"Why do the bankers get a private meeting at the WH and NOT public hearings?"

[chimpymustgo]

Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC now. Says this is all a charade. Banksters have their money and the reform measures are wet noodles. Now get a little scolding from the President. Money flowing to politicians to keep running the game.

Just as so many of us suspected.

[Kahuna]

1. And you know this as a fact, how? Because Dylan says so?

:rofl:

[chimpymustgo]

8. Actually I've known for a while. Wondering when folks like you will wake up.

Really, this meme is PATHETIC. Anybody who posts/says something critical about Obama CAN'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES? Must take instructions from Dylan Ratigan/Matt Taibbi/Paul Krugman/Joseph Stiglitz/Glen Greenwald...

Lord have mercy...that's even STUPIDER than Obama's 11 dimension chess.

:rofl:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. oh no! he might send them a strictly worded letter, too!

what a crock. This meeting should be in congress, under subpoena, with criminal warrants awaiting them outside of the chamber. This is simply a way for Obama to pad his re-election fund.

He will come out, all smiles, saying, "We accomplished a great deal today!"
Yeah, a great deal for the banks and Obama, and fuck the american public.

[Octafish]

17. One banker got so scared, his tee-shot ended up in the rough. The rough!

Things were OK, though, by the time they got to the 19th hole.



If you know what I mean.

[MNDemNY]

3. That is a rhetorical question , right?

:rofl:

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. Because somehow this is "transparency". n/t

[raccoon]

5. Off to Greatest with you! nt

[Odin2005]

6. Because he can't go into a POed, cussing rage at them in public?

:shrug:

[Echo In Light]

7. Transparency, the Uniquely American way

[Dragonfli]

21. Secrecy is transparency as surely as war is peace comrade. You need re-education.

Or perhaps we will have to free you by placing you in prison.

[Echo In Light]

24. Auh...doubleplus un-good for me, then

;)

[Le Taz Hot]

9. And Dylan Ratigan is correct.

While giving that "stern talk" to the banksters, at the same time they're talking about LOOSENING restrictions on derivatives. There aren't even any meaningful reforms coming down the pipeline.

[flyarm]

10. same transparency as Big Pharma and the insurance boys got!!

You know ..just like we got transparancy on Health Care Reform on CSPAN like promised..


Oh we didn't??

Never mind.

[asdjrocky]

11. Shut up, sit down and sit there and wait for 2010.

Why can't you just stop with the whining?

(Oh yeah, and while you're at it could you send some money to the DNC, the DLC, and the DCCC? No, don't worry about including your phone number because we won't be calling, but make sure you include the CC number. Thanks now, bye.)

[Javaman]

13. Because some animals are more equal than others. nt

[defendandprotect]

14. "Money flowing to politicians to keep running the game." ,,,,, AGREE , , ,

[ThomCat]

15. Just like when Obama claimed to be a "Strong Advocate for the LGBT community."

He talks in strong language and it means absolutely nothing. His actions will be the exact opposite of his words.

So while he condemned greedy bankers publicly the other day in order to get public kudos, today he'll be on his knees kissing their asses and taking their orders for how to scuttle the finance reform that the public is demanding.

Haven't people learned by now that his populist outbursts are just calculated PR stunts?

[chimpymustgo]

16. "Haven't people learned by now that his populist outbursts are just calculated PR stunts?"

What you said. I really don't want to hear one more speech from him. DO something. Then we can talk about it. Posted my full rant this morning.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7221819

[bvar22]

18. It is the "MIssion Accomplished" Victory Party.

The champaign is already on ice.
Obama will be presented with a nice "campaign donation" from his friends and BIG supporters on Wall Street.
You really can't do that in public.
Not good politics.

Of course, when the Victory Party is over, they will come down the steps and say Obama "really laid down the law", but they will be giggling behind their hands and elbowing each other in the ribs.

Watch and see.

The Victory Party in the White House for the Health Insurance Cartel is planned for next month after they get their Trillion Dollars.

[Vidar]

19. K&R.

[NYC_SKP]

20. Since So Many here have Concluded that Obama is a Failure, this is all Gravedancing, Isn't It???

I get more good news from Glenn Beck and Limbaugh, screaming about how Obama supports unions and isn't bombing Afghanistan back into the stone age.

Strange place these days, DU.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

22. If the hearings were public, Obama wouldn't be able to act all indignant about them on 60 Minutes

Thought that was pretty obvious...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Payoffs are best done discreetly.

[chill_wind]

25. Because the Fat Cats had Fat Wallets for 2008. Just some numbers to keep it real

for those who still don't quite get the skepticism...

Just some highlights:

AIG had given twice as much $$ to Democrats since 2006.

Dodd & Obama got the single largest amounts.

Money to Congress: 2008 Cycle

Dems: $452,526
Repubs: $144,792
Others: Independents: $0


Top Recipients

Senate Obama, Barack $104,332
Senate Dodd, Chris $103,900
Senate McCain, John $59,499
Senate Clinton, Hillary $37,965
Senate Baucus, Max $24,750
Presidential Romney, Mitt $20,850
Senate Biden, Joseph R Jr $19,975
House Larson, John B $19,750
Senate Sununu, John E $18,500
Presidential Giuliani, Rudolph W $13,200

See all recipients
Based on data released by the FEC on March 02, 2009.


more at the link
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/toprecips.php?id=D000000123

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Top Recipients-

Dodd $165,400
Obama $126,349

with 57% overall to Dems
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/up


ALL the insurance money..

Top 20 Members (2008)


Candidate Amount

McCain, John (R) $2,376,521

Obama, Barack (D) $2,214,848

Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $1,205,555

Dodd, Chris (D-CT) $852,556

McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $401,233

(see the rest)

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=F09&recipdetail=M&sortorder=U&cycle=2006

Lehman Brothers

Since 1989, Lehman Brothers's employees and political action committee have given $9.2 million to federal candidates, parties and political action committees, with 54 percent of that going to Democrats. In the current Congress, 271 lawmakers have collected nearly $3 million since 1989, with 72 percent going to Democrats. Democratic presidential candidates and senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama top the list of all-time recipients for the company, collecting $410,000 and $395,600 respectively. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of both the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, hauled in $181,450, while Sen. Chris Dodd, chair of the Senate banking committee, has collected $165,800. The top recipient of PAC money from Lehman Brothers has been Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities industry. Castle has collected $38,500 from Lehman's PAC since 1993.

This election cycle, Lehman employees have given about $1.3 million to presidential candidates. Only fellow financial giants Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley have given more to the presidential hopefuls this election cycle. Lehman employees have made their firm one of the top contributors to both Obama ($370,500) and John McCain ($117,500) this election cycle. The company is also on track to spend more than $800,000 on federal lobbying this year.

The following members of the 110th Congress have received contributions from the employees and PAC of Lehman Brothers since the 1990 election cycle.

Members of the 110th Congress who have received campaign contributions from Lehman Brothers, 1989-2008

Clinton, Hillary $409,980

Obama, Barack $395,574

Schumer, Charles E $181,450

Dodd, Christopher J $165,800

Lieberman, Joe $165,450

more: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/brothers-grim-is-lehman-next.html..

And last but not least by far--

Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street’s most prestigious investment banks, was also among the many banks in 2008 and 2009 to receive billions of dollars in taxpayer money to help it stay afloat. Like others in the securities industry, Goldman Sachs advises and invests in nearly every industry affected by federal legislation. The firm closely monitors issues including economic policy, trade and nearly all legislation that governs the financial sector. It has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry. The firm tends to give most of its money to Democrats. A number of high-ranking government officials in recent years have spent part of their careers at Goldman Sachs.

Cycle Total Dem Republicans % to Dems % to Repubs

2008 $5,842,471 $4,392,720 $1,439,411 75% 25%

2006 $3,502,866 $2,170,911 $1,294,005 62% 37%

2004 $6,428,438 $3,963,753 $2,446,185 62% 38%

2002 $3,513,035 $2,292,040 $1,219,995 65% 35%

2000 $4,432,977 $2,764,185 $1,662,292 62% 38%

1998 $1,938,166 $1,225,252 $683,914 63% 35%

1996 $1,816,563 $997,747 $816,316 55% 45%

1994 $1,026,235 $562,760 $462,675 55% 45%

1992 $1,660,310 $908,295 $751,515 55% 45%

1990 $717,621 $473,716 $243,905 66% 34%

TOTAL $30,878,682 $19,751,379 $11,020,213 64% 36%


The numbers on this page are based on contributions of $200 or more from PACs and individuals to federal candidates and from PAC, individual and soft money donors to political parties, as reported to the Federal Election Commission. While election cycles are shown in charts as 1996, 1998, 2000 etc. they actually represent two-year periods. For example, the 2002 election cycle runs from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002. NOTE: Soft money contributions were not publicly disclosed until the 1991-92 election cycle and were banned after the 2002 cycle.

Data for the current election cycle was released by the Federal Election Commission on March 02, 2009.

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000085

Top Recipients

Senate Obama, Barack $983,245
Senate Clinton, Hillary $410,350
Presidential Romney, Mitt $234,275
Senate McCain, John $230,095
House Himes, Jim $150,498
Senate Dodd, Chris $110,000
Presidential Giuliani, Rudolph W $109,450
Presidential Edwards, John $68,750
Senate Specter, Arlen $47,600
House Emanuel, Rahm $37,750

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/toprecips.php?id=D000000085

Barack Obama (D)

Top Contributors 2008



University of California $1,385,675
Goldman Sachs $980,945
Microsoft Corp $806,299
Harvard University $793,460
Google Inc $790,564
Citigroup Inc $657,268
JPMorgan Chase & Co $650,758
Stanford University $580,904
Sidley Austin LLP $574,938
Time Warner $547,951
National Amusements Inc $541,251
WilmerHale $524,292
UBS AG $522,019
IBM Corp $518,557
Skadden, Arps et al $510,274
Columbia University $503,566
Morgan Stanley $490,873
US Government $479,956
General Electric $479,454
Latham & Watkins $467,311

Top Industries of Obama Bundlers

Sector Min. Raised # of Bundlers

Lawyers/Law Firms $12,600,000 97
Securities & Investment $8,250,000 61
TV/Movies/Music $3,200,000 20
Business Services $2,400,000 19
Real Estate $2,050,000 20

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/bundlers.php?id=N00009638

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center


Barack Obama and this current Congress didn't invent the campaign finance system that begs for radical reform, of course, but until that kind of reform ever happens......


P.S. I've read that the Audit the Fed amendment reportedly survived the House Reform Bill.
We should start a poll to see who here seriously believes that would survive the Senate.

[chimpymustgo]

26. Helluva post. Make it a separate OP. Help people UNDERSTAND.

[chill_wind]

27. Take it away chimpymustgo

I did this as a diary back in the bailout days. Most of my OP's like this die quick deaths, like that one did.

Repost and add to it freely. All of it is at opensecrets.org

For the record, I think Dodd gave his AIG money back when the S*%t hit the fan.

[quiet.american]

28. Since when does the President schedule and chair Senate and House hearings?

Some of this sniping is getting ridiculous.

[Cassandra2010]

29. They own the building

the keys and the security guards?

Oh, uh and the politicians.

Just a silly prole here.