Digby: Seeing the connections

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http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/seeing-connections.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
by digby

Here's an interesting exchange between Howie and Congressman Brad Miller from our Blue America chat yesterday morning:
http://blueamerica.crooksandliars.com/howie-klein/print-all-blue-america-welcomes-back-b#comments

Howie Klein: Money makes the World Go Round-- And Congress Too. Congressman Miller, as I mentioned in the intro above, Alan Grayson told us that you were one of the only Members of Congress he'd ever met you didn't hesitate to tell a well-connected lobbyist to take a hike. That's admirable-- and it has a lot to do with why you're one of only three House incumbents we've endorsed this year-- but I want to ask you about the House Financial Services Committee on which you serve. That place is notorious as a honeypot for every sleazy banking lobbyist Inside-the-Beltway. Forget the Republicans for a minute; how hard was it for you to be the point person on financial reform among the progressives when the committee was so chock full of Blue Dogs and other lobbyist-friend Democrats? And as a part 2 to that one, what kind of campaign finance legislation is needed to make our government a more effective tool for ordinary working families?

Brad Miller: My mother did try to teach me manners. I am from the South, after all. So whenever I’ve told lobbyists to take a hike I’ve been very polite about it. Okay, maybe a couple of times I wasn’t.

I wonder how Alan even knows about that?

You’re right that the membership of the Financial Services Committee was kind of a problem when we were working on financial reform. Vulnerable new members asked to be on the committee because it was supposed to be good for fundraising, and the leadership generally obliged them. But it’s not good for fundraising unless you’re pretty friendly to the banks’ positions. The Huffington Post wrote a good article about that.

(more at link)

[msongs]

1. "House" of prostitution and the senate is no better nt