Democrats characterized Republicans as fostering a culture of corruption, selling access, abuse of power and even of choking democracy to death. But Democrats never stopped selling access themselves, it’s just that what they were really mad about was that while they were a minority they got less cash. Now that that issue’s been settled it’s time to get the money!
Eager to shore up their fragile House and Senate majorities, congressional Democrats have enlisted their committee chairmen in an early blitz to bring millions of dollars into the party’s coffers, culminating in a late-March event featuring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and 10 of the powerful panel chairs.
In the next 10 days alone, Democratic fundraisers will feature the chairmen of the House’s financial services panel and the House and Senate tax-writing committees. Senate Democrats also plan a fundraising reception during a major gathering of Native Americans in the capital Tuesday evening, an event hosted by lobbyists and the political action committee for tribal casinos, including those Jack Abramoff was paid to represent.
Critics deride the aggressive fundraising push as the kind of business as usual that voters rejected at the ballot box last November — particularly the practice of giving interest groups access to committee chairmen in exchange for sizable donations — but Democrats are unapologetic. ~washingtonpost.com
Is this anyway to reform campaign finance? or is this what Democrats call, “getting the money out of politics?”
Republican fundraising was evil, destructive, insidious, devious, and wicked. But now, apparently, it’s ok. No, not just ok… it’s necessary and good! At least according to Barney Frank.
“Financial services companies are inclined to give to me because I’m chairman of the committee important to their interests,” said Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, who will headline a breakfast Wednesday at a D.C. hotel, for which donations range from $1,000 to $15,000 for the Democratic National Committee. “I’m fundraising to give to others so I can help stay in the majority and do the public policy things I want.”
Asked whether banking interests feel obligated to give to Democrats when he asks them for contributions, Frank answered: “Obligated? No. Incentivized? Yes.” Frank said, however, that those donating “understand, and others do, too, that there are no guarantees of my doing what they want, or even my being pleasant.” ~washingtonpost.com
Funny, isn’t it, that just a short while ago this was destroying democracy, and now it is saving it. Very different from how Bill Moyers characterized it not long ago:
Money is choking our democracy to death. Our elections are bought out from under us and our public officials are doing the bidding of mercenaries. So powerful is the hold of wealth on politics that we cannot say America is working for all Americans. ~commondreams.org
Was he correct then, or now?
The above is a trackback from my crossposting on watchblog.