First Ladies can receive lifetime Secret Service protection. In 1994, as a cost-saving measure, Congress acted to limit protection for future former Presidents and spouses to just ten years after they left office. The 1994 measure, at first, exempted then-President Bill Clinton and first applied to George W. Bush and all his successors.

But in the post-9/11 world, Congress had decided that former chief executives may still be vulnerable and needed protection. President Obama signed the repeal of HR. 6620 (the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012) which also gives Secret Service protection to former First Ladies. The Secret Service does not divulge the costs of its protective details, but it's believed to be in the range of tens of millions of dollars a year for each former President and First Lady.

Former Presidents are also entitled to a pension ($203,700 a year as of 2015), staff and office allowances, and the best healthcare taxpayers can provide. And former Presidents also get obscenely expensive libraries named after them too. Obama's could cost the taxpayers as much as $1 billion — recession, or no recession.

Hillary Clinton has become world famous and extremely wealthy. She's traveled all over the world. She's been in the company of the most powerful people on Earth. She's already lived in the White House for 8 years. And Air Force One is not a novelty to her either — she's enjoyed many of the perks that comes from being a president, without actually being the president. But she wants it all. She wanted it in 2008 and she wants it now in 2016. She wants the title of POTUS for herself. She's wants her own place in history as "the first female U.S. president". She wants her own "legacy". Hillary Clinton also wants her own presidential library (to be immortal), and she will do whatever it takes to have us build her one — no matter at what cost to the country, or in dollars, or in suffering to the average American worker.

And Clinton's political party, the New Democrats, have rigged the party's rules to ensure that all of Hillary's dreams come true (like keeping Independent voters out of the primaries and allowing superdelegates to vote against the popular vote at the DNC convention). And the Democrat's cable news media arms, MSNBC and CNN, are also working overtime to help Clinton. Many of her political surrogates and superdelegates are hoping that, maybe one day, they too will also have "their turn" by putting party loyalty first — and may the American people and the Independent Senator Bernie Sanders be damned.

"That's what they offered."

Anyone who's been following the Democratic primary probably remembers when CNN host Anderson Cooper had asked Hillary Clinton about her $675,000 in compensation for 3 speeches that she had given to Goldman Sachs after resigning her post as Secretary of State. It happened during the CNN Democratic forum in Derry, N.H. on February 3, 2016 — when Clinton had replied, "That's what they offered."

But just to refresh your memory, below is the 40-second video — because it's relevant to the rest of this post.

At the CNN forum Clinton had told Cooper that she didn't know if she would be running for President while she had been giving those speeches to Goldman Sachs — meaning, she had made that decision sometime between giving her last paid speech on March 19, 2015 — and less than a month later, when she had announced her candidacy on April 12, 2015.

But when Senator Bernie Sanders had asked the former Secretary for the transcripts for those three speeches, it was mostly a symbolic gesture, because Hillary Clinton gave far many more speeches than that — and she also earned more than $225,000 per speech (what Goldman Sachs had paid her). Clinton was paid $335,000 each for two other speeches — and she was paid $400,000 for one speech given to the Jewish United Fund on October 28, 2013 (She also gave a speech to the American Jewish University for $225,000 on June 24, 2013).

As an FYI aside /// It may or may not be relevant, but it is interesting to note: Hillary's daughter Chelsea is married to Marc Mezvinsky, a wealthy hedge fund manager and alumnus of Goldman Sachs; and he is also Jewish. Hillary Clinton had recently received a very warm reception from the lobbing group The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — as did the Republican presidential candidates; while Bernie Sanders (who is Jewish) received a cold shoulder from the group. /// End FYI aside.

In May 2015 the New York Times reported that the Clintons earned $30 million in the prior 16 months, and at that time had earned more than $125 million on the speaking circuit since leaving the White House in 2001 — when Hillary had claimed they were "dead broke" (which Politifact rated as mostly false.) After leaving the White House, the Clintons had bought two mansions — one was for $1.7 million in Chappaqua, New York (so Hillary could claim residency in the State ahead of her 2000 scandal-plagued Senate campaign).

The Washington Post reported that, just since the beginning of 2014, Hillary and Bill Clinton earned in excess of $25 million for delivering 104 speeches — and that Hillary also earned more than $5 million in royalties for her book Hard Choices, where she explains how voting for the Iraq war was "a mistake, plain and simple." (While Secretary of State, she touted Iraq as a potential emerging market for U.S. businesses.)

In an article at the Daily Kos (which is owned by Hillary-supporter Markos Moulitsas), the author makes the argument as to why Hillary Clinton's speeches to the banks probably aren't very relevant — and at worst, might only provide a few embarrassing sound bites for the media — and that there's really no need to see her Goldman Sachs transcripts.

But an article at the Washington Blog makes a counter-argument to that post at the Daily Kos (and questions the author's authenticity) and makes the argument that Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches are relevant, but not because of anything she said in her speeches, but because they indicate pay-offs for services that were either anticipated, or had already been provided — and that she was not paid such huge sums of money for just giving a simple speech. Some of her speeches were only 20 minutes long, and why Bernie Sanders says they must have been great speeches.

Hillary Clinton's Timeline from Secretary of State to Presidential Candidate

This is how Hillary Clinton spent her time between resigning as Secretary of State, and when she first announced her run for the presidency. February 1, 2013 (ABC) Hillary Clinton Steps Down From State Department:

"The Senate quickly confirmed Obama's nominee to replace her -- one of its own, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. The president had chosen him last December to take Clinton's place. Clinton has spent the past couple of months helping Kerry move into the post so she could bow out."

77 days later on April 18, 2013 Hillary Clinton gave a speech to Morgan Stanley for $225,000.

Hillary and Bill Clinton: Breaking Bad

After that, Hillary Clinton went on to make another 90 speeches over the course of the next 2 years, traveling all over the U.S. (She also gave 12 speeches in Canada and one in Mexico). Where did she stay? How did she travel? Did she have a 24/7 Secret Service detail with her all that time? And were the taxpayers on the hook for her food, lodging and travel expenses?

The last speech Hillary Clinton gave before announcing her run for the presidency was on March 19, 2015 to the American Camping Association for $260,000. This revelation first came from the Daily Kos. Remarkably, this was 10% of the organization’s annual budget; so what did they want from Hillary Clinton? The answer turns out to be that their member camps hire young foreign guestworkers as summer counselors under the J-1 visa program. Bloomberg News described it as her last paid speech before she announced she'd be running for President:

"While a camp conference in Atlantic City is an unusual venue for a former secretary of state and likely presidential candidate, it makes more sense considering her host: Jay Jacobs, a camp director and chairman of the Nassau County, Long Island, Democratic Party. Jacobs, who's also on the Democratic National Committee's credentialing committee and has given $5,000 to Ready for Hillary."

FreeBacon reported that both Jay and Mindy Jacobs have been making large political contributions to the Clintons since 1995 — and also were major fundraisers for Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign. They met their fundraising pledge and were thrilled to avoid the embarrassment of not raising enough money. [The Clinton Foundation also has a bio for Jacobs.]

Less than a month later on April 12, 2015 former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2016 election. Clinton proclaimed:

"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion."

Interesting — a real "champion" for the middle-class — someone who's going to "break the barriers" and make America "whole again". She'll be debating Senator Bernie Sanders in New York on April 14 in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. Lately, the cable news channels (MSNBC and CNN) having been pushing real hard for Hillary Clinton; but millions of Americans will be voting for someone who doesn't give paid speeches. (One can go to Bernie Sanders's website and buy a T-shirt and baseball cap — all union made in the good ole U.S.A.)

The Long Time Line: Clinton's speeches from the day her term as Secretary of State ended until the day she ran for President.
List compiled by Paul Campos, professor of law, University of Colorado

Notes: The list below doesn't include speeches made by Bill Clinton, or any of the speeches Hillary made before joining the State Department — or her speeches while at the State Department, such as at the Clinton Foundation, who also hosted Goldman Sachs' CEO Lloyd Blankfein (FYI: President Obama also attends events every year at the Clinton Foundation, so how could he NOT endorse Hillary Clinton?) Also, it would be very interesting if someone would cross-reference all the event's hosts with campaign contributions and contributions to the Clinton Foundation. One can also Google a company name below, followed by "Hillary Clinton" — and if one digs around, they can find some very interesting stories (i.e. a few had pushed very hard for the Keystone pipeline). Of the 91 speeches Hillary made, 12 speeches were made in Canada and 1 speech was made in Mexico. (NAFTA related?)

Hillary Clinton, February 3, 2016: "That's what they offered"

They indicate pay-offs for services that were either anticipated, or had already been provided.

Date

Event Location Fee
April 12, 2015 Hillary Clinton announces her presidential campaign

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March 19, 2015 American Camping Association Atlantic City, NJ $260,000.00
March 11, 2015 eBay Inc San Jose, CA $315,000.00
February 24, 2015 Watermark Silicon Valley Conference for Women Santa Clara, CA $225,500.00
January 22, 2015 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Whistler, Canada $150,000.00
January 21, 2015 tinePublic Inc. Winnipeg, Canada $262,000.00
January 21, 2015 tinePublic Inc. Saskatoon, Canada $262,500.00
December 4, 2014 Massachusetts Conference for Women Boston, MA $205,500.00
October 14, 2014 Salesforce.com San Francisco, CA $225,500.00
October 14, 2014 Qualcomm Incorporated San Diego, CA $335,000.00
October 13, 2014 Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers Colorado Springs, CO $225,500.00
October 8, 2014 Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Chicago, IL $265,000.00
October 7, 2014 Deutsche Bank AG New York, NY $280,000.00
October 6, 2014 Canada 2020 Ottawa, Canada $215,500.00
October 2, 2014 Commercial Real Estate Women Network Miami Beach, FL $225,500.00
September 15, 2014 Cardiovascular Research Foundation Washington, DC $275,000.00
September 4, 2014 Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, LLP San Diego, CA $225,500.00
August 28, 2014 Nexenta System, Inc. San Francisco, CA $300,000.00
August 28, 2014 Cisco Las Vegas, NV $325,000.00
July 29, 2014 Corning, Inc. Corning, NY $225,500.00
July 26, 2014 Ameriprise Boston, MA $225,500.00
July 22, 2014 Knewton, Inc. San Francisco, CA $225,500.00
June 26, 2014 GTCR Chicago, IL $280,000.00
June 25, 2014 Biotechnology Industry Organization San Diego, CA $335,000.00
June 25, 2014 Innovation Arts and Entertainment San Francisco, CA $150,000.00
June 20, 2014 Innovation Arts and Entertainment Austin, TX $150,000.00
June 18, 2014 tinePublic Inc. Toronto, Canada $150,000.00
June 18, 2014 tinePublic Inc. Edmonton, Canada $100,000.00
June 10, 2014 United Fresh Produce Association Chicago, IL $225,000.00
June 2, 2014 International Deli-Dairy-Bakery Association Denver, CO $225,500.00
June 2, 2014 Let’s Talk Entertainment Denver, CO $265,000.00
May 6, 2014 National Council for Behavorial Healthcare Washington, DC $225,500.00
April 11, 2014 California Medical Association (via Satellite) San Diego, CA $100,000.00
April 10, 2014 Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. Las Vegas, NV $225,500.00
April 10, 2014 Let’s Talk Entertainment San Jose, CA $265,000.00
April 8, 2014 Marketo, Inc. San Francisco, CA $225,500.00
April 8, 2014 World Affairs Council Portland, OR $250,500.00
March 24, 2014 Academic Partnerships Dallas, TX $225,500.00
March 18, 2014 Xerox Corporation New York, NY $225,000.00
March 18, 2014 Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal Montreal, Canada $275,000.00
March 13, 2014 Pharmaceutical Care Management Association Orlando, FL $225,500.00
March 13, 2014 Drug Chemical and Associated Technologies New York, NY $250,000.00
March 6, 2014 tinePublic Inc. Calgary, Canada $225,500.00
March 5, 2014 The Vancouver Board of Trade Vancouver, Canada $275,500.00
March 4, 2014 Association of Corporate Counsel – Southern California Los Angeles, CA $225,500.00
February 27, 2014 A&E Television Networks New York, NY $280,000.00
February 26, 2014 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Orlando, FL $225,500.00
February 17, 2014 Novo Nordisk A/S Mexico City, Mexico $125,000.00
February 6, 2014 Salesforce.com Las Vegas, NV $225,500.00
January 27, 2014 National Automobile Dealers Association New Orleans, LA $325,500.00
January 27, 2014 Premier Health Alliance Miami, FL $225,500.00
January 6, 2014 GE Boca Raton, FL $225,500.00
November 21, 2013 U.S. Green Building Council Philadelphia, PA $225,000.00
November 18, 2013 CME Group Naples, FL $225,000.00
November 18, 2013 Press Ganey Orlando, FL $225,000.00
November 14, 2013 CB Richard Ellis, Inc. New York, NY $250,000.00
November 13, 2013 Mediacorp Canada, Inc. Toronto, Canada $225,000.00
November 9, 2013 National Association of Realtors San Francisco, CA $225,000.00
November 7, 2013 Golden Tree Asset Management New York, NY $275,000.00
November 6, 2013 Beaumont Health System Troy, MI $305,000.00
November 4, 2013 Mase Productions, Inc. Orlando, FL $225,000.00
November 4, 2013 London Drugs, Ltd. Mississauga, ON $225,000.00
October 29, 2013 The Goldman Sachs Group Tuscon, AZ $225,000.00
October 28, 2013 Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago $400,000.00
October 27, 2013 Beth El Synagogue Minneapolis, MN $225,000.00
October 24, 2013 Accenture New York, NY $225,000.00
October 24, 2013 The Goldman Sachs Group New York, NY $225,000.00
October 23, 2013 SAP Global Marketing, Inc. New York, NY $225,000.00
October 15, 2013 National Association of Convenience Stores Atlanta, GA $265,000.00
October 4, 2013 Long Island Association Long Island, NY $225,000.00
September 19, 2013 American Society of Travel Agents, Inc. Miami, FL $225,000.00
September 18, 2013 American Society for Clinical Pathology Chicago, IL $225,000.00
August 12, 2013 National Association of Chain Drug Stores Las Vegas, NV $225,000.00
August 7, 2013 Global Business Travel Association San Diego, CA $225,000.00
July 11, 2013 UBS Wealth Management New York, NY $225,000.00
June 24, 2013 American Jewish University University City, CA $225,000.00
June 24, 2013 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company, LP Palos Verdes, CA $225,000.00
June 20, 2013 Boston Consulting Group, Inc. Boston, MA $225,000.00
June 20, 2013 Let’s Talk Entertainment, Inc. Toronto, Canada $250,000.00
June 17, 2013 Economic Club of Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, MI $225,000.00
June 16, 2013 Society for Human Resource Management Chicago, IL $285,000.00
June 6, 2013 Spencer Stuart New York, NY $225,000.00
June 4, 2013 The Goldman Sachs Group Palmetto Bluffs, SC $225,000.00
May 29, 2013 Sanford C. Bernstein and Co., LLC New York, NY $225,000.00
May 21, 2013 Verizon Communications, Inc. Washington, DC $225,000.00
May 16, 2013 Itau BBA USA Securities New York, NY $225,000.00
May 14, 2013 Apollo Management Holdings, LP New York, NY $225,000.00
May 8, 2013 Gap, Inc. San Francisco, CA $225,000.00
April 30, 2013 Fidelity Investments Naples, FL $225,000.00
April 24, 2013 Deutsche Bank Washington, DC $225,000.00
April 24, 2013 National Multi Housing Council Dallas, TX $225,000.00
April 18, 2013 Morgan Stanley Washington, DC $225,000.00
February 1, 2013 Hillary Clinton leaves State Department

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Misc. Notes

Hillary Clinton gave 5 speeches to tinePublic Inc.
She gave 3 speeches to Goldman Sachs (The ones Bernie Sanders mentions)
She gave 2 speeches to Salesforce.com
She gave 2 speeches to Deutsche Bank
She gave 2 speeches to Innovation Arts and Entertainment

  • The very tight travel itinerary appears as though it was well planned in advance while Clinton was still at the State Department.
  • $225,000 (almost a quarter of million dollars) looks like a standard fee for one speech ("That's what they offered.")
  • Many of these fees look like "installments".
  • Many speeches were only 20 minutes long.
  • If these speeches weren't "pay for play", then these companies sure have a lot of excessive cash to throw around just to have the novelty of having a "celebrity" speaker at their functions.
  • Which also begs the question: What is their "effective" corporate tax rate, and are these speeches written off their taxes as "a cost of doing business"?
  • On 8 occasions Clinton gave 2 speeches on the same day at 2 different locations (Wow! Ms. Flash Gordon!)

* Many people believe that the only reason Hillary Clinton wants to be President of the United States is, just to be the President of the United States — like a personal trophy or 1st Place Prize, judging by the way she brandishes her votes — not to help the struggling working-class; but so she can hold the highest highest office in the land of the most powerful and richest country on the planet. That's the only reason — because, she not only lusts for a legacy, she psychopathically lusts for the power. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men" — and so it seems, are first woman presidents.

17 comments:

  1. Among "likely Democratic voters" in New York (home to Wall Street) Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders 55% to 41% — but that doesn't include Independents. The Democrat's party rules keep millions of Independents out of the New York primary. Democrats, who oppose strict "Jim Crow" voting laws in the South, don't want Independents in the North and elsewhere to vote. Why is that? I always thought the Democrats believed that EVERYONE should have a right to vote...unless if you want to vote for someone that is not acceptable to the Democratic Party machine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also, Bernie won Wyoming by a 12 percentage-point margin in statewide caucuses, beating Hillary Clinton 56-44 percent. But despite his win, he splits Wyoming’s 14 pledged delegates 7 to 7. And all their superdelegates are pledged to Clinton.

      I’d be disappointed if Bernie lost fair and square, but this is ridiculous. Even Trump (who doesn’t care for Bernie) thinks he’s getting a raw deal.

      Delete
    2. Trump is also getting ripped off, so I think both he and Bernie should both run as Independents in the general election -- and let the cards fall as they may -- and screw both political parties.

      Delete
    3. In New York one had to register last October! Why? Many people still didn’t even know who Bernie Sanders was then. Why not same day voter registrations like other States? On a federal level, voting laws should be more uniform (I don’t mean intra-party rules like delegates). People move from state to state, and every state is different. It’s all too confusing to voters – OBVIOUSLY – since many have complained that they didn’t know. The parties always say it’s in their rules, but so is the fine print in 5 page credit card contracts. Who the heck has time to become a lawyer before they vote?

      Delete
  2. Recently, Hillary Clinton (while speaking in Brooklyn) noted that she had earned 2.5 million more votes than anyone else running for president — and currently leads the Democratic race in delegates:

    “We’re on the path to the nomination!" she shouted very loudly. "I need to win big here in New York, because the sooner I can become the nominee, the sooner I can turn and unify the Democratic party — just like I did with President Barack Obama after I lied about him in 2008. And the sooner we can destroy Bernie and his sexist Bernie bros, the sooner we can go after the Republicans full time!!!"

    She later told an advisor that, right after she's crowned President, she plans on putting those votes on a mantle above the fireplace in her New York mansion, right next to the other trophies she has.

    Upon hearing this, the crowd of 17 Shillery sheeple who were attending her rally had dropped their canes and jumped out of their wheelchairs and roared with delight. A couple of them began chanting: "I'm with her! "I'm with her! "I'm with her!" — before one collapsed and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital.

    Clinton also accused Bernie Sanders of being a liar and a thief by stealing some of her prized delegates in Nevada, and said he was trying to rig HER system against her:

    "They've got a lot of nerve trying to hoard crumbs from MY loaf of bread!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

    Secret Service agents, who were standing nearby, just about jumped out of their socks — then rolled their eyeballs when they realized it wasn’t anybody being assaulted.

    Meanwhile, those of her supporters who hadn't yet fallen asleep, began wondering when the Kool-Aid and cookies would be served.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Google "Uranium One"

    Google "Clinton Cash"

    Google "stained blue dress"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The DNA-stained blue dress is here...

      http://bud-meyers.blogspot.com/2016/01/millennials-meet-bill-clinton-and.html

      Delete
  4. Chelsea Clinton's father-in-law (Edward Mezvinsky) is an ex-con who spent 5 years in prison for bilking friends and family out of more than 10 millions of dollars, and was paroled in 2008.

    Beginning in the early 1990s, Mezvinsky used a wide variety of 419 scams. According to a federal prosecutor, Mezvinsky conned using "just about every different kind of African-based scam we’ve ever seen." The scams promise that the victim will receive large profits, but first a small down payment is required.

    To raise the funds needed to front the money for the fraudulent investment schemes he was being offered, Mezvinsky tapped his network of former political contacts and dropping the name of the Clinton family to convince unwitting marks to give him money.

    In March 2001, Mezvinsky was indicted and later pleaded guilty to 31 of 69 felony charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Nearly $10 million was involved in the crimes. Shortly after his indictment, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but the judge at his trial disallowed a mental illness defense.

    He served his time at Federal Prison Camp, Eglin. Mezvinsky, Federal Bureau of Prisons #55040-066, was released in April 2008. He remained on federal probation until 2011, and as of 2010 still owed $9.4 million in restitution to his victims.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Mezvinsky#Criminal_activities

    ReplyDelete


  5. Travel-gate
    Vince Foster´s death
    Hillarycare
    Whitewater investigation
    Cattle-gate
    File-gate
    Clintons Legal Defense Fund
    China-gate
    IRS abuses
    Pardon-gate
    FALN terrorists
    Campaign finance investigation
    Senator Clinton
    Senate rules violations
    Presidential Candidate Clinton
    Madam Secretary
    State Department scandals and cover-ups
    Benghazi
    Classified emails
    Clinton Foundation and conflicts of interest

    ReplyDelete
  6. One of Hillary Clinton's biggest fans — Cher — will one day be singing "If I Could Turn Back Time."

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Obama Plan:

    1) Get Hillary Clinton elected.

    2) Pass the TPP trade deal during lame duck session.

    3) Pardon Hillary Clinton for emails before he leaves office.

    ReplyDelete


  8. The following individuals are unelected, Clinton-supporting superdelegates who simultaneously work in the lobbying industry:

    Jeff Berman, well-known for his delegate-strategy work in the past, is being paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign to organize her delegate-counting effort while himself being a superdelegate. A “top lobbyist” at Bryan Cave LLP, Berman previously worked as a lobbyist for the private prison company Geo Group and as a lobbyist helping TransCanada build support for the Keystone XL.

    Bill Shaheen is one of the six New Hampshire superdelegates to endorse Clinton. Shaheen is a prolific party fundraiser, and his law firm is registered to lobby local officials in the state. The most recently available lobbying records show that Shaheen’s firm is registered to lobby on behalf of the American Council of Life Insurers and PainCare Centers, among other clients. PainCare has faced increasing scrutiny as local officials have noted that eight of the 10 most prolific opioid prescribers in New Hampshire’s Medicaid program worked for PainCare. The flood of prescription painkillers has fueled the heroin epidemic in the region, as four out of five heroin addicts report beginning their drug habit with opioids. Bill is the husband of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.

    Joanne Dowdell, another New Hampshire superdelegate, is the senior vice president for global government affairs at News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News. Federal Election Commission reports show Dowdell has contributed directly to multiple Democrats as well as to the News Corp PAC, a company committee that splits its donations between lawmakers of both parties. The News Corp government affairs division works to lobby public officials and regulators.

    Superdelegates Jill Alper, Minyon Moore, and Maria Cardona are officials at Dewey Square Group, a lobbying firm that is closely affiliated with the Clinton campaign and retained by the Clinton-supporting Super PACs Priorities USA Action and Correct the Record. Alper and Moore are Clinton advisers who have raised over $100,000 for her campaign. Dewey Square Group, as we’ve reported, was retained by the health insurance industry to undermine health reform efforts in 2009, including proposals to change Medicare Advantage. The firm has previously worked to influence policy on behalf of Enron, Countrywide, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Telecom Association and News Corporation.

    Jennifer Cunningham is the managing director of SKDKnickerbocker, a political consulting firm that provides a variety of services, including advertising and direct lobbying of public officials. In recent years, SKDKnickerbocker helped a coalition of corporate clients lobby the Obama administration on a tax cut for overseas earnings; lobbied for weakened rules governing for-profit colleges; and helped a food industry group undermine Michelle Obama’s nutrition guidelines for foods marketed to children. Recent records show that the firm is providing consulting work for Independence USA PAC, the Super PAC backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

    Tonio Burgos, a fundraiser for Clinton, is a lobbyist registered to influence New York City officials. Burgos’ current client list includes Verizon, Pfizer, and American Airlines.

    Emily Giske, also a lobbyist in New York City, is registered to work on behalf of Airbnb, Yum Brands (the parent company of Taco Bell), Pfizer, and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, a trade group for Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and Bank of America.

    Although they make up only a small proportion of the superdelegates, the presence of lobbyists in such a potentially decisive role adds fuel to the critique that the Democratic Party is influenced by monied special interests. In recent months, the DNC quietly repealed rules instituted by Barack Obama that banned lobbyists from donating to the party.

    https://theintercept.com/2016/02/17/voters-be-damned/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tonight RNC chairman Reince Priebus was on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren discussing Donald Trump's complaints about the election being rigged with the GOP's delegate system. Priebus said, "That's they way we did it 4 years ago." Which doesn't make it right, it only means that the election was rigged 4 years ago too. It's the same with the Democrats. In 1984, only state party chairs and vice chairs were guaranteed superdelegate status. By 2008 superdelegates made up approximately one-fifth of the total number of delegates. Hillary Clinton already had over 400 pledged superdelegates before the very first vote was cast in Iowa. Bernie Sanders has been winning States, but the superdelegates have been going to Clinton. If Trump and Sanders end up winning the popular vote, but don't get their party's nomination, then they BOTH should run as Independents in the general election in a 4-way race — and break up the corrupt political duopoly we have. Both the Democrats and the Republicans say, "Those are the rules" — but it's THEY who make the rules to keep themselves in power and keep outsiders from competing. A poll on Greta Van Susteren showed 86% think we have a corrupt political system.

    ReplyDelete
  10. How to beat the Democrats and the Republicans at their own game...

    Only registered Berniecrats and Independents can run in the Berniecratic primaries.

    As to the Democrats and the Republicans and their "delegates" --> It’s their party, so they can make their own rules, just like if I started my own club or company or political party. I can make my own rules.

    So to have an Independent like Bernie Sanders be on equal footing with the Democrats and Republicans, he would have to run in a party (call it the Berniecrats) that might only allow registered Berniecrats and Independents to run in their primaries.

    If a registered Democrat or Republican wanted to vote for a Berniecrat (like Bernie Sanders or Bud Meyers), they might have to change their party affiliation before voting in the Berniecratic primary.

    But since Bernie is currently running as a Democrat (to get in the current debates) he has to play by the Democrats’ rules. Which is why NOW might be the perfect time for another try at establishing a viable 3rd party. And maybe Donald Trump can start a 4th party called the Wackadoodles — and Sarah Palin can be the chairperson.

    Then in November all four of them (Sanders, Trump, Clinton and Cruz) can all run against each other and participate in the general election debates. Sanders and Trump both get more than enough votes, so they can't be ignored or excluded from any debate.

    Trump can buy his own cable news station, and won't have to rely on Fox, MSNBC or CNN to give him favorable coverage. Of course, the Berniecrats will still have a disadvantage with the corporate media, and would still have to rely on the internet for more fair reporting and coverage.

    ReplyDelete
  11. April 12, 2016

    Judge Anndrew Napolitano: "The Republican Party is a private club. The Democratic party is a private club. They are not the government. Even though a primary looks like an election, feels like an election. You use the same equipment where you go for an election, you go to the same place. It is not an election. It is not run by the government. And these private clubs can do the nominations however they see fit."

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/04/12/judge_napolitano_republican_and_democrat_parties_are_private_clubs_not_part_of_the_government.html

    * My note: The judge says the primaries are not run by the government, but isn’t there state government oversight to ensure they’re fair and not rigged with fraud (etc)? And if one party controls that government, wouldn’t be like the police were policing themselves?


    We need a THIRD PARTY!
    https://twitter.com/BudMeyers99/status/719955134520791041

    ReplyDelete
  12. Joe Scarborough (Morning Joe | MSNBC) "Democratic Primary System Rigged Against VotersZ"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGeyhgp2N8A

    ReplyDelete
  13. AP:

    Most companies and groups that paid Hillary Clinton to speak between 2013 and 2015 have lobbied federal agencies and one-third are government contractors.

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ad3c483d59c9463e9a52ef4bc00351e0/firms-paid-clinton-speeches-have-us-govt-interests

    ReplyDelete