India's Clout in U.S. Congress Assisted by GE, Boeing, JPMorgan

[deminks]

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aSVGFQNTru38

July 17 (Bloomberg) -- For India, which wants the U.S. Congress to approve an accord allowing it to acquire nuclear technology, it helps to have friends in high places.

Top executives at JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Electric Co. and Boeing Co. are among those lobbying lawmakers to approve the agreement -- a demonstration of the rapid emergence of pro-India groups as a political force in Washington.

The effort has already yielded results. Last month, after hearing pleas from the companies, U.S. business groups and Indian-American business executives, House and Senate committees overwhelmingly approved the outlines of the agreement, which would give India access to power-plant technology from companies including Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE.

India, the world's 11th-largest economy and most populous democracy, may one day be second only to Israel among international interests able to influence Washington policy makers, says Robert Hoffman, a lobbyist for Redwood City, California-based Oracle Corp., which has a majority interest in an Indian software-maker.

The nuclear agreement, he says, ``has been a coming-out party of sorts for the India lobby.''

[havocmom]

1. US Congress? That's history. We are one world now

One CORPORATE RULED world.

[Mr Friendly]

2. Way to go India!

At least Indians don't crash airplanes full of
civilians into NYC skycsrapers (last time I looked).

[liberalpragmatist]

3. I'm not too thrilled

I'm Indian-American and I very much value US-India friendship and an alliance. But I don't want this relationship to rest on the power of lobbyists. We badly need FULL PUBLIC FINANCING so that our representatives are freed from ALL these financial pressures. I sincerely hope that India and the U.S. have a long and fruitful relationship, but it should arise because of its actual worth, not because of the power of corporate lobbyists. I don't want India to replicate AIPAC.

[ShockediSay]

4. Pay to Play - It's the lobbying game

the only game in town (DC).

[Eugene]

5. National interest = Whatever big business wants

This is more a triumph of business lobbyists than a new
enlightenment in Congress about US-India relations.

[Acadia Blue]

6. Exactly. The corrupt are busy taking $$$$$$ and selling off our nation's

economic well being to the highest corporate bidder. We will end up a big stinking pit of poverty just like Mexico. Thats why they want all the Mexicans to come here, because they already accept starvation conditions and the smallest improvement looks great to them.