If President Obama thought his pretend battle against the insurance companies on health care reform was tough, he ain't seen nothin' yet:
Right. Maybe if we just say "pretty please" and make them cross their hearts (as if they had any) and hope to spit, they'll police themselves. And if you'll buy that.....
"Banks are mobilizing a smooth-running lobbying machine in Washington to battle Barack Obama's plans to limit the size and scope of Wall Street institutions, as financial services firms gear up to stop a shake-up that could slice away large chunks of their operations.
Their influence on Capitol Hill is broad - the top eight US banks spent $26 million on lobbying efforts last year, an increase of 6% on 2008 despite their financial woes, according to Congressional records. And in the first 10 months of 2009, the financial industry donated $78.2 million to federal candidates and party committees - more than any other business sector - according to political research institute the Center for Responsive Politics.
...The Financial Services Forum, which represents 18 top banks including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Citigroup, says the problem of institutions becoming "too big to fail" ought to be tackled through more effective supervision, and by creating an authority able to wind down failing firms, rather than by forcing them to shrink."
Right. Maybe if we just say "pretty please" and make them cross their hearts (as if they had any) and hope to spit, they'll police themselves. And if you'll buy that.....
There are a lot of people saying, "yep it's all Obama's fault." A New York political science professor, for one: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/22-7
A little name calling of Obama and Democrats by Republicans should do the trick to convince the population that such legislation is not in their best interest.
Collectively, we are such a bunch of suckers that we gladly accept to take the innoculation when big corporation THINKS it's about to take a hit. (Now, THAT is Republicans' socialism)
Well, it sounds like the partisan finger pointers have already started before anything has been done. Go back and look up Opensecrets.org and see for yourselves which candidates received the most money from Investment bankers,then look at what they do and say when it comes up. Forget the party labels. There are bought and sold politicians in every state.
I fear that short of "divine intervention", we are in a big pickle. The GOP doesns;t have to "control" government as they did for the past 8 years if they can STOP any governing from being conducted.
My best friend Dave, interacts quite a bit with the public and lots of republicans. Because of his career, they think he is one of them and they speak very freely.
These people have been scared to death for over a year, that, with a black man in the White House AND the socialist party controling EVERY aspect of the government, that life as they know it would end in 2012. IN other words, they either agreed with the Mayan calendar or thought, gee, what a helluva coincidence.
The Supremes ruling last week coupled with the Brown upset in MA has and the death of the healthcare initiative, has, according to Dave, alleviated their fear of imminent doom. They mostly agree that Obama will get NOTHING of the "Change" he promised and they are pretty sure that with the 41-59 "majority" in the SEnate they can positively, absolutely, stall, freeze, eliminate, and or cripple ANY legislation that should make its unlikely way OUT of committee.
They are positive they can win the election in 2012 and restore conservatism to government.
With the democratics we currently have in congress AND at the helm of the ship, I don't know that they are wrong.
I fear that in a year, or so, we're gonna get a crappy piece of banking legislation with 10 new rules to protect us, the people, and 50 loopholes for the international banking conspiracy to jump through. They will continue to reap the profits ans WE will continue to suffer the losses. They will just make up new names for the worthless securities that back up the risky loans they make, pay themselves HUGE bonuses for making the loans, and then use the FDIC (Our money) to cover the inevitable losses.
Gotta pass on a quick story - somewhat related
Just retrieved a company computer from the repair shop. In conversation, I asked the owner how business was doing. Really picked up in the last week, he says and to quote, "I attribute it to the election of Scott Brown. Lots of people have really been paying close attention to that election. Now we can undo what has happened during the last year".
Ok. A Republican senator gets elected in Massachusetts and more computers are brought in for repair in Texas. Of course. How silly could I be, not being immediately able to make that connection? This is from the same guy who, minutes earlier, had been complaining about the credit card servicing fees charged by Bank of America. Can someone explain to me how electing a Republican is ever possibly going to help this guy?
As I have said before - these people are delusional. They believe what they want to believe, facts and reality be damned. And they are on a roll.
Talk about "closing ranks." The international banking conspiracy, its members, its lobbyists, and its "legislators on payroll" are gonna positively make a fight of this, tooth and nail. The are gonna get dug in better than the Japs on Iwo Jimo. And, like the Japs, they already have the high ground.
This will most certainly be a test of Obama AND the democratic congress. CAN they actually DO anything?
The president is talking a good game. But when the smoke clears, who will be raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi????
Thus why nothing gets done in Washington. It's easy to pass legislation that craps on the little people, but when you expect industries that dominate the little guy to just surrender a little you might as well threaten their wives and children. The whole idea of asking people to sacrifice (you know the ones that actually can) seems so foreign.
Hell, if Obama can't get financial reform passed, even I probably wouldn't vote for him. There was NEVER a better time to make an argument for substantial reform of our financial markets. If our "transformational" president can't do it with an 18 seat majority in the Senate, it will never happen.
This should be a good barometer on just how much of congress is "bought and paid for". It should be a good "test" on whether any of the "change" we voted for is likely to happen. And lastly, it will likely be Obama's last chance to even consider pursuing a second term.
And the Dems will have no idea on how to proceed. But, just how many of them receive bribes, uh, payouts, uh, financial assistance from the financial institutions. We really think any of them will do the "people's business". The President's agenda is screwed again. And again, and again.
Do I detect an echo ?
Once again, as in the health care Town Hall meetings and the teabagger rallies, we are about to witness the inability of millions of people to comprehend what is in their own best self interest. Republicans will somehow manage, in the middle of the worst economic collapse since the Depression, to defend the bad guys. And too many American voters will be there to say, "yep it's all Obama's fault."