First the info, an excellent post at Balloon Juice. The author brings her perspective as a lawyer and a campaign treasurer for a local candidate on the Rickett scheme (If you’re not sure, for now it’s a freshly killed zombie revolving around the Rev Wright and Obama). She framed this really well using multimedia, beginning with this conclusion:
The 54-page proposal was professionally bound and illustrated with color photographs, indicating that it is far beyond a mere discussion.It was also designed to flatter and stroke the billionaire. The plan is titled “The Ricketts Plan To End His Spending For Good”. The billionaire’s name is on it. He’d be forever credited with “bringing down Obama”, and while being a kingmaker is profitable in terms of access and raw lobbying clout, it’s also probably very ego-gratifying.
I’ve actually thought about this. The billionaires aren’t the only douche-bags, it’s the people cooking up these proposals. They’re sales pitches from salespeople who have gained access to a wealthy listener. The idea is to get his or her’s money. Some of these schemes are probably more legit than others. It’s conceivable the billionaire could even be swindled — not that that keeps me up at night. At the very least a whole new industry is emerging, it’s growing, and it’s not regulated at all.
Haven’t we had some recent setbacks with unregulated, growing side industries wreaking havoc? But I digress. The author is the one that got me to thinking about this today and she finishes up:
As unlimited money pours in, and the “campaign industrial complex” of lawyers, consultants and pollsters gets larger and larger and more and more entrenched, how likely is it that we’re ever going to get any campaign finance reform? What happens to this industry if we go to public financing of campaigns, or even limit or regulate PACS? What was the cut that was to go to the consultants and the pollsters and the rest who were involved in the proposal for the Obama smear? 15% of 10 million? Where is all this money going? Who (else) benefits from the piles of unregulated and unlimited cash that are pouring in, other than the millionaire and billionaire donors, I mean?
Excellent question. Now the cynicism, why can’t we have a pac or super pac? It doesn’t even have to be big. A few thousand dollars would do it for starters. Bottom being the bottom line: unless you are famous or inside the DC game, your single voice just doesn’t matter that much. Small donations are great and yes, please vote for the candidate, but those kinds of donations usually work through a website, you won’t likely talk to the person, or any person, much less make any kind of case to them.
We might, we could. It would cost either a bunch of people a little money or a few people a little more. Not that I want to run that, but I might know someone who can explain how it would work, if we FTB/skeptics ever had the inclination.
I do think that Jeremiah Wright’s anti-Amercian racist hate speeches and Obama staying in his church and sticking by him should have bene the death knell of Obama’s 2008 campaign. That should have disqualified Obama from presidential worthiness.
Amazed it didn’t.
Still wonder how good a president Hiliary Clinton might’ve made.
Moot point now I guess but yeah.
Obama was certainly the lesser evil in 2008 and again this year. No big fan of him though especially after what he did to NASA and the hope of seeing a human return to the Moon in my lifetime.
As for an FTB super PAC – nice idea. Hope it happens and works out but, Whoah, My FSM, it’ll sure be an underdog against the power of the Corporate and Military Industrial lobbies.
Stevo, you are always saying ridiculous stuff. Quote/cite something “racist” that Rev. Wright said on record.
As a non-American white atheist I don’t expect you to know shit about the Black experience, so I’ll give you a pass on understanding the context of oppression Wright preaches against. But it’s par for the course for Whitey to suggest that Obama should be “disqualified” by association.
Sucking money out of the pockets of people with lots of money and hugely inflated egos who are sure that their ideas are always good ones because, well, they were able to accumulate lots of money is the best of scams. No real downside except for in the case where it intersects with politics and totally fucks up the political discourse. But hey, we should be used to it by now as it’s been going on long enough. Citizens United just took away the hurdles and the qualification rounds to get into the finals.
Yeah, but Steve, not everyone is such an idiot as you. That’s why it didn’t.
@ ^ That moron KG :
Wow, another content, substance and evidence free rant from KG. What a surprise – NOT.
@ 3. Drolfe :
See :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright_controversy#Controversial_sermon_excerpts
From whence :
And there’s plenty more.
Are you seriously arguing that Jeremiah Wright is not racist and is actually correct in the ludicrous bovine feces he spews?
No my skin ain’t melanin enriched – but that doesn’t make me ignorant or stupid either. It is possible to disagree with folks here and be correct and a good person too y’know.