Here’s a partial guest list for the DNC meeting with president Obama held at the White House.
(POLITICO added the affiliations and descriptions):
Thomas Bernstein, co-founder of Chelsea Piers, L.P., and chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington (appointed by Obama in September 2010); and his wife, Andrea Bernstein
Jon Corzine, former Democratic governor of New Jersey and former CEO of Goldman Sachs
James Dinan, founder of York Capital Management
Glenn Dubin, CEO of Highbridge Capital Management
Mark Gallogly, co-founder of Centerbridge Partners and a member of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Jeffrey Gural, chairman of the real estate firm Newmark Knight Frank
Michael Kempner, CEO at MWW Group and a member of the White House’s Council for Community Solutions
Sarah Kovner, longtime Clinton supporter and prominent New York liberal
Marc Lasry, co-founder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group
Margo Lion, of Margo Lion LTD, co-chairwoman of the Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities
Brian Mathis, co-managing member of Provident Group Ltd. and co-managing partner of Longship Capital Management, LLC
Richard Richman, runs real estate/investment banking/property management conglomerate The Richman Group; and his wife, Ellen Richman, a philanthropist and Pace University marketing professor
William Rudin, chief executive of the real estate company Rudin Management
Rick Schifter, partner at TPG Capital, formerly Texas Pacific Group
Bernard Schwartz, former CEO of Loral Space & Communications, philanthropist and backer of the Democratic Leadership Council
Jay Snyder, Democratic Party activist and philanthropist
James Staley, head of JPMorgan Chase’s investment bank
Vern Nelson, Editor, Orange Juice blog. Sorry, that high profile individual was not invited
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57745_Page2.html#ixzz1QIklBG1n
> And the true purpose of the White House meeting was???
The billionaires on Wall Street need another $13 trillion bailout, so they went to the White House to tell their favorite snake oil salesman, President Barack Obama, to bamboozle the public into thinking that giving them more taxpayer money is “change we can believe in.”
Right. It’s the same pitch they gave Dubya and Hank Paulsen…and boy did THEY jump through hoops.
The degree to which our government is in the control of oligarchs knows no party boundaries.
anon. I don’t even have to mention those supporters who slept in Lincoln’s bedroom.
Both sides live on the edge.
Larry,
Are you impling/suggesting/accusing Obama of violations of the Hatch Act?
After the numerous Bush administation violations*, I would hope the Obama administration would do better, Obama did move the OPA out of the White House, but until we have publicly funded elections it will ALWAYS be the party out of power just crying foul and “business” will continue as usual.
* http://www.scribd.com/doc/47560565/STF-Report-Final-Bush-and-Election-Laws
Obama administration ethics reforms;
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/President+Obama's+progress+in+government+ethics.-a0226361770
anonster.
Campaign finance reform is a tough issue.
Sadly, if you do not have deep pockets it is extremely costly to get your message out on the airwaves.
HOWEVER, with the explosion of social networks, IF you can lead voters to your Facebook and Twitter sites, it will partially level the playing field.
Looking out my rear view mirror, because my windshield is dirty, can you help me out?
Did candidate Obama agree to accept federal funding in the 2008 election and later change his position?How much was it again? $84.1 million that he and John McCain both agreed to accept as the cap.
Larry,
If we want to make progress on this issue we need to be HONEST and not just partisan, your front windshield ain’t nearly as dirty as your back windshield.;
A Report Card from Reform Groups on the Obama Administration’s Executive Branch Lobbying, Ethics and Transparency Reforms in 2009
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Report Card on the Obama Administration’s Executive Branch Lobbying,
Ethics and Transparency Reforms in 2009
Issued by Common Cause, Democracy 21,
League of Women Voters and U.S. PIRG
Reform groups issued a report card today on the Executive Branch lobbying, ethics and transparency reforms implemented by the Obama Administration in its first year.
The groups include Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters and U.S. PIRG.
The report card is based on the changes in Executive Branch rules and policies made by the Obama Administration in 2009, measured by what an Administration can accomplish solely through its own Executive Branch actions and in light of what past Administrations have done.
The report card concludes:
The cumulative effect of the Administration’s actions has been to adopt the strongest and most comprehensive lobbying, ethics and transparency rules and policies ever established by an Administration to govern its own activities.
The report card covers seven areas in which the Administration has implemented government reforms and provides a grade for each area.
The report card states:
We recognize that legitimate questions may exist about aspects of the various policies and their implementation. The positions we have set forth are based on an overall assessment of each of the policies in the context of this reality. The areas and grades, discussed in detail in the report, include the following:
Revolving Door Lobbying Ban, A
Open Government, A
Reverse Revolving Door Restrictions, A
Lobbyist Gift Ban, B
Preventing Lobbyists from Serving on Advisory Boards, B
Restrictions on Seeking Stimulus Funds, B
Restrictions on Seeking Financial Bailout, No Grade
According to the report card:
The new rules and policies have begun the difficult process of changing the way business is done in Washington.
President Obama deserves recognition and high praise for the ethics, lobbying and transparency rules put in place for the Executive Branch during his first year in office.
Our organizations give the Obama Administration very high grades for the Executive Branch reforms it implemented during 2009.
The report card further states:
****************************************************************
At the same time, however, the overriding issue that has to be addressed to change the way business is done in Washington is the corrupting role played by campaign money in influencing federal officeholders and government decisions.
****************************************************************
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Washington lobbyists, special interests and campaign contributions combine to exercise enormous influence over government decisions at the great expense of the American people. The Washington influence-money culture fundamentally undermines the integrity of our government and is a prime cause for the deep cynicism that exists in our society about government policies and federal officeholders.
To date, the Obama Administration has not pursued public policy reforms in the campaign finance area. In 2010 and beyond, the core test for the Obama Administration’s government reform agenda will be its efforts to reform the nation’s campaign finance laws and the enforcement of those laws. In the end, in order to successfully take on Washington’s influence-money culture, the Obama Administration must take on and win the battle for fundamental campaign finance reform.
At stake here is nothing less than the right of the American people to a government free from influence-buying corruption.
According to the report card:
Fundamental reform of the nation’s campaign finance laws requires:
Repairing the presidential public financing system, which President Obama publicly committed to do during his 2008 presidential campaign;
Establishing a public financing system for congressional races, and
Creating a new campaign finance enforcement system to replace the failed Federal Election Commission.
The report card states:
These campaign finance reforms are the overriding government reform challenge facing President Obama as he begins his second year in office. We look forward to President Obama providing strong leadership on these essential campaign finance reforms and to working with the Obama Administration and congressional leaders to achieve these goals.
Anonster. Are you expecting me to read all of the third party stuff you find on the Internet?
Let’s cut to the chase and not try to deflect my basic question. When he was running for office Barak Obama agreed to stay within the public finance cap of his 2008 election. Seeing the megabucks coming into his coffers he flipped. And your justification and report card of that early ETHICS action is what?
PS: You haven’t seen my windshield lately. Seriously, the car needs to be washed. The good news is that I don’t drive around the County with an Orange Juice logo on the side doors.
Larry,
I thought this post was about the Hatch Act, if you find that reading about positive ethics reforms that have been implemented, tedious, it’s obvious that you aren’t really serious about ethics reforms and your only goal is to tarnish Obama.
And since you aren’t serious, I’ll give back to you the reply you always give to me; the 2008 elections are in my rearview mirror, who cares?
Anonster. You are correct.
A sidebar for you. I do care about ethics and have had multiple articles published in electronics magazines dealing with that issue. However, being retired my personal appearances in TX and Toronto and industry editorials were each published before the turn of the decade so they can only be viewed in the rear view mirror.
Anonster et al.
As anonster references the Hatch Act let me provide a link for those not familiar with this 1937 law and its amendments. http://www.govexec.com/basics/hatchact.htm
It has long been said “No one gets elected President in this great country, with out the blessing of the men on Wall Street”. This has been true for nearly one hundred years.
In recent years we could add Hollywood and Texas oil to the list, but nowhere near the levels that the moneymen have.
It doesn’t matter which party a canidate represents at this level anymore. They are all puppets to the banks.
> It has long been said “No one gets elected President in this great
> country, with out the blessing of the men on Wall Street”. This has
> been true for nearly one hundred years.
“Those who own the country ought to govern it.”
— JOHN JAY,
American Statesman and first Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court, 1745-1829
“Those who own the country ought to govern it.”
Yes, we had oligarchs even back then. A recipe for government by the rich and powerful.
Fortunately, the Founder’s vision was far more inclusive.