Mainstream media drops lobbying bomb on Hillary

[EdwardBernays]

Last edited Fri Feb 5, 2016, 05:42 PM - Edit history (2)

Her loss in Iowa opened the floodgates for the media to start detailing the reality of the situation.

Headline: Meet the lobbyists, donors and bundlers behind Hillary’s $157 million juggernaut




"now runs Subject Matter, a go-to Democratic lobbying firm for corporate interests.."

Clients: Wall Street banks (Goldman Sachs and Citigroup), the casino industry (the American Gaming Association), telecoms (Verizon and Time Warner), tech firms (Facebook and Microsoft), agribusiness (Monsanto) and the NFL.



"The superlobbyist brother of John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, he runs Podesta Group"

Clients: Defense contractors (Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Bechtel), pharmaceutical and health insurance giants (Merck and Blue Cross-Blue Shield) and banking and private equity firms (Well Fargo, Credit Suisse Group, KKR), foreign governments, including several — Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Burma and the Maldives — accused by the State Department of human rights abuses.

Bonus points: Podesta has used his D.C. mansion, famously decorated with expensive modern art, to host a Clinton fundraiser (offering fine Italian cooking by him and his brother) as well as a book party for Clinton super-PAC attack dog David Brock (co-hosted by Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias and Clinton email pal Sidney Blumenthal.)



"She runs her own rival firm, Heather Podesta & Partners."

Clients: MacAndrews & Forbes (the Wall Street investment firm owned by billionaire Ronald Perelman) as well as Marathon Oil, the Cigna Corp. and the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cannabis Industry Association.



"Clinton’s most prolific Lobbyist bundler, now is a partner at Capitol Counsel"

Clients: Sullivan specializes in protecting tax breaks for private equity and real estate investment firms (Blackstone, Beacon Capitol Partners and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.) Other big clients include the PhRMA, the drug industry’s lobbying arm, and two of its leading members (Roche Holdings and Amgen.)

Bonus 1: "Sullivan is the former DNC finance chair who first got attention as the supervisor of John Huang, the fundraiser convicted of campaign finance violations during Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection."

Bonus 2: "Sullivan’s partner at his lobbying firm, David Jones, another longtime Democratic fundraiser, has bundled another $386,000. "



"former Indiana Democratic senator" and "a strategic adviser to the business clients of McGuireWoods"

Clients: "Exxon Mobil, Duke Energy and the National Association of Manufacturers"

Bonus 1: "Bayh, who hosted a fundraiser for Clinton at the McGuireWoods K St. office last spring, also serves as a strategic adviser to Apollo Management, the Wall Street private equity firm (which paid Clinton $225,000 for a speech after she left office.)"

Bonus 2: "Two of his McGuireWoods colleagues, Andrew Smith and former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, are also bundlers who have raised $240,000 for the Clinton campaign while lobbying for clients that include Smithfield Foods (now owned by the Chinese-based Shuanghui Group) and Dandong Port Group, a Hong Kong-registered port and grain importing firm owned by secretive Chinese billionaire Wenliang Wang, who has donated $2 million to the Clinton Foundation."

LOTS more here:

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/hillarys-financial-armada-233033648.html

This is what wheels coming off looks like.

EDIT:

Since this thread is gaining traction, I'll add this:

http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hillary-clintons-state-department-1934187

PLEASE READ THIS LINK ^^^

There's so much crucial info in it that needs to be repeated as often and as loudly as possible.

EDIT 2: The Yahoo article has 2200 comments... That's the power of the mainstream media reporting this. Mass exposure is exactly what's needed.

[jillan]

1. Kicking for more exposure.

Wow!!!

[roguevalley]

12. they all have dead eyes and their smiles never reach them

[kristopher]

33. I don't know... Evan Bayh looks stoned. nt

[Fairgo]

72. very astute observation

a little creepy when you cover the smiles and just look at the eyes.

[Jenny_92808]

101. I am curious about

the flag you are displaying.

[grasswire]

2. Elmendorf sat next to Howard Dean in the audience last night.

That was pretty brash and disgusting.

[Duppers]

8. Saw that.

So damn disappointed in Howard Dean.

[Ferd Berfel]

17. would love to get a photo of that

[Luminous Animal]

55. There is a photo in this DU post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511146051

[Ferd Berfel]

66. Perfect - I missed that post

Thanks !!



Proving that Dean has made his Faustian Deal

[840high]

73. Thanks.

[grasswire]

69. there is a photo on DU

I saw it last night. The topic of the thread is something to do with "seating arrangement"

[grasswire]

3. kick, kick, kick! nt

[kath]

4. just skimmed it for now, but glad that the news is getting out about Podesta's evil doings.

[daleanime]

7. +1

[cali]

5. Nothing wrong with it. Just how things work. If she doesn't do this

how can we beat the republicans.

[daleanime]

9. Agreed, she has to do this to beat Bern.....

I mean republicans......

[roguevalley]

14. 'just how things work' every evil regime in history said that. we all know how they turned out

[EdwardBernays]

19. Finally good to see a Hillary supporter

Embrsce this... Sure the candidate may be running away from it, but it's good to see you embrace it. Better than pretending.

I mean on one hand it's awful and most people rightly see it as corrupt, buy at least you're keeping it real.

[cali]

93. Wait. You actually think I'm a Hillary supporter? Too funny.

[EdwardBernays]

94. Sorry

I confused you with someone else with a similar username. My bad.

[cali]

95. That happens. Much as I don't like being confused with

that poster.

[EdwardBernays]

96. Understandably

At least people don't think you're the real Edward Bernays. Lol.

[certainot]

100. one thing liberals NEVER figure is $4BIL/yr + in free talk radio infomercial

work the republicans have at their disposal($1000/hr x 1200 stns x 15 hrs/day), plus 25 yrs of accumulated alternate reality, and voter suppression-(all pols are corrupt, they're all the same, govt only works for the rich, etc).

it's biting them in the ass now as the party of lincoln becomes the party of limbaugh/trump/cruz but because the left ignores it they could still keep slimeballs like trump cruz rubio close enough to steal in.

the irony is that the republicans will use this vs hillary also, with a guy like lmbaugh increasingly calling the democrats the party of wall st

[R. P. McMurphy]

6. K & R. nt

[jhart3333]

10. That's what I'm talkin about!

[kath]

11. Hmmm, the OP doesn't specifically mention JOHN Podesta, her freakin' CAMPAIGN MANAGER, but he

is in all that dirty business up to his eyeballs.
Lobbies for freakin' Saudi Arabia, fer gawdsake!

[Go Vols]

13. :/

[amborin]

15. K&R

[Ferd Berfel]

16. Talks is cheap

Why would anyone believe her multiple: Evolution's

[Dustlawyer]

18. Well, she wanted this debate last night!

Be careful what you ask for! Bernie has needed national exposure to get his message out, she gave it to him. This will be the point that they will say that launched Bernie to victory. The genie is out of the bottle. He will now start getting some positive coverage to go along with the Chris Mathews of the world who see their way of life crumbling around them.

Think of all of the Lobbyists who are watching their world evaporate before their eyes if Bernie wins and WE are successful at getting Publicly Funded Elections!

[lob1]

20. 3 more debates coming, too. Heh heh.

[Dustlawyer]

24. I know, right! She made a yuuuge mistake giving Bernie more exposure!

That is the one area that could sink him. The internets could only take him so far, there are still a lot of folks who get everything from the MSM. Now the MSM has to give him the extra debate exposure. His skill last night proved that he has every right and ability required to be on the same stage as Hillary. They were both very skilled, much like the last battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The FORCE of Bernie message will be too strong for Hillary, or any Republican, to defeat!

[Akamai]

26. Yup! I was thinking about those additional debates and how

Hillary doesn't want any of them in NY City.

Wow! Very entertaining tv viewing ahead!

[frylock]

61. She wanted that debate in Flint MI as well..

It will be a good opportunity for Bernie to talk about the damaging effects of trade agreements.

[AzDar]

21. K & R

[Betty Karlson]

22. The wheels are coming off the supposedly unstoppable train.

Too much baggage on board?

--- free after DU'er Tierra e Libertad

[SoapBox]

27. There isn't enough space on a train, to hold the Clinton baggage!

[Akamai]

23. Thom Hartmann has been talking about the corporate takeover

of the Democratic party for many years. He says it started when Democratic strategist Al From visited Clinton in Arkansas and promised him the White House if he would be corporate friendly, and especially friendly with Wall Street and the banks.

Now comes this utterly wonderful guy, Senator Sanders, who is drawing the curtain way, way back and we all can see the manipulators and how we have been controlled, how so much pain and misery has been brought about by the ultra rich and the political and media groups doing their bidding.

Go, Bernie!!!

[SoapBox]

25. Well if that isn't all creepy, rotten, skeezy, sleazy...

And all sorts of other things.

Shows why we have rotted to the core.

First, no more Clintons in the White House...ever.

Second, it's time for that Political Revolution and a big enema in American politics.

[polichick]

28. Just viewing that list calls for a shower.

[turbinetree]

29. Quait...........................

And the MSM is calling Sanders out on having some checking / saving accounts with banks --------------------really



Honk---------------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[pangaia]

30. And all/many of the politicians endorsing her are also being

laid bare for what they really do.

Yippee !!!!!

[JDPriestly]

31. K&R. Bundlers who are lobbyists and we are supposed to believe that she promises and does

and offers nothing in return.

It's a hard sell. She could be telling the truth, but there is this appearance of a conflict of interest that is hard to dispel.

[EdwardBernays]

36. Someone is an idiot

Here's the options:


Lobbyists are idiots

Lobbyists are idiots for giving money to 99% of politicians, because the politicians just take the money and do nothing in return. Lobbyists don't notice and keep funding all of their campaigns.

People are idiots

Lobbyists give tons of money to politicians and in turn get what they want, as long as it's politically feasible. People are idiots because they believe politicians excuses about all that money.



Which of those things do you think is more likely?

[brett_jv]

87. Oh ... jeez ... man ... ya know ... you're like blowing my MIND ...

That ... that's a tough one.

Seriously, I'm like ... I dunno ... Hmmmm ...

Can I phone a friend, or something?

[warrprayer]

32. K&R

Holy Crap!!!!

[BainsBane]

34. Bernie's financial Armada

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/20/bernie-sanders-gets-some-outside-help-he-didnt-ask-for/

Ads like these, paid for by American Crossroads, Karl Rove's Super Pac

[EdwardBernays]

39. nice try

just because people from both parties see your candidates major weakness - her corruption - doesn't mean they're working together... nice try though...

[BainsBane]

44. She is following the existing regulations

The fallacy with pretending campaign finance is about personal ethics as opposed to the system is that it ignores this very thing. Sanders has benefited from more Super PAC and dark money spending than any other candidate in this election, of either party.

No one "has" Super Pacs. His repetition of that plays on the public's lack of knowledge about campaign finance law. In addition to GOP ratfucking the Dem primary through spending by Rove and others, there are Super Pacs explicitly formed to promote his candidacy. Since they, like the Nurse's super Pacs, take dark money, there is no way to know where the money comes from.

Clinton is not corrupt for following the law. The system is corrupt, and that same system is benefiting Bernie enormously.

As the debate last night made clear, Bernie picks and chooses when it comes to campaign funding. He could have used the public system but chose to go outside it because it benefits him. It benefits him to make grand declarations about super Pacs as a campaign slogan, even while he benefits them more from them than anyone else in the race.

[EdwardBernays]

50. Lol

Gotta love people that act immorally because it's totally legal... Totally.

The fact is the elite break the law with out getting in trouble all the time.

Hillary is the Goldman Sachs of politicians. Totally legal... All of it.. Just ask their team of lawyers.

[BainsBane]

53. In other words

You don't care how corrupt the system is. You don't care who benefits from it or how money corrupts the political process. You just don't like Hillary. And if your candidate benefits from the biggest haul of dark money spending, all the better.

Meanwhile, he votes for immunity for gun corporations and $800 billion in corporate welfare for Lockheed-Martin for the F-35, but none of that matters.

[EdwardBernays]

54. Hardly

And lol.

You are just blind if you think there's no meaningful difference between Sanders and Clinton.

[BainsBane]

57. Oh, I think there is a huge amount of difference

Largely in terms of knowledge, experience, and competence. And the fact she doesn't seek to reduce American politics to a bumper sticker slogan.

One is qualified to execute the job of president and the other enjoys being treated like a rock star. One encourages conversations with voters and the other insists he has all the answers. One has an expansive knowledge of foreign policy, the nations and actors around the world while the other is not only lacking in knowledge, he isn't even interested enough to assemble a team that can help prepare him for something that is central to the job of president. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-deficit-218431

I happen to think a president should be competent. Knowledge and ability to understand the complexity of issues and society impress me far more than sloganeering.

As for integrity, look at the recent spate of incidents from Sanders' campaign: data breach, impersonating union workers, improperly using logos of activist organizations and implying endorsements, so much so he has had to pull ads and mailers. If one wants to dismiss it as the actions of rogue staffers, that suggests he can't control his own staff. If he can't manage a campaign, how can he be trusted to run the federal government?

While Obama didn't have a huge amount of experience, he ran a very efficient and competent campaign, which pointed to his competence. We don't see that from Bernie.

So to answer your question, there is an enormous amount of difference between Clinton and Sanders, and those differences favor Clinton.

[bvar22]

63. You forgot the most important distinction between Hillary & Bernie.

In addition to 40 years of experience, Bernie has repeatedly demonstrated good judgement and solid ethics. THAT is HISTORY, and can't be spun.
I prefer those qualities to any of the campaign pablum you posted.

[DhhD]

67. Obama kept hardly any of his Campaign promises. The third way New Democrat even put

Social Security and Medicare on the table (Past Tense). Third way New Democrats put Glass-Steagall on the table (Past Tense). Third Way New Democrat DWS left the door open and in came a mouse from a previous Clan. For 40 years Sanders has been a Progressive Democrat activist and has been elected over and over again. There is a big difference alright. Hillary Clinton favors third way and New Democrats instead of progressive social democracy. Hillary Clinton received half support of Iowa-no winner. She will lose in NH too. What is next?

[Glamrock]

81. That's simply not true

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/browse/

He got quite a few...

[rhett o rick]

70. Yes there is a huge difference - H. Clinton has amassed a huge fortune from her

lobbying friends. Legal? Moral? The main thing is that the millions and millions are given to her for quid pro quo. This is politics and that's why the big corporations are involved in politics.

She claims to be anti-Citizens United but willing to use it for her benefit.

She represents the culture of big money corruption in government. Legal? Moral? Something we want our president deep into?

[LeFleur1]

84. And It Benefits Him

after twenty years of being too good for the Democratic party to suddenly become a Democrat.
Because he needed the money. Ironic, isn't it?

The rules of the game: Citizens United was given the go ahead by the Supreme Court of the land.
Playing by the rules isn't shady at all. It's working within the system as the Supreme Court decided could be done.

[Rilgin]

45. You are confusing memes.

Don't you have even one days memory of the Hillary talking points? According to Clinton wall street is taking out ads against her because she is against Wall Street. This ad accuses her of being in bed with Wall Street.

Please explain how it works.

Wall Street takes out an ad against Clinton asserting that Clinton is bad because she likes wall street. Does this not mean that wall street thinks its bad to represent wall street because wall street is bad. So Wall Street is taking out ads against itself as a good part of America. How Machiavellian.

Now returning to the facts. Again, the talking points are Wall Street is running ads against Hillary. But American Crossroads is Rove who is a republican hit man not a wall streeter. Moving on to substance. Your implication is that Bernie is in league with Rove in that both are attacking Hillary. Does that mean when Hillary attacks Trump that she is in league with Ted Cruz?

I really expect better and more consistent spin.

[arcane1]

51. What a desperate and lame smear. When you can't win on policy, try anything!

[BainsBane]

58. This is policy?

Give me a break. My post is no more a smear that the OP.

I hardly eskew discussions of policy. For example in this very subthread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1150593

Here's a clue: policy involves more than saying Clinton sucks; Bernie is perfect.

[arcane1]

59. You're right, of course. Lobbying has never had anything to do with policy

[frylock]

62. Oh noes! The Mighty Karl Rove!

[Logical]

79. FFS are you desperate! Nt

[SDJay]

35. This Is So Important

It's hard to overstate it. Bernie isn't going to get into this level of specifics in a debate or on the trail, which is fine. That's because this isn't solely about Secretary Clinton, This is how our system currently works and the more people realize this, the more they'll begin to understand what's happening to them beyond surface level rhetoric.

If absolutely nothing else comes of this primary, if millions of people start to actually realize what goes on in the backrooms of politics, it's been a very worthwhile effort. That doesn't mean we should be satisfied, as action needs to follow knowledge, but the knowledge part, in my opinion, has been lacking until this campaign.

[EdwardBernays]

40. I agree, but...

I sure wish that someone made an online viral video about the Podesta brothers... it would help Bernie a LOT.

[Uncle Joe]

37. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, EdwardBernays.

[Jarqui]

38. 1/2 of Hillary’s Speaking Fees Came From Groups Also Lobbying Congress

http://time.com/3889577/hillary-clinton-paid-speeches-lobbyists-influence/


Fee____ Name 2014 Lobbying Spending
===================================================
$225,500 General Electric $20,085,000
$335,500 Biotechnology Industry Organization $10,186,000
$125,000 Qualcomm Inc $9,530,000
$225,500 Pharmaceutical Care Management Assn $4,284,916
$225,500 National Auto Dealers Assn $3,657,000
$325,000 Cisco Systems $3,450,000
$265,000 Advanced Medical Technology Association $3,392,000
$225,500 Ameriprise Financial $3,390,000
$125,000 Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals $3,008,000
$315,000 eBay Inc $2,544,325
$225,000 Xerox Corp $1,435,000
$225,500 Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries $1,380,000
$225,000 Premier Health Alliance $1,258,696
$225,500 Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers $1,083,180
$225,000 United Fresh Produce Assn $1,040,000
$451,000 Salesforce.Com $610,000
$225,500 National Council for Behavioral Health $600,356
$225,500 Corning Inc $600,000
$280,000 Deutsche Bank AG $600,000
$100,000 California Medical Association $350,000
======================================================
$4,575,000 Clinton Fees from firms spending $72,484,473 on lobbying

It's kind of hard to talk your way out of that.

[WillyT]

41. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[EdwardBernays]

42. My pleasure

This is one of my major issues... Corruption. I post about it as much as I can.

[Duval]

43. K&R!

[CharlotteVale]

46. K&R

[Live and Learn]

47. K&R nt

[EndElectoral]

48. K&R -Gives new meaning to there's no free lunch.

[ReRe]

49. K&R

Does anyone remember the camera going to the audience showing Howard Dean last night? Did you notice how low he was sitting in his seat? Know why? Because he was sitting right by Steve Elmendorf!

[Armstead]

52. C'mon....They're all just civic minded donors and volunteers who CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN

[TIME TO PANIC]

56. Just look at their smug expressions.

[olddots]

60. 4 letter word

OOPS ......

[SoLeftIAmRight]

64. Calling all Hillary supporters ...

???

[bvar22]

65. While hiking through west Texas, I found a rattlesnake den.

They were all intertwined down in a dark hole.
A bunch of poisonous snakes, all crooked and twisted, and definitely something I wanted to stay away from.
.
.
.
Funny, but I hadn't thought of that for years...until I read your OP.

[ViseGrip]

68. The GREAT REALITY OF THE HILLARY CAMPAIGN

[yourout]

71. Corrupt to the core.

Corrupt to the core.

[dae]

74. Biggest bundler R. Sullivan's clients include protecting

tax breaks for private equity, and real estate firms. How hard do you think he was laughing when Hill was trying to chastize Sanders for his "artful schmeer" implying she could be bought.
Then again, he wasn't laughing when the Quinnipac poll came out today.

[SHRED]

75. You must be anti-woman...

[glinda]

76. Kick

[Thinkingabout]

77. Bernie has his meetings with the lobbyists also and fund raisers.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2010/02/dem-senators-spent-weekend-with-bank-energy-tobacco-lobbyists-024709

There will be more stories as Sanders is vetted.

[NJCher]

88. So show me the money

It's public information.

Cher

[Android3.14]

90. Though this is untrue, suppose he were. Would it be okay?

Doesn't it bother you in the least little bit that Hillary and hubby have received speaking fees in the past 15 years what would literally take a regular person 7000 years to earn?

Doesn't it worry you just a little bit that Hillary tells the banking industry one thing and the regular people something completely different?

I mean,

[quantass]

78. +1

[Glamrock]

80. But but but

Sander's had family as paid staff! And unions! They're Super-Pacs you know.

[azmom]

82. kickety kick

[Bread and Circus]

83. Haim Saban - CEO of Univision....hmmmm

[Califonz]

85. Love that Streisand Effect!

Or most Democrats don't want the election to be about a GOP billionaire vs. a Dem hundred-millionaire.

[emsimon33]

86. Put links on Facebook and Twitter!

Thank you! This woman has too much baggage and too many skeletons with rotting flesh still clinging to its bones to win the general election.

[raouldukelives]

89. All just the meek voices of many shareholders made whole. nt

[elias49]

91. Oh, this is so damning. Especially the IBTimes article

That one article alone should end her run, perhaps her career.

[EdwardBernays]

99. 100%

That article is just... It's so damping and irrefutable.

And yet. And yet.

[elias49]

92. Kick kick kakick

Time for Hillary to hang it up and spend some time enjoying her ill-acquired wealth.
I won't miss her.

[KentuckyWoman]

97. I'd lost track of Evan Bayh.

The fact he went K Street is more proof we live in a Corporatocracy.

[Ferd Berfel]

98. Tis but a scratch..................

[dixiegrrrrl]

102. THIS is the kind of posts that made DU so important to all of us.