Sirota: Will House Dems kill Senate-passed bill to document corruption?

[madfloridian]

I was really surprised to see this today. Bernie Sanders sponsored a bill that would "illustrate in real dollars the connection between deep-pocketed corporate interest groups and friendly legislation."

It passed the Senate, it looks like the Democrats in the House might want to remove "sunlight" portions of the bill.

Sirota Blog: Working for Change

Here are a few details from the bill:

The commission would make a similar tally of donations from banks, financial services companies, credit card firms and their friendly trade associations in the two-year run-up to passage of new bankruptcy rules favored by the industry. It would do the same calculation for donations from oil, gas, nuclear and coal industries before passage of the 2005 energy bill. Contributions from chamber and other big-business trade groups -- and "any other free trade organization funded primarily by corporate entities" -- made during the 24 months before passage of the free-trade accord with Central America and the Dominican Republic (known as CAFTA) would also be made public."

Well, it looks like some in the House might not let this provision through.

"The provision is now coming under intense fire in the House, where vast sections of the legislation are idling in the Judiciary Committee. The House Democratic leadership remains committed to passing legislation. But the struggle illustrates the difficulties the leaders have in keeping their vow to shed some light on the role of lobbyists while also maintaining critical ties to an industry that is a major source of campaign cash........"The Sanders section targeting the business community now is drawing corporate lobbyists into the fight...When told of the business community's angst, Sanders said simply: 'Good!'...(A U.S. Chamber of Commerce spokesman) says business lobbyists will try to kill the provision, first by keeping it out of the House measure and then by stripping it in conference."

Let's see, we actually do have the majority in the House...don't we?

Speaking of banktuptcy bills which New Dems and Blue Dogs pushed to have passed....

"the only real solution is to never go to the hospital, never get divorced and never lose your job"

[gulfcoastliberal]

1. Ugh

Foul.

[Eric J in MN]

2. We should hear all about politicians accepting donations from corporate PACs.

I'm fine with them taking money from labor PACs, whose interests are similar to my own.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Thanks for posting this. I didn't know.

[tnlefty]

4. K & R!

I bookmarked to try to read ALL of it tomorrow. Just what you posted is enough to make me sick.

I adore Bernie Sanders and knowing that he was trying to do good for us 'mythical little people' is a bright spot of sorts, I guess. Mostly disheartening to say the least.

Thanks for posting this. :hi:

[williesgirl]

5. K&R - we need this bill to clear the stench out of Congress. Dems better pass it.

[Zodiak]

6. I believe this is the week that the New Dems,

DLCers, dixiecrats, and other forms of Democratic betrayers and cowards get their comeuppance from a really pissed off electorate. Either represent the little guy or get the hell out of our Congress!

How many DUers are tired of this enablement of corruption from both parties? How many are willing to keep the tent big enough to incorporate all of these charlatains and sabateurs?

I, for one, am fed up with it. Money is NOT free speech by any stretch of the word. When a corporation can get a colostomy bag or has to endure back spasms, I might consider it a "person". Until then, it can keep its grubby mitts off of the business and well-being of the People.

I am willing to draw a line in the party about the issue. The People demand respresentation after not truly receiving it for over a generation, and there is no room for the corporation AND the People in the same party.

[grannylib]

7. I am sure there are Democrats who are just as leary as Republicans about

having transparency in these issues...all too many Dems are just flip sides of the Repub coin...beholden to big money special interests, to the detriment of the people they are supposed to serve.

[madfloridian]

13. I fear you are right.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

8. Scary article ..note that Rubin was the advisor to the freshman Dems.

Robert Rubin is mentioned in this article.

WASHINGTON, March 12 — Senior Bush administration officials began a series of high-level discussions on Monday with top executives from Wall Street, corporations and the major accounting firms. Many of the executives have urged the rollback of laws passed in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals as well as limits to liability from government and shareholder lawsuits.

More:

Tuesday’s public sessions will be led by Mr. Paulson and Christopher Cox, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. A series of private sessions aimed at developing the administration’s formal policies on regulation, the accounting industry and corporate governance will be led by others.

The participants will include the chief executives of J. P. Morgan Chase, General Electric, Charles Schwab and the New York Stock Exchange; Michael R. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York; Ann Yerger, executive director of the Council of Institutional Investors; and a number of former top officials including Robert E. Rubin, Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration; Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman; and Arthur Levitt Jr., Mr. Clinton’s S.E.C. chairman.

Meeting to deregulate

Short summary...they want to deregulate, even from the items passed after Enron. They say they have learned their lesson.

Here is what concerns me. Rubin is free trade, but no one from the unions or labor was invited to share the floor with him.

Rubin gets the floor to himself to coach Freshmen Dems on the economy...no labor invited.

When labor officials heard about this, they asked to be included since they have very different ideas about what Democrats need to do in behalf of struggling workers and middle-class families. Pelosi decided against it. This session, her spokesman explains, is only about "fiscal responsibility," not globalization and trade not the deterioration of wages and disappearing jobs. Yet those subjects are sure to come up for discussion. Rubin gets to preach his "free trade" dogma with no one present to rebut his facts and theories.

They were not included. I am getting an uncomfortable feeling this week that unless we fight hard, it is business as usual. I want to be wrong.

[PassingFair]

9. Of course you are not wrong.

Blue dogs and "new" dems together outnumber the progressives.

We MUST put pressure on our "leaders".

Thanks for keeping on keeping on, Mad.

I will burn little Debbie Stabenow's feet a bit this week.....

[madfloridian]

14. Here's how I count them....correct me if wrong.

I believe there are 72 in the Progressive Caucus.

I counted 42 Blue Dogs and 44 New Dems.. with 7 who are in both. So that makes 86 total Blue Dogs New Dems...subtract the 7 who are in both for 79.

Not that much difference if we demand they listen. Of course there is always the off chance they don't give a damn what we think. I have called several Blue Dogs now, and I can not get straight answers about Iraq.

Don't you love this headline?

'Blue Dogs' keeping liberal Dems in check

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/politics/article/0,1406,KNS_356_5402344,00.html

[mmonk]

10. The two party system is failing.

[w4rma]

11. This passed the Senate, already? I fully support this bill, then. (nt)

[upi402]

12. I'd really like an opposition party

All this corporate fascism is tiring.