Do you believe in the Easter Bunny?

[cali]

Believing that corporate donations don't influence HRC is like believing in the Easter Bunny when you're over the age of 10. It's an act of wilful self deception; believing something you desperately want to believe. The research is conclusive. Obviously, scarfing up this money isn't exclusive to Hillary. It's more common than not, which makes it even worse.

And Hillary supporters charge that it's Bernie supporters who.live in a fantasy world

[jberryhill]

1. Balderdash

The reason that large corporate donors support HRC is that they know they are a distortive influence on the US economy and politics, and they make these donations as a kind of penance for their sins.

They do it for strictly moral reasons.

The suggestion that companies with responsibility to their shareholders believe that these donations are investments on which they expect a return, is simply pure fantasy. They are worried about their immortal souls, and they simply do it to make up for everything else they do.

[closeupready]

6. Your post is self-contradictory.

Giving even MORE money to lawmakers is not penitential of someone who recognizes the legalized bribery in which they've engaged was wrong, and they are going to make it right BY DOING EVEN MORE OF THAT same wrong.

[jberryhill]

9. Well, there you are....

They'll have to increase their level of support in order to make up for that too.

[closeupready]

13. this could be a profitable endeavor, running for Congress.

[roguevalley]

47. penance for their sins. You assume they have a soul

[AlbertCat]

61. You assume they have a soul

Corporations are people, my friend.





A corporation's purpose is to make money. They will do it however they can unless regulated.

[roguevalley]

73. we don't have to be the useful tools they use to do that. Rolling your eyes? That is one cute smilie

[AlbertCat]

75. Rolling your eyes? That is one cute smilie

It's what one does when one hears about those poor poor put upon corporations.... that are somehow people....

[roguevalley]

77. I don't sometimes get the deep intentions on my phone when I'm

hustling here and there. I loathe the cooporations. I do love the eye roll smilie though. And the one that wears sunglasses too.

[nichomachus]

10. Couldn't they just do sackcloth and ashes? nt

[roguevalley]

48. only if they're armani

[KingCharlemagne]

34. LOL - reminds me of the pre-Reformation Catholic Church's practice of

selling indulgences.

[Dustlawyer]

64. I hope you just accidentally left out the sarcasm tag.

If not, WOW! Your screen name would be appropriate.

Hillary has used her big Donors to buy endorsements fro politicians who want their money for their campaigns (Quid Pro Quo's flying all over the place)! This is what Bernie is trying to put a stop to. Our political system is totally corrupt!

[Iggy Knorr]

76. this post makes more sense if you read it aloud like the monopoly guy n/t

[closeupready]

2. 'Willful self-deception' - yes. That's the ONLY way to retain self-respect in accepting graft

or graft-like dirty money in exchange for political favors. You've GOT to be able to tell yourself 'it's okay/legal' if you are going to stand in front of your constituents and tell them, "I'm fighting for you!" without lying, or appearing to lie.

Con artists don't care, but they are just along for the ride.

[NightWatcher]

3. Her argument is that she's never changed her opinion or actions at the request of a large donor

I agree with her.

She represents them way before the checks come rolling in. She supports almost anything that Wall Street would do, they then in turn, send her a huge speaking fee so that she can come to their conference and tell them how she's been helping them and will continue to do so when she's appointing regulators (and they all laugh a hearty one).

[Arugula Latte]

57. Well, when she's not telling them "Cut it out!"

[Botany]

4. The Easter Bunny?

[cali]

7. I should have said like believing the imaginary EB poops jelly beans

[Fuddnik]

37. He does!!!!!!

But, I wondered why they tasted like shit.

[zeemike]

49. How could they be imaginary if jelly beans exist?

And I know they do because I eat them.
And that picture proves their existence...so take it back...the Easter bunny does exist!

[TTUBatfan2008]

5. Only the Republicans are guilty of corruption...

The Democratic Party is not capable of being bought off by corporations and billionaires. This is the message Hillary pushed in a recent debate. Koch Brothers and Karl Rove are evil, but George Soros and David Brock are saints.

[cali]

8. Don't forget Haim!

[MisterP]

46. like the WaPo poster who said she was backing Clinton over Sanders because "we've had enough

of those warmongering men in office"

[nichomachus]

11. What? This is sick.

Are you trying to tell me there's no Easter Bunny? What kind of monster are you?

[cali]

18. A monster that ate an Easter Bunny (there were 12)

1 Easter Bunny (2 ½ to 3 ½ pounds), cut into about 8 pieces, bone in
½ cup Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 bottle dry white wine
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoons superfine flour, like Wondra
3 branches thyme
1 bay leaf
Chopped flat-leaf parsley.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/country-bunny-and-the-little-gold-shoes-marjorie-flack/1103582185

[Jefferson23]

20. lol

[ChairmanAgnostic]

69. My rescue puppy keeps bringing us rabbits. Usually without the head.

She did it again yesterday, despite the snow and cold. She is so sweet, wanting to share with us.

[boston bean]

12. Bernie hasnt taken a cent yet he voted to deregulate derivatives.

One of the main reasons for the economic collapse.

Instead of just flinging this stuff around how about some proof offered as to what Hillary has done as quid pro quo.

[uponit7771]

15. +1, HRC makes 15 million a year... somehow taking 600k is supposed to sway her is the height of

... impugnig her integrity

[cali]

22. She scarfed up 10 million personally in 2013

when she was working directly on her 2016 run. And that's just enriching herself. She's taken much more than that in corporate dollars for her campaigns.

Her integrity is non-existent.

[Fawke Em]

21. No. He voted to NOT shut down the government.

That B. Clinton and Gramm attached the deregulations on derivatives onto an omnibus bill isn't Bernie's fault.

As Alan Pyke pointed out over at ThinkProgress: the Commodity Futures Modernization Act was a modified version of an earlier bill that Bernie had voted for in the House of Representatives.

The earlier version that Sanders had voted for would have left room for regulators to go after fraudulent uses of derivatives, but it couldn't pass the Senate.

Then, while the nation was distracted in 2000 by the recount between George W. Bush and Al Gore; Phil Gramm, Richard Ewing, and a group of Clinton White House advisers worked out a "compromise" that made it nearly impossible to regulate futures and derivatives trading.

That bill was what was snuck into the omnibus bill that Bernie Sanders and pretty much everybody else voted for because if they hadn't it would have shut down the government. - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2016/02/problem-establishment#sthash.shRMqgq1.dpuf

http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2016/02/problem-establishment

[boston bean]

23. You folks have a lot of excuses for his votes.

Its getting funnier and funnier.

[Fawke Em]

28. Excuse?

He was supposed to shut down the government over something he didn't know existed?



Wow, some folks here need to get their reading comprehension tested. Clinton's attack on Bernie over this has been lambasted for weeks.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-wall-street_us_5617f634e4b0dbb8000e5a58

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/18/hillary-clinton-attacked-bernie-sanders-for-voting-for-a-bill-her-husband-signed-into-law/

That second link reads as though Clinton is saying, "I know you are, but what am I."

[boston bean]

36. i know talk about judgment and responsibility.

[Duval]

71. It's called "Tunnel Vision" and probably takes time to be corrected.

[bettyellen]

72. Well I thought he intends to shut down the govt if he gets in office- raising taxes?

How is he supposed to do that again? I heard he added another trillion to the budget last night.

[Duval]

70. See post 21, please.

[uponit7771]

14. Sanders has taken corporate donations too... now what?! How will the goal post change? tia

[Fawke Em]

24. I hardly think Ben & Jerry's is as dangerous to the country as Goldman Sachs. eom

[uponit7771]

39. Yeap, Sanders took 2 cents from Ben And Jerrys in the form of ice cream and now he's just

... as bad as Hillary cause now people going to claim somehow the ice cream doesn't count.

That's what is hard about having a purity test... usually the people who administrate them can't pass their own test

[retrowire]

43. big ice cream doesn't run wall st or ruin our economy

lmao wtf

[uponit7771]

55. Not the point, he can't pass his own purity test that he's holding Hillary up to

[retrowire]

56. It's literally not the same but you knew that.

Earning money from a fundraiser for all democrats =/= earning money solely for yourself from the goldman sachs.

That meme didn't stick. It ain't gonna. Try again next week.

[cali]

25. Yes, he's taken funds from the DSCC. The hypocrisy is in conflating that

small amount with the hundreds of millions hiil sucked up. Not to mention her personally enriching herself.

[uponit7771]

40. Sanders has not taken a "small amount", also ... who gets to define what the amount is now?

[cali]

51. Oh for the love of reason.

He has no conflicts of interest. There isn't even any way of knowing which corporate dollars he took.

[uponit7771]

54. says who him?!?... lol.. whatever

[Cassiopeia]

67. It would be easier to reason with the Easter bunny

than this poster.

[brooklynite]

16. How'd those corporate donations work out with the Bush tax cut vote?

[cali]

26. How did they work out with the bankruptcy bill?

[boston bean]

27. Please do tell how did it work out.

[cali]

31. She voted for it.

[boston bean]

35. After getting an amendment to protect women.

And did that bill ever become law?

Why no it did not.

She voted against the bankruptcy bill that did become law.

So, another fail here in trying to make it seem she is corrupt.

[closeupready]

42. She didn't vote for or against the bankruptcy bill that became law.

What else are you wrong about ... everything? Seems so.

[Jefferson23]

17. The idea our party is not influenced is pure fantasy.

Some of the opposition to Sanders, and I don't know to what percent, is to
shield criticism on the current administration.

Instead of denying it, lets celebrate what we as a party were able to
accomplish these last 7 years and move forward ready to commit to fight
for a functioning democracy..again, this fight is not about money folks,
not the way some are portraying it.

[SheenaR]

19. It would be perhaps the first time in recorded history

That groups give millions of dollars to an individual (not a charity) and said groups expect nothing in return.

I'm not calling her anything bad, but it's absolute common sense. Someone who you are friends with hands you 6 million. They don't expect ANYTHING back?

Then she is going to "go after" said groups?

The question is always, are the American people dumb enough to believe this. Look across the aisle. Never doubt what the general public will believe.

I would have far more respect for Hillary Clinton if she just flat out said "sure I took their money and for good reason. They run this country".

[islandmkl]

30. they have so much guilt for their transgressions that they wanted to get her attention

so she would administer the punishment they so desire and deserve...

I think I can work on a screenplay with that premise....

[islandmkl]

29. I'm more of a Santa Claus kind of guy...but other than that

the disconnect between the amount of money and the lack of influence exerted (in whatever form) is a Madame Zelda mindtrick....

"Prove one time that the money influenced any vote of mine....etc."

Money is like a mime...we don't have to hear it to know what it's saying...

[moriah]

32. Look at OpenSecrets closely, and you tell ME...

... which party is selling itself to the highest bidder.

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php?cycle=2016

Not counting the $5 million in Dark Money to attack Hillary and Bernie, or the approximately $2.5 million, pretty equally spent on behalf of Bernie Sanders by the nurses SuperPAC, $450k from Priorities USA Action (which was created in 2012 to support Obama's re-election, not specifically FOR Hillary, though they are currently endorsing her it seems like they're holding on to most of their capital for the General) for ads spent attacking the Republican candidates then just saying they endorse Hillary, and other issue-related groups (Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, League of Conservation Voters, etc) running ads supporting Hillary...

The Republicans have spent over $170 million in Dark Money for their primaries alone.

[cali]

44. Hillary has tons of dark money. And they're even worse, is

a dreadful excuse

[moriah]

79. Do you believe that Priorities USA Action is behaving badly?

That's where most of her alleged "dark money" is.

They've spent only $450k, or just over 1% of what they've raised in the General, on ads like this:

Go see for yourself.

[truebluegreen]

78. Guaranteed To Be Not As Bad As Those Other Guys!

Yea! Have fun storming the castle with that rallying cry (see 2010, 2014).

[liberal N proud]

33. Believing that Bernie Sanders can make college free is like believing in the Easter Bunny

The man who wants to raise taxes meets with the man who pays none.

http://www.npr.org/2016/02/10/466276101/bernie-sanders-dines-with-al-sharpton-in-harlem

[SheenaR]

38. I'm sure you will be as critical of Hillary

when she attends her scheduled meeting with Sharpton next week.

I apparently believe in the Easter Bunny then. In a cursory search I found that 28 nations (none with the financial capability of ours) offer free college. They must believe it too.

What we don't have is a society of people who are for the greater good. How can we afford free college? We step up as a society and pay our fair share. I had a good run, but right now? I am just above the poverty line. I would gladly pay more taxes. GLADLY. Why? Because I am a member of a society. Because what is good for me should be good for all. I believe in that and it is possible. Because it would be DIFFICULT does not make it a FANTASY.

Same goes for all of the Senator's programs. These aren't new ideas. John Edwards was calling for free tuition in 2004! Oh the horror!

You go back to your place in society where it's about you and your family and nobody else and that's fine. I'm in favor of sacrificing so that everyone can enjoy the fruits of what our nation can offer.

[SoapBox]

45. ^ This! ^

"when she attends her scheduled meeting with Sharpton next week."

And I had to do a chuckle yesterday...

"They" started in how Bernie never meets with the AA or Latino communities...so I posted about his meeting with Reverend Sharpton.

Then was told that Reverend Sharpton doesn't represent the AA communities interests and how Bernie had hightailed it to NY to meet, just because of his win in NH!

Like a reed in the wind..."they" swing and sway...now we know that Rev Al has been cast aside!

[jberryhill]

53. Yep

And, no, Bernie can't "make college free".

But, for crying out loud, if we don't know what we are shooting for, then we'll NEVER hit the target.

I am sick and tired of compromises being made before the negotiations have even begun.

Yes, there have to be compromises, but one's starting position shouldn't be the compromise!

The one thing I know is that Sanders wants to have a system that works in many countries around the world, and Clinton doesn't.

[Arugula Latte]

59. Why is free college impossible but voting for & funding an unjustified war to the tune of trillions

always so doable and there's nary a word said about the expense?

[liberal N proud]

81. Conservative right wing Republicans

Don't you think we would have single payer health care if it was possible?


It's called reality.

[SoapBox]

41. Bring on The Swarm!

[CharlotteVale]

50. No. Don't believe in Santa Claus either.

[jalan48]

52. There's no argument too strong to counter the "First Woman POTUS".

When you get right down to it that's what this election is about for some Americans.

[greymouse]

58. what a disaster that would be.

First woman POTUS, starts wars. protects Wall Street,bungles foreign policy, obviously lies, gak. Some people wouldn't vote for a woman again for decades.

At least the young women aren't buying that.

signed,

old woman who isn't buying it either.

[Duval]

74. Here's another old woman who doesn't either. You just got my last heart!!

[H2O Man]

60. I am the Easter Bunny.

[Shandris]

62. Of course I believe in the Easter Bunny. If you don't, perhaps some Plato is in order. =)

But jokes about the Platonic Ideal of things aside, your point is right on target.

What I'm being asked to believe is this: That corporations - who are so notoriously sexist that they'll refuse to hire women for no other reason than they're women even if it would save them money to do so - give Hillary - a woman - money for no other reason whatsoever than that they want to support her because she's the 'best choice for the future'? And these are the same corporations who won't give their best workers a dime raise more than they have to when those people see them every day?

LOL.

It does start to get amusing when the narratives start crossing streams like the Ghostbusters. "Go away, Stay-Puft Inequality Man!"

[dchill]

63. Yes, I believe in the Easter Bunny.

I also believe in HRC's ability to transmogrify felonies into shenanigans.

[Bad Dog]

65. It's not a bunny.

It's a hare.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

66. Yeah, there was this playboy issue that had one.

Quite believable.

[CoffeeCat]

68. I think that Sanders supporters can stop arguing this point...

...because no one, except ardent Clinton apologists, believe that Wall Street and powerful-interest money given to a political campaign--does not influence the political recipient.

The overwhelming majority know that it does.

There are often these drilled-down arguments on social media and other online outlets (such as DU), but I assure you--this is not how people talk about political issues in the real world.

People understand that the system has been rigged for a long, long time.

If the Hillary people want to argue until the cows come home--that it's ok fuel her political campaign with Wall Street and powerful-interest money--let her do it. Let her justify it all she wants.

No one is buying that BS.

And Bernie Sanders will continue to fund his people-powered campaign with no corporate bribes and Super PAC crap.

[Beacool]

80. Sorry, but those are Sanders' supporters.

Add to the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Leprechaun with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Probably they believe in the Leprechaun more than in the others, there are trillions of dollars in that pot of gold just for the taking. If only we had a revolution.....