Law Firms That Donated $88,000 to Elizabeth Warren represents controversial HSBC Bank

[wyldwolf]

As long as we're pointing fingers and creating faux scandals...

Bingham McCutchen LLP, donated $35,000 to Elizabeth Warren in 2013-2014

Ropes and Gray donated $53,450 to Elizabeth Warren in 2013-2014

https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2014&cid=N00033492&newMem=Y&type=I

One of the accounts maintained by Bingham McCutchen LLP lpartner Thomas C. Mellor is HSBC Bank.

http://www.bingham.com/People/Mellor-Thomas

One of the accounts maintained by Ropes and Gray partner Mark Somerstein was HSBC Bank.

http://www.ropesgray.com/biographies/s/mark-r-somerstein.aspx

One of the accounts maintained by Ropes and Gray partner Anne Pak was HSBC Bank (and Bain Capital)

http://www.ropesgray.com/biographies/p/anne-h-pak.aspx

I'll bet we can find HSBC connections to other politicians. Let's look!

[elleng]

1. REALLY! Talk about faux scandals!

Law firms represent 'everyone,' and large law firms represent MORE everyones. It means NOTHING!

Thanks for the chance to state this.

[eridani]

5. Indeed. Compare to $81 million from actual CLIENTS of HSBC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026207359

[Octafish]

11. A-ha a-ha a-ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

When you put it that way...

[pnwmom]

16. Going to a charitable foundation, not her campaign. n/t

[eridani]

35. The foundation has indeed done good things in the world.

It's also done the Clintons quite a bit of good.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/05/ST2008040502593.html

Between 2001 and 2006, the years for which tax records are available, the family put nearly $6 million into the foundation. The Clintons took a tax write-off for that money even though the foundation gave away less than half that amount -- about $2.5 million. A Clinton campaign official said that trend did not continue in 2007 -- the family moved $3 million through the foundation to other charities.

Paul Caron, a tax expert at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, said the Clintons did not take full advantage of the loophole that allows taxpayers to capitalize on exemptions even when the money is not distributed. The family foundation was legally required to give away 5 percent of its money to qualify for tax-exempt status, Caron said.

[pnwmom]

41. They had to give money away to get the tax write-off. The foundation now controls the money

and decides when and to whom it will be distributed. It won't profit the Clintons.

So I don't see this as a huge benefit to them, except whatever they gain from PR. If they had wanted to make more money for themselves, or Hillary's campaign, this wasn't the way to do it.

[tracks29]

2. Some people here are really nervous about 2016

[Rex]

6. Well they want their corporate sponsor to be the one.

They have a brand to protect after all!

[SidDithers]

9. Welcome to DU...

Sid

[BlueCaliDem]

51. Here's a heart for your sharp insight, Sid. eom

[SidDithers]

52. Heheh...

Thanks!

Sid

[BlueCaliDem]

53. :-)

You're very welcome...and it's deserved and given heartfelt.

[djean111]

10. I noticed that. Kinda funny, really!

[cui bono]

13. Yes. There is a lot of nervousness on DU about a lot of things.

Welcome to DU! Here's a heart to counteract Sid's rude eyeroll.

[tracks29]

24. Thanks!!!

I've actually been here a long time. I know DU well

[Agschmid]

25. Oh boy here we go...

[tracks29]

26. What?

[Agschmid]

28. You'll see... Though it's likely you already are familiar with the process.

[tracks29]

29. I'm guessing you think I'm a troll

[Agschmid]

30. Nah.

[tracks29]

34. Ok then

Not sure what you mean . Have a good night.

[sabrina 1]

40. Yes, they are. n/t

[Thinkingabout]

3. There are corporation connections to more than one, I really don't care about the corporation

connections but when you read over and over about HRC connection perhaps it is time to put this one to bed. I give Warren credit with admitting she got money from Wall Street, she has not tried to hide this fact. Reality is in order for candidates to be elected big bucks are needed, not a lot of us have the big bucks to run a campaign.

Thanks for your informative post.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Geez--I guess that explains why she's giving HSBC a pass.

The most prominent political critic of that 2012 settlement was Warren, who is renowned for her campaign for accountability for big Wall Street institutions.

“The government comes down hard on individuals who break the law time after time, and it should do the same for large financial institutions,” the Massachusetts senator said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday.

“The new allegations that HSBC colluded to help wealthy people and rich corporations hide money and avoid taxes are very serious, and, if true, the Department of Justice should reconsider the earlier deferred prosecution agreement it entered into with HSBC and prosecute the new violations to the full extent of the law.”

Warren’s intervention will further stoke the scandal in Washington, where members of the Senate banking committee are preparing to grill a representative of the Federal Reserve on Tuesday over how much regulators knew about US tax evasion connected to HSBC Switzerland.

[cui bono]

8. Thank you. n/t

[Electric Monk]

12. You win this thread :)

[joshcryer]

15. Rather hollow statement from Warren there.

She knows damn well that the executives won't be prosecuted for this until the laws change and they are actually made to be held accountable for the actions of their company. Of course, she has not introduced such legislation, and won't.

At most you will get a big fine and maybe one or two lower level people who were following orders will get fired.

[rhett o rick]

17. And what's your point? She is just grandstanding? Maybe we should give

HRC credit for being honest when she takes cash from Goldman-Sachs.

[joshcryer]

19. Talk is cheap.

She needs to introduce legislation holding CEOs accountable for the fraud that happens under them. Instead because corporations are apparently people, all they have to do is pay a big fine for fucking people over. This is Credit Suisse all over again.

And in Credit Suisse's case they actually destroyed evidence.

[rhett o rick]

20. I agree that talk is cheap, but at least her talk is to support the 99%. HRC seems very

comfortable with the 1% and making very little effort to indicate otherwise.

[VanillaRhapsody]

36. Please prove that....because I CAN prove you wrong!

"represents the 1%"....... my fat ass!

Hillary Clinton on Budget & Economy

Government action to tackle recession, not tax cuts. (Feb 2008)
The economy is not working for middle class families. (Jan 2008)
We need immediate relief for home heating & housing crisis. (Jan 2008)
Voted to limit credit card interest to 30%. (Jan 2008)
FactCheck: Consistently against making bankruptcy stricter. (Jan 2008)
2005 bankruptcy bill was by big credit cards & lenders. (Jan 2008)
No evidence as to how Obama would pay for new programs. (Jan 2008)
Foreclosure moratorium mitigates agony; doesn’t prolong it. (Jan 2008)
90-day moratorium on foreclosures; freeze interest rates. (Jan 2008)
Call for a moratorium on housing foreclosures for 90 days. (Jan 2008)
Freeze mortgage interest rates for five years. (Jan 2008)
Look back to 1990s to see how I’d be fiscally responsible. (Dec 2007)
Help people facing foreclosure; don’t just bail-out banks. (Aug 2007)
Balanced budget replaced with rising costs & falling wages. (Jun 2007)
Last six years were challenging; let’s try a new direction. (Oct 2006)
Co-sponsored bills totaling $502B in spending thru 2005. (Oct 2006)
Use tax dollars to upgrade infrastructure, not for stadium. (Oct 2000)
Pay down debt & cut taxes within balanced budget. (Sep 2000)
Stimulate upstate economy by more local decision-making. (Sep 2000)
Supports Niagara casino, but prefers job creation strategy. (Sep 2000)
Protect next generation by paying off national debt. (Aug 2000)
We have outlived the usefulness of Bretton Woods. (Jun 1999)
The economy creates consumers but cannot create citizens. (Jun 1999)
Invest in people instead of “smokestack chasing”. (Feb 1997)
Voted YES on $60B stimulus package for jobs, infrastructure, & energy. (Sep 2008)
Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Require full disclosure about subprime mortgages. (Dec 2007)
Reform mortgage rules to prevent foreclosure & bankruptcy. (Feb 2008)

Hillary Clinton on Corporations

Take back $55B in Bush’s industry give-aways. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: Pushed Wal-Mart for women managers & environment. (Jan 2008)
World Bank should impose rules on sovereign wealth funds. (Jan 2008)
Bush defanged the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (Dec 2007)
FactCheck: Yes, Bush shrunk CPSC; but it shrank before Bush. (Dec 2007)
Outraged at CEO compensation. (Oct 2007)
Stop bankruptcies to get rid of pension responsibilities. (Aug 2007)
Enough with corporate welfare; enough with golden parachutes. (Jun 2007)
Close lobbyists’ revolving door; end no-bid contracts. (Jun 2007)
1976 Rose Law: Fought for industry against electric rate cut. (Jun 2007)
Corporate lawyer at Rose Law while Bill was Attorney General. (Jun 2007)
Corporate elite treat working-class America as invisible. (Apr 2007)
Companies get rewarded with hard-working people left hanging. (Mar 2007)
1980s: Loved Wal-Mart's "Buy America" program. (Jun 2004)
1970s: Potential conflict of interest when GM sued Arkansas. (Nov 1997)
1970s: Potential conflict of interest when GM sued AR. (Nov 1997)
Businesses play social role in US; gov’t oversight required. (Sep 1996)
Family-friendly work policies are good for business. (Sep 1996)
Serving on boards provides ties but requires defending too. (Aug 1993)
Voted YES on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on restricting rules on personal bankruptcy. (Jul 2001)
Rated 35% by the US COC, indicating a mixed business voting record. (Dec 2003)

Hillary Clinton on Education

Parents are a child’s first teachers. (Jan 2008)
Get more teachers into hard-to-serve areas. (Nov 2007)
Hillary emphasized education reform without political agenda. (Oct 2007)
We have not yet reached consensus on education reform. (Sep 2007)
1986: HIPPY program empowers parents as kids' first teach. (Sep 2007)
Universal pre-kindergarten; and make family the best school. (Aug 2007)
Working families cannot participate in school between 9 & 3. (Jul 2007)
It takes a village; American village has failed our children. (Jun 2007)
Establish right to education from pre-school thru college. (Jun 2007)
Early education affects things from IQ to lifelong earnings. (Dec 2006)
2001: Proposed and passed National Teacher Corps. (Dec 2006)
Teacher testing only for new teachers. (Oct 2000)
Testing only new teachers respects professionalism. (Oct 2000)
Hold kids to high standards, starting at home. (Jul 1999)
Teachers need more peer consulting & more recognition. (Jul 1999)
Social promotion cheats our children. (Jul 1999)
More after-school; smaller classes. (Jul 1999)
Read to young kids 20-30 minutes daily. (Jul 1999)
Entire school staff should focus on school safety. (Jul 1999)
Metal detectors at school are not much of an intrusion. (Jun 1999)
Arts education is needed in our schools. (Sep 1998)
Give kids after-school activities to prevent gangs. (Apr 1998)
Allow student prayer, but no religious instruction. (Sep 1996)
Character education: teach empathy & self-discipline. (Sep 1996)
Supports Goals 2000: hardly the stuff of revolution. (Sep 1996)
Supports structured inner-city schools, with uniforms. (May 1996)
1960s: Taught reading in poor Boston neighborhoods. (Aug 1993)
Arkansas Ed Reform

AR Ed Reform taught that there is a place for testing. (Sep 2007)
Sent Chelsea to public schools in Arkansas, but not DC. (Jul 2007)
1983: Teacher testing as part of AR education reform. (Jun 2007)
1983: AR reforms fixed unconstitutional school financing. (Jun 2004)
AR Reform plan pushed mandatory teacher testing. (Nov 2003)
Arkansas education: improvement against great odds. (Oct 2000)
Pushed teacher testing in Arkansas. (Dec 1999)
AR ed reform: mandate kindergarten, no social promotion. (Dec 1999)
1983: Challenged low education expectations. (Aug 1999)
1993: Public accepted First Lady as education reformer. (Aug 1999)
HIPPY: Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters. (Aug 1993)
Passing illiterate students is educational fraud. (Sep 1983)
Education Funding

End predatory student college loan rates over 20%. (Apr 2008)
Fully fund special education & 21st century classrooms. (Dec 2007)
Incentive pay for school wide performance. (Aug 2007)
Transfer tax cuts from rich & corporations to student aid. (Jun 2006)
Reforms: teacher corps; more federal funding; modernize. (Sep 2000)
Opposes merit pay for individual teachers. (Apr 2000)
Supports merit pay for entire schools. (Apr 2000)
Scholarships for teachers who go to urban schools. (Mar 2000)
Increase resources to meet increased standards. (Mar 2000)
Address teacher shortage with salary increases. (Jul 1999)
School Choice

Total change in No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)
Supports public school choice; but not private nor parochial. (Oct 2006)
More teachers, smaller classes, no vouchers. (Oct 2000)
Vouchers would take money from public schools. (Oct 2000)
Vouchers drain money from public schools. (Sep 2000)
Vouchers will not improve our public schools. (Jul 1999)
Let’s build up our schools-not tear them down. (Jul 1999)
Charter schools provide choice within public system. (Jul 1999)
Charters meet needs of failing public school students. (Aug 1998)
Vouchers siphon off much-needed resources. (Aug 1998)
Parents can choose, but support public schools. (Feb 1997)
Supports public school choice and charter schools. (Sep 1996)
Voting Record

Solemn vow never to abandon our public schools. (Jul 1999)
Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
Voted YES on funding student testing instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
Voted YES on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction. (Apr 2001)
Offer every parent Charter Schools and public school choice. (Aug 2000)
Rated 82% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes. (Dec 2003)

Hillary Clinton on Families & Children

Struggling families are invisible to Bush administration. (Aug 2007)
1980s: her church founded largest daycare in Arkansas. (Jul 2007)
Family planning & child spacing is international human right. (Jul 2007)
Mother’s difficult childhood sparked concern for kids. (Dec 2006)
Teen abstinence is the right thing to do. (Oct 2005)
"It Takes a Village" implies family as part of society. (Nov 2003)
Even welfare children are better off with their parents. (Nov 2003)
Caution in treating preschoolers with psychiatric drugs. (Mar 2000)
Parents’ dedication improves kids’ lives. (Jan 2000)
Boycott violent media and products. (Aug 1999)
Send message: It is the job of children to learn. (Jul 1999)
Help “sandwiched” parents care for elderly plus kids. (Jan 1999)
More funds for after-school programs. (Nov 1998)
Keep kids busy from 2PM to 8 PM to avoid trouble. (Nov 1998)
Spend more time with kids to prevent violence. (Apr 1998)
Teens not ready for sex; provide havens for alternatives. (Sep 1996)
Change what kids see in the media. (Jun 1995)
Men should be full participants in child-raising. (May 1994)
1973: Legal parallels between marriage and slavery. (Aug 1993)
No tea and cookies for her, but no insult intended. (Jul 1992)
Child Law

Support new parents to promote healthy child development. (Sep 2007)
For teens, not about birth control, but about self-control. (Jul 2007)
1970s: “I want to be a voice for America’s children”. (Jun 2007)
Supported foster care adoptions as First Lady & as Senator. (Dec 2006)
I've spent 30 years worrying about impact of media on kids. (Oct 2005)
Critics misinterpret 70s article on "Children Under the Law". (Feb 2004)
1974 article: put abused children into state care. (Nov 2003)
Leave politics out of Elian decision. (Apr 2000)
Governments can’t love child; but it can help families. (Apr 2000)
Decide Elian’s fate via ongoing INS legal process. (Apr 2000)
Treat kids as “child citizens” not “minors” under the law. (Dec 1999)
No dividing line between government vs. parents & children. (Dec 1999)
Early-warning hotlines for homicidal & suicidal students. (Jul 1999)
Expand Family and Medical Leave Act. (Aug 1998)
Raised issues of maternity leave at 1980s Rose Law. (Nov 1997)
Family Leave Act is a good start; paid leave better. (Sep 1996)
Against social service agency interference in families. (Aug 1993)
1970s: Learned child law theory at CDF and at Yale. (Aug 1993)
1973: Researched "Beyond the Best Interest of the Child". (Aug 1993)
1973: Create legal scale of graduated maturity for children. (Aug 1993)
1979: Child's future shouldn't be unilaterally by parents. (Aug 1993)
It Takes a Village

A family is a child’s first school. (Oct 2007)
Hillary’s “village” criticized as Big Government. (May 2007)
Chelsea benefited from “village” & from two parents. (Dec 2006)
It takes a village to raise a child, in interdependent world. (Dec 2006)
It Takes a Village and a president who believes. (Sep 2005)
Leave no child behind; it still takes a village. (Aug 2000)
Community support is key to valuing families. (Dec 1999)
Society is responsible for alienation that causes violence. (Jun 1999)
“It Takes a Village” is about relationships, not geography. (Oct 1996)
Children are not rugged individualists. (Sep 1996)
Give parents tools to balance work and family. (Aug 2000)
Rated 0% by the Christian Coalition: an anti-family voting record. (Dec 2003)
Ban high lead levels in children's toys. (Nov 2005)
Sponsored bill against renting violent video games to kids. (Dec 2005)
Call for a White House Conference on Children and Youth. (Mar 2008)

Hillary Clinton on Government Reform

FactCheck: Yes, more legislation & sponsorships than Obama. (Apr 2008)
Get D.C. full voting rights, plus more direct federal funds. (Feb 2008)
It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush. (Jan 2008)
Stand for public financing and getting money out of politics. (Jan 2008)
Transparent government includes federal agency blogs. (Jan 2008)
Never abuse the purpose of signing statements. (Dec 2007)
Change system from the inside, not from the outside. (Nov 2007)
HILL-PAC is one of politics biggest money-raisers. (Nov 2007)
McCain criticized 26 pork-barrel defense projects by Hillary. (Oct 2007)
Public financing would fix campaign donor problems. (Sep 2007)
Presidents should reveal donations to their foundations. (Sep 2007)
Move to public election financing, not banning lobbyists. (Aug 2007)
End no-bid contracts, end revolving door in government. (Aug 2007)
1978: chaired Legal Services Corp. while at Rose Law Firm. (Jul 2007)
Same-day voter registration; no oppressive ID requirements. (Jul 2007)
Create a public service academy, like military academy. (Jun 2007)
1970s: Worked on 18-year-old voting Amendment. (Jun 2007)
Cut gov’t contractors and end privatization of government. (Feb 2007)
Verified paper ballot for every electronic voting machines. (Nov 2006)
$5M in New York state “pork barrel” bills thru 2004. (Oct 2006)
Right to vote is precious & needs protection. (Sep 2005)
HILLPAC raised $31M through 2002. (Feb 2004)
HILLPAC raised $31M through 2002. (Feb 2004)
Only explicit felonies should trigger impeachment. (Feb 2004)
Triangulation replaces partisanship with a dynamic center. (Nov 2003)
Defined appropriate high crimes for impeaching Nixon in 1973. (Nov 2003)
Visited many non-governmental programs on India trip. (Feb 2003)
Whitewater investigation ends; Hillary questions $52M spent. (Sep 2000)
Soft money ban & independent ad ban for Senate campaign. (Feb 2000)
New Democrat: Government is not the solution to all problems. (Feb 2000)
Give big states a big slice of federal pie. (Aug 1999)
We need strong and efficient governments. (Jun 1999)
Government should help people, not support bureaucracy. (Feb 1997)
1973: Researched Nixon's White House tapes. (Aug 1993)
Voting Record

Count Every Vote Act: end voting discrimination by race. (Jun 2007)
Voted YES on granting the District of Columbia a seat in Congress. (Sep 2007)
Voted NO on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections. (Jul 2007)
Voted NO on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress. (Mar 2006)
Voted NO on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity. (Mar 2006)
Voted YES on banning "soft money" contributions and restricting issue ads. (Mar 2002)
Voted NO on require photo ID (not just signature) for voter registration. (Feb 2002)
Voted YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations. (Apr 2001)
Voluntary public financing for all general elections. (Aug 2000)
Criminalize false or deceptive info about elections. (Nov 2005)
Reject photo ID requirements for voting. (Sep 2005)
Post earmarks on the Internet before voting on them. (Jan 2006)
Establish the United States Public Service Academy. (Mar 2007)
Prohibit voter intimidation in federal elections. (Mar 2007)
Prohibit 'voter caging' which intimidates minority voting. (Nov 2007)

Hillary Clinton on Health Care

Don’t legitimize end-of-life decision, but ok to help decide. (Apr 2008)
Decrease generic drug costs for developing countries. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: Yes, she deserves credit for SCHIP. (Mar 2008)
Bottom line is cost; mine is more affordable than Obama’s. (Feb 2008)
Obama’s plan includes mandate on 150 million parents. (Feb 2008)
Taxpayers pay for drug R&D, not drug companies. (Jan 2008)
My health care program will cover everyone. (Jan 2008)
Need a health care system that manages chronic diseases. (Jan 2008)
Universal health care is a core Democratic principle. (Jan 2008)
Pledges to support $50B for AIDS relief in US and world. (Dec 2007)
Restore National Institutes of Health funding. (Oct 2007)
No parent should be told ‘no’ for healthcare for their kids. (Sep 2007)
Local smoking bans ok, but no national ban. (Sep 2007)
Passion for healthcare rooted in Jesus’ teachings. (Jul 2007)
Outcry if AIDS were leading disease of young whites. (Jun 2007)
FactCheck: Yes, AIDS is leading disease of young black women. (Jun 2007)
1979: Named by Bill as AR healthcare head; program worked. (Jun 2007)
Lower costs and improve quality and cover everybody. (Jun 2007)
Electronic medical records save $120 billion in health care. (Jun 2007)
Insurers must fund prevention without preexisting conditions. (Mar 2007)
Require electronic medical record for all federal healthcare. (Mar 2007)
Increase America’s commitment against Global AIDS. (Nov 2006)
FDA should compare drug effectiveness--not just safety. (Oct 2006)
Supply more medical needs of families, & insure all children. (Jun 2006)
Healthcare system plagued with underuse, overuse, and abuse. (Oct 2005)
Fought for pediatric rule: new drugs tested for child safety. (Oct 2005)
Low-tech low-cost water treatment for developing world. (Nov 2003)
Millions uninsured is source of America's healthcare crisis. (Nov 2003)
Recommended "managed competition"; not single-payer system. (Nov 2003)
When last Republican backed out, Hillarycare die. (Nov 2003)
Despite failure, glad she tried system-wide reform. (Nov 2003)
1994 "Harry & Louise" ads exploited consumer fears. (Nov 2003)
Health goal is affordable coverage for all. (Oct 2000)
Fund teaching hospitals federally because market fails. (Sep 2000)
Regulate tobacco; fine of $3000 for every underage smoker. (Apr 2000)
Be prepared with defenses against infectious disease. (Oct 1999)
Medicare should be strengthened today. (Sep 1999)
Smaller steps to progress on health care. (Jan 2000)
1990s Hillarycare

Hillary appointed 8 days after inauguration to health cmte. (Oct 2007)
A plan is necessary; but consensus is more necessary. (Sep 2007)
1993:Ambitious role plagued from start by secrecy complaints. (Jun 2007)
1990s plan failed after big pharma & insurance worked on it. (Apr 2007)
1990s healthcare reforms laid groundwork for today’s reforms. (Mar 2007)
Still scarred from 1990s reform, but now doing it better. (Feb 2007)
1997: Helped found State Children’s Health Insurance Program. (Dec 2006)
1990s HillaryCare

1993 health plan initially praised as moderate & workable. (Jun 2004)
1990s Hillarycare

1990s reform called “secretive” but had 600 in working group. (Nov 2003)
1990s plan based on employer mandate. (Feb 2003)
Learned lessons on health care; but hasn’t given up goal. (Aug 2000)
1979: Developed program to deliver rural healthcare. (Aug 1999)
1990s HillaryCare

Vince Foster's downturn began when task force got sued. (Nov 1997)
Vince Foster's downturn when Hillary's task force got sued. (Nov 1997)
2008 HillaryCare

AdWatch: My plan costs $1,700 less per person than Obama’s. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: Yes, Hillary’s plan might include wage garnishing. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: “$1,700 less than Obama plan” misinterprets study. (Apr 2008)
AdWatch: Got health insurance for six million kids. (Mar 2008)
Include everyone, to avoid cherry-picking and its hidden tax. (Feb 2008)
Without a universal mandate, it’s not universal health care. (Feb 2008)
Healthcare without mandate is like voluntary Social Security. (Feb 2008)
Many uninsured are young & don’t think they need coverage. (Feb 2008)
Make it illegal to discriminate against sick people. (Feb 2008)
Tired of health insurance companies deciding who live or die. (Feb 2008)
Universal health care will not work if it is voluntary. (Feb 2008)
Mandate insurance AND make it affordable for all. (Jan 2008)
Health care tax credit ensures affordability. (Nov 2007)
Insurance companies cannot deny people coverage. (Oct 2007)
Condemns insurers as motivated by greed. (Oct 2007)
American Health Choices Plan: keep yours or pick Congress’. (Sep 2007)
Pay for health plan by $52B tax repeal & $77B efficiencies. (Sep 2007)
Mandated responsibility by individuals, industry & employers. (Sep 2007)
Since 1993, new consensus developed on need for healthcare. (Sep 2007)
Include insurance industry in discussions, but rein them in. (Sep 2007)
I want to be the health care president. (Sep 2007)
Universal health care coverage by the end of my second term. (Feb 2007)
I have the expertise to achieve universal healthcare for all. (Feb 2007)
We need a uniquely American solution to health care. (Oct 2006)
Voting Record

Health care initiatives are her first priority in Senate. (Feb 2001)
Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare. (Jul 2008)
Voted NO on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000. (May 2006)
Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
Voted NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)
Establish "report cards" on HMO quality of care. (Aug 2000)
Invest funds to alleviate the nursing shortage. (Apr 2001)
Let states make bulk Rx purchases, and other innovations. (May 2003)
Rated 100% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record. (Dec 2003)
End government propaganda on Medicare bill. (Mar 2004)
Sponsored bill for mental health service for older Americans. (May 2005)
Improve services for people with autism & their families. (Apr 2007)
Establish a national childhood cancer database. (Mar 2007)
Preserve access to Medicaid & SCHIP during economic downturn. (Apr 2008)

Hillary Clinton on Jobs

No salary increase for Congress until minimum wage increased. (Jul 2007)
Would accept minimum wage as president. (Jul 2007)
Stand up for unions; organize for fair wages. (Jun 2007)
Get tough with China and bring jobs back home. (Feb 2007)
Minimum wage increases haven’t kept up with Congress’ wages. (Dec 2006)
Passed 2 planks of 7-plank platform, “New Jobs for New York”. (Oct 2006)
Minimum wage should be tied to congressional salaries. (Jun 2006)
Pushed for extension of unemployment insurance. (Feb 2004)
The working poor deserve a living wage. (Oct 1999)
America can afford to raise the minimum wage. (Sep 1999)
Recently “we’re in it together” became “you’re on your own”. (Sep 1996)
Voted YES on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. (Nov 2008)
Voted NO on terminating legal challenges to English-only job rules. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Jun 2007)
Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Feb 2007)
Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress. (Mar 2001)
Protect overtime pay protections. (Jun 2003)
Rated 85% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-union voting record. (Dec 2003)
Allow an Air Traffic Controller's Union. (Jan 2006)
Sponsored bill linking minimum wage to Congress' pay raises. (May 2006)
Extend unemployment compensation during recession. (Jan 2008)
Ban discriminatory compensation; allow 2 years to sue. (Jan 2009)
Sponsored bill enforcing against gender pay discrimination. (Jan 2009)

Hillary Clinton on Social Security

No lifting cap on payroll tax; that taxes middle class. (Apr 2008)
Bipartisan commission, like in 1983, to address crisis. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: No, teachers & police won’t pay if cap over $102K. (Apr 2008)
FactCheck: Yes, removing $97,500 cap affects middle-class. (Nov 2007)
Have a bipartisan commission on Social Security and its tax. (Oct 2007)
1997: Hillary warned against privatizing Social Security. (Oct 2007)
$1000 matching tax credit for first $1000 in 401(k) deposit. (Oct 2007)
Solvent until 2055 under Bill Clinton; now has lost 14 years. (Sep 2007)
Nothing else on table until fiscal responsibility returns. (Sep 2007)
Make sure nobody ever tries to privatize Social Security. (Aug 2007)
Soc.Sec. one of greatest inventions in American democracy. (Oct 2006)
Social Security protects families, not just retirees. (Feb 1999)
All should join the debate now to preserve future solvency. (Feb 1999)
Respect unique power of government to meet social needs. (Sep 1996)
Voted NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security. (Mar 2007)
Create Retirement Savings Accounts. (Aug 2000)
Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)

Hillary Clinton on Tax Reform

Absolutely no tax increase on people earning under $250K. (Apr 2008)
Perhaps raise capital gains tax, but at most to 20%. (Apr 2008)
Rescind tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year. (Feb 2008)
AdWatch: cut taxes for the middle class. (Feb 2008)
Wealthy should go back to paying pre-Bush tax rates. (Jan 2008)
Want to restore the tax rates we had in the ‘90s. (Dec 2007)
Freeze estate tax at 2009 level of $7 million per couple. (Oct 2007)
Why cut off payroll contribution at $95,000? (Jun 2007)
Cut alternative minimum tax, not billionaire tax cuts. (Mar 2007)
Expand child tax credit for child’s first year. (Dec 2006)
End Bush tax cuts;take things away from rich for common good. (Oct 2006)
To get America back on track, cut short tax cuts. (Sep 2005)
NY share of federal taxes is too high. (Feb 2000)
Just Say No to GOP tax plan. (Sep 1999)
GOP tax plan would hurt New York’s students. (Aug 1999)
Voted YES on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M. (Feb 2008)
Voted NO on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts. (Aug 2006)
Voted NO on permanently repealing the `death tax`. (Jun 2006)
Voted YES on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends. (Nov 2005)
Voted NO on $350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years. (May 2003)
Voted YES on reducing marriage penalty instead of cutting top tax rates. (May 2001)
Voted YES on increasing tax deductions for college tuition. (May 2001)
Rated 21% by NTU, indicating a "Big Spender" on tax votes. (Dec 2003)
Rated 80% by the CTJ, indicating support of progressive taxation. (Dec 2006)

Hillary Clinton on Welfare & Poverty

In the face of suffering, God calls on us to respond. (Apr 2008)
Make sure the economy works for everybody. (Jan 2008)
Partner with faith based community in empowerment zones. (Dec 2007)
Considered idea of $5000 at birth to pay for future college. (Oct 2007)
Time-out for mortgage companies on march toward foreclosure. (Sep 2007)
Wellesley thesis: Saul Alinsky & people over bureaucrats. (Jun 2007)
Hedge funds incentivize risk, but need regulation. (Apr 2007)
Welfare reform was critical step despite flaws. (Nov 2003)
Lazio weakened housing standards and limited public housing. (Oct 2000)
Lazio fought against FHA on low-interest housing loans. (Oct 2000)
Equal access to capital and jobs. (Jan 2000)
Working should mean no poverty. (Jan 2000)
Community involvement helps, but only in short term. (Dec 1999)
Don’t criminalize the homeless. (Dec 1999)
1969 thesis: Alinsky’s reforms too short term & local. (Apr 1999)
Microcredit is an invaluable tool in alleviating poverty. (Feb 1997)
Link payments to good parenting behavior. (Feb 1997)
1976: Founded first indigent legal aid in Fayetteville AR. (Aug 1993)
Won series of high school awards, but barred from athletics. (Aug 1993)
Finish welfare reform by moving able recipients into jobs. (Aug 2000)
Establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. (Jul 2003)
Tax credits to promite home ownership in distressed areas. (Apr 2003)
Fully fund AmeriCorps. (Jun 2003)

[rhett o rick]

37. You keep reposting that list. Did you ever read it?

"America can afford to raise the minimum wage. (Sep 1999) " In 1999 she said to someone somewhere that America can afford to raise the minimum wage. Really?

Also in 1999 she apparently said (no link) "Don’t criminalize the homeless. (Dec 1999)" What does that even mean?

"In the face of suffering, God calls on us to respond. (Apr 2008) " What is this?

Are you familiar with the definition of rhetoric? These are unsubstantiated sentences she may or may not have uttered.

Fact in 2002 she not only turned her back on the Democratic Party, the American people, the world, our troops and the many, many Iraqis that would die, she helped George Bush sell the Iraq War. That's a fact and not rhetoric.

She has accepted cash, substantial cash from Goldman-Sachs to enrich her personal wealth. She is viewed as a friend of Wall Street.

[MFrohike]

27. Which laws?

I'm mighty curious what laws need to be changed in order to prosecute people for aiding and abetting tax evasion.

[joshcryer]

32. Look at Credit Suisse.

They couldn't prove that the executives did anything wrong or were culpable but that there were 8 employees who "masterminded" the whole tax scheme. It also set the precedent that if you destroy evidence your company gets away with it.

You need a law that says that if you're an executive of a company and illegal stuff is going down, you're culpable. In the small business world this is how it works, owners or top people get in trouble. In the corporate world the top executives, CEOs, etc, get away with it.

[MFrohike]

45. Failures of enforcement

The destruction of evidence has been a crime for decades, at a minimum. The failure of DOJ to prosecute it is not a failure of law, it's a failure of enforcement. Passing a law is pointless without enforcement.

As for executives, there's always the signing requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley. 18 USC 1350 requires "that information contained in the periodic report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the issuer." It provides for criminal penalties if these conditions are not met. I have to think that the failure to identify and disclose the presence of a criminal conspiracy on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars would qualify in this regard.

I didn't even get into conspiracy or tax evasion. Given the size of the HSBC scandal, I suspect any defense counsel would be hard pressed to show an executive was not either directly aware or at least willfully blind. The question is not whether the law provides penalties, but whether DOJ will finally decide to prosecute big fish. Personally, I wouldn't hold my breath.

[joshcryer]

46. With a law you wouldn't have to spend millions to prosecute.

As it stands now any CEO prosecution would cost tens if not hundreds of millions to prosecute the top fish (and there's still a good chance they get off with the "ignorance" defense), but the little guys would go down hard. Look at the robocalling scandal, that affected up to 50 thousand small real estate people. They should all, technically, be in jail, for following orders. Instead states settled. In the case of Credit Suisse it was more than just 8 guys, it was hundreds of people hiding client data, and it was SOP.

If you made a law that forced CEOs to actually make sure that the companies were acting legally, you'd bet that they'd clean up shop. They might actually have to earn their money rather than being a face for the company.

HSBC is quite similar to Credit Suisse in the actions done, and it will probably go down the same way. I would like for the DOJ to do the million dollar prosecution, but I think that the idea is to "make it right" in penalties and fines. If there was a law making the DOJ prosecute, the DOJ would have no other recourse. Just make CEOs culpable, and then pow, you just made the DOJ go out for blood. Oh, and, of course, that would require some more funding for the investigative arm of DOJ. Hundreds if not thousands of people need to be interviewed in a case like HSBC or Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse alone had 100k pages of paperwork to go over. Does anyone really believe Carl Levin's investigative committee actually went over all that paperwork? The task is daunting. Especially when SOP is to make the companies themselves self-police.

Want to make companies self-police? Make top executives culpable for the goings on. Lower the bar really low in the law. We'd be seeing people jumping ship from CEO positions, even. Then we'd get good policy wonk types getting those jobs and the companies would be run much cleaner.

[MFrohike]

47. ?

Unless you're going to pass a law that simply convicts a CEO in that situation, you are going to have to prosecute. That's just life.

The robosigning scandal is one of the premiere examples of a failure to prosecute. No attempt was made by DOJ to flip little fish for big fish. In fact, the multistate settlement was heavily pushed by the administration. It wasn't that there was no law to fit the situation, conspiracy statutes are notoriously malleable, it's that there was no will. Law is no substitute for will.

The proper way to deal with HSBC is to revoke its banking charter. This is the second time in 3 years they've been caught flagrantly violating US law. That being said, I'm not holding my breath. The last time with HSBC, Holder trotted out the "it could hurt the economy" excuse for not prosecuting. I doubt his stomach for the fight has gotten any stronger in the meantime.

You're not going to get funding for investigations because there's no political will for it at all. There was no will for it in 2009, when the president claimed, without any investigation at all, that no crimes had been committed in the runup to the subprime crash. There was no real investigation of the robosigning scandal. The investigation of the Libor rigging has been on the other side of the Atlantic, despite the demonstrable effect on US citizens. These are a few examples of the lack of will on the part of the executive. When you look at the current majority in the Congress, yeesh. Those morons practically think you should be able to rob somebody as long as you call it doing business.

Ultimately, it's a question of will. I've listed a couple of examples of laws that could be used to prosecute and a creative prosecutor could come up with a few dozen more. Sure, you could pass more laws, but what's the point? Until the executive makes the decision to enforce the law against the financial sector, this sort of thing with HSBC will be common. It'll be like Big Pharma, where there's a major scandal every couple of years, somebody pays a fine, and everybody promptly forgets. Wonderful world, eh?

[joshcryer]

48. You can lower the prosecution bar.

Making it so that CEOs have less room for defense in the event the companies they run do something illegal. As it stands now they can play the "ignorance" defense, throw a few scapegoats under the bus, and walk away scot-free. If they were forced to be fully aware of the goings-on in their companies, they'd be damn sure to make sure that nothing illegal is happening. They'd actually be earning their million dollar salaries.

You could in theory revoke HSBC's banking charter but that's a whole shitload of mortgages and accounts you have to deal with, and the DOJ probably doesn't even consider that an option. It'd be a regulatory nightmare. I like the idea of charter revocation, though, it's smart, but I think you need legislation to cushion the blow if you do it. There doesn't exist a mechanism that I am aware of that would keep shit from falling apart.

I think there's a big difference between asking for a new law lowering the bar for prosecution and expecting a decade long prosecution of one or two guys at the top of company and spending tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars trying the case. If you lower the bar 1) the prosecution is made a lot easier and 2) it won't be nearly as costly and 3) it would force CEOs to be more diligent with regards to the legal activities of the companies they supposedly "run."

As a tangent, the best solution would be to simply break up any company that reaches a certain complexity. If you have too many employees and too many varying services you're dealing with, you get broken up. But I think that is not as easy to pass as simply making CEOs more culpable. It's one thing to go "hey we want to get CEOs to have more responsiblity" (easily understood by the people, easily implemented by the congress) and saying "we want to break up all overly large companies using this somewhat arbitrary but somewhat logic based method that way that the companies are not too big to fail and that way no shenanigans are promoted because the companies are so big they can eat whatever penalties we levy."

Prosecuting 50k people in the robosigning scandal is a non-starter. You weren't going to flip little fish because the whole thing was a case of ignorance (some states required paperwork to be on file in certain jurisdictions, filed in person, and they were not even trying to meet a given states requirements). If you prosecuted them all, or attempted it (in order to get the "big fish&quot , then it would've wound up going to the SCOTUS and shot down under the Commerce Clause. 10 years later. Thousands of peoples lives ruined. Tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars spent.

[sabrina 1]

42. Warren going after HSBC isn't going to help them, is it? She seems to get things done

so I'm sure they are not happy with her at all.

Thanks for the post

[treestar]

7. lol another corporate sellout

I've seen the thought expressed here that there is no way to get into the Senate without selling out to the corporatists and banksters.

[sabrina 1]

43. How is she a sellout? She is going after them. I doubt they think of her as an ally right now.

[joshcryer]

14. Nature of the beast.

I don't take "donation conspiracies" very seriously.

When bundlers get nominated to high positions it's not that surprising at all.

[GeorgeGist]

18. Orders of magnitude=3

[salin]

21. I applaud you on your long-standing consistency.

For the last three cycles - mostly apparent in open primaries, attacks to raise questions on candidate that are beyond barely left of center, and fierce defense of centrist candidates.

Btw, Sen. Warren has indicated multiple times that she is *not* running.

At the same time, she is getting some creds. standing up to serious financial reform issues in the senate. Even to the point of bucking the Administration regarding nominating officials that would, by their track record, likely uphold the status quo rather than work to support efforts to put in supports to avoid another financial collapse.

To try to discredit her as a candidate, when she is not one, is to try to discredit efforts to prevent future economic meltdowns via efforts by the financial industry to skirt accountability.

I applaud your consistency. I have not always been so consistent. (Nuance, and all.)

I have long understood your views - and don't always disagree with them.

However, I take issue with playing primary politics/posturing, with a non-candidate who has a position who can, and has demonstrated a willingness to challenge the very actors and rationales used by those actors that played into the financial crisis - and who have stymied recovery efforts. I doubt my sentiments will effect you, but perhaps it will give a little historical perspective to those newer readers to understanding your perspective/purpose behind the OP.

[sabrina 1]

44. We're going to see a lot of that. Instead of addressing issues, when they KNOW they cannot

defeat someone, they work to discredit them.

That isn't going to work. When I see people doing that now, THEY and their candidate, are both automatically discredited.

Warren is going HSBC, so this attempt to connect her to this, has already failed, based on FACTS.

[closeupready]

22. And Hillary has said ZERO about it, as well.

So there.

[JonLP24]

23. This is very weak, incredibly weak

A law firm that has a controversial client.

A global law firm with 11 offices across the United States. They also have offices in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and London.

This is about the weakest stuff I've ever seen used in an attempt to show the Progressive is just like Hillary or any other compromised moderate.

[Fumesucker]

31. Clearly they are all dirty, we might as well stay home and not bother voting

That appears to be the message you desperately wish to convey, by all means proceed.

[1StrongBlackMan]

33. ...

[Cha]

49. Move over, please.. I brought refills..

[cheapdate]

38. I also thought the HSBC/Clinton Foundation attack was a waste of time.

[MannyGoldstein]

39. Just think of what she'd have done if she didn't get those bribes

Fly to HSBC HQ with handcuffs and a pistol to personally arrest them? Because that'd about the next step after what she's already done. When was the last time a Senator said that she was disappointed that bankers weren't jailed, and demanded that regulators get off their asses and do their jobs?

[William769]

50. Kick & recommended.

[LondonReign2]

54. What a pathetic reach

If you are trying to turn people off to Hillary, it's working.