Bill Moyers: "Let's Face It, Two Political Parties; Equal Opportunity Hypocrites"
By Heather Saturday Feb 06, 2010 2:00pm
Bill Moyers smacks the Democrats and Republicans for sucking up to corporate lobbyists at their retreats and Mitch McConnell for the hypocrisy of his statement on the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court ruling.
BILL MOYERS: Everybody's been talking about that Republican retreat last weekend, where President Obama engaged his opponents in a give and take. But what you may not know is that it was organized by something called the Congressional Institute. Nice highfalutin civic bunch, you might deduce from its name. Turns out the Congressional Institute is funded by corporate contributions and run by top Republican lobbyists. There are fourteen members on its board--twelve are registered lobbyists. And the contributors to the Congressional Institute read like a who's who of corporate America. Among its benefactors have been General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Time Warner, UPS. The institute's chairman lobbies for among others, Goldman Sachs, B.P., Health Net and AHIP. That's the trade group for the health insurance industry that fought tooth and nail against the public option and brought the White House to its knees.
Now if any Democrats out there are gloating over this, I'm not finished. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also had a cozy little retreat last weekend at a Ritz-Carlton resort in Miami Beach, which boasts "sumptuous marble baths," a spa, and a two million dollar art collection. The website Politico.com reports that in addition to prominent Democratic senators there were plenty of representatives from industries the Democrats regularly attack when they wear their populist hat: the American Bankers Association, the tobacco giant Altria, the oil company Marathon, several drug manufacturers, and the defense contractor Lockheed Martin, as well as Heather and Tony Podesta -- two of the biggest corporate spear carriers on K Street and two of the biggest Democrats in town. Very, very intimate. And very, very politically incestuous.
One final note: after the Supreme Court handed down its decision two weeks ago, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the leader of Senate Republicans, praised it from the senate floor. He dismissed the notion that the decision might allow a flood of foreign money to influence our elections. Now we learn from TalkingPointsMemo.com that Senator McConnell has received substantial funds from a subsidiary of a big foreign defense contractor that's currently being investigated by the Justice Department for bribery. Senator McConnell has been quite good to that subsidiary -- this year alone he's requested seventeen million dollars in earmarks for its Louisville facility. Yes, the sun, and the dollar signs, shine bright in Senator McConnell's old Kentucky home.
Let's face it, two political parties; equal opportunity hypocrites.
That's it for the Journal. Go to our website at PBS.org and click on Bill Moyers Journal. You can read Dr. Margaret Flowers' letter. You'll also learn how your state's laws will be affected by the recent Supreme Court decision. We'll also link you to websites where the debate rages on.
That's all at PBS.org.
I'm Bill Moyers. And I'll see you next time.
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There are no political parties. It's all an Act. Get over it. The corporations run the show and we are a nation of suckers.
There is no democracy in the US. The biggest first step to bringing back democracy is the need to completely overhaul campaign financing. No corporations, no unions, no special interests would be allowed to contribute, period.
Here in Canada, contributions to federal campaigns can only be made by individual persons and are strictly limited to about $1,000. Even if the Supreme Court has determined that corporations are persons, a limit of say $1,000 would mean that they couldn't flood the campaign coffers of the politicians they want. I'm not trying to say Canada is perfect but I'd take our system over that of the US any day.
I honestly believe it will take rioting in the streets, or another civil war for the US to get any real democracy back.
I'm very disappointed in the Democrats. The entire world rejoiced once Obama won, but now we see that it's status quo in the land of greed and corruption.
Bummer.
but WE have to live here. Double bummer.
What's happening to the USA is sad and disturbing. Americans deserve better.
... it's not too bad.
You're a bad boy, fiver!
;)
calgarylady -
"What's happening to the USA is sad and disturbing. Americans deserve better."
Thank you for your empathy.
I agree with the first sentence. I partially disagree with the second. American children deserve a better future than the one we are leaving them. Way too many American adults, on the other hand, DO deserve what is happening.
The first three words of our Constitution read, "We the People...", not, "They, the Corporations..."
The founding fathers did not mean for the government to be run by big business, nor by just a few elected officials. They meant for us to govern ourselves, to be engaged in the process so that we could make informed and intelligent choices when electing those that would represent us.
Instead, we've become disjoined from our government, letting ourselves be pacified by TV and distracted by the bright shiny object of the day. All too often, we elect people not because they are capable and able to govern, but because they are popular, or are good looking, or because they tell us what we want to hear.
It's time for the citizenry to re-engage. If we do not soon take the reins of power back from our corporate masters, it will be too late.
Too late . The people too ignorant and stupid ( and divided ) and it's already too late .Clinton gave us NAFTA the people did nothing . The people let Bush , Cheney and the Repugs get away with murder for eight years , did nothing . If people didn't hit the streets in mass and raise absolute hell over the traitors and saboteurs on the Supreme court and the outrageous " decision " that a corporation is a person , a human being and then that this corporation "person" can spend all they want on what ever campaign that suits them ... well , there isn't much more to say is there ? We are screwed , SOL .
Still some hope?
Congresswoman Donna Edwards has just introduced a Constitutional amendment, together with Congressman John Conyers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6cehXA5mHo
The 28th Amendment?
Donna Edwards ROCKS!
" The Corporations have left us NO CHOICE but to Change the Constitution"
Like Kreskin at 18:16, I think it's already too late.
Amen there, w!
Starting with the return of Nixon. who revealed the true voice of hate (even louder than Goldwater because he spoke from the political pulpit) in America. He embraced the divisiveness and mastered it like a true veteran of the McCarthy Era, which he was.
Nixon expanded domestic surveillance and government secrecy, the very model for what we have today.
If Goldwater signaled the revival of the right wing, Nixon was the Sergeant-at-Arms. His evil, mean-spirited paranoia is the emotional model for the bush regime.
If not for a guard discovering a taped-up door jamb, we never would have known how insidious Nixon really was... and would have no basis for comparison in American History to the pure evil we are witnessing in our tumultuous current time.
America still has not learned a lesson, perhaps because we don't feel the loss of the freedoms, because we're too busy making ends meet, watching our children grow, keeping our jobs and worrying about our families and our future.
Even as the appalling truth becomes apparent, America remains paralyzed by shock from 9/11 and hatred for the others of the planet Earth.
Even as we see what the pathetic, unempathetic and sometimes just plain evil men and women in Washington are doing, we can't believe they have the intentions that they demonstrate by their negotiations, votes, public statements and grandstanding.
They are evil! They must be brought to account in 2010 and for the next 60 years, at least. Not just the republicans, but the democrats too.
Each and every one of them who demonstrated a disregard for the rights of the citizenry of the United States should be voted out.
Each and every one of them who suppressed the minority party in Congress and the Senate of the United States should be voted out.
Each and every one of them, who advocated the overthrow of the constitution should be voted out.
Each and every one of them who advocated for a corporation over a citizen should be voted out.
Each and every one of them who voted against the men and women who they sent to Iraq on the basis of a lie should be voted out.
If they support the war, they should be voted out.
If they voted for a cut in Veteran's benefits, they should be voted out.
If they voted to force a religion on the people of the United States that is not their chosen religion, they should be voted out.
If they voted to change the rules to support political corruption, they should be voted out.
If they voted for CAFTA, they should be voted out.
If they voted for the Patriot Act, they should be voted out.
If they supported the end of the filibuster, they should be voted out.
If they supported the tax cuts for the wealthy and the bankrupting of the government, they should be voted out.
If they supported cuts in programs that help the poor, the elderly, the infirm, they should be voted out.
If they supported an end to social security, they should be voted out.
If they supported the destruction of the environment, they should be voted out.
If they voted for Roberts, they should be voted out.
If they voted for Alito, they should be voted out.
If they support Bush, they should be voted out.
I don't care which party they belong to.
even born in 1968. To them, these are the good ol' days.
as well, right?
"If they support Bush, they should be voted out". - CoinTelPro...
It's pretty obvious that Obama supports Bush. On Inauguration Day they were busy huggin' and back slappin' each other and photo-oping it with the wives.
Then Obama made it clear that we all needed to look "forward, not back"...(justice be damned).
Then Obama sent Bush to Haiti with Clinton to "oversee" the goings on?
Maybe Obama should have sent Bush to the Hague for a vacation? I don't know, someplace where he'd have a chance of being cuffed and indicted for war crimes perhaps?
So, now that we've ascertained that Obama/Biden "should be voted out", who shall we replace them with??
I'm ready to go to work. For a true Progressive who supports the rule of law and the Constitution.
..the laws of our nation and prosecute the war criminals. I just don't know where we'll find that candidate. Obama made a mistake not releasing the "photos". This country would've HAD to have put w on trial for that or risk being further ostracized by and removed from the rest of the world. As it is, how many people even remember that there were photos of children being raped or prisoners being tortured or that maybe w killed 1,000,000 iraqis with his illegal war? (I used to think it was 100,000 like that's not bad enough but I've since seen a report raising that number by a power of 10.)
NO war crimes trials, no voting for Obama in 2012, its that simple and I will be vocal at rallies about that. But who will actually campaign on this issue? No one! Who will get this done? No one it seems in this administration and who can we trust (if we couldn't trust Obama) to do it? I'm strong enough to support a candidate who will run on this issue but I don't believe he/she'll have a chance if its the core of his or her platform.
WTF is that???
Are you in the habit of cutting and pasting from 2007 C&L posts ? ? ?
Sat, 10/06/2007 - 21:54 — BaScOmBe (not verified)
1968 was the year that democracy came under full attack.....
"Starting with the return of Nixon. who revealed the true voice of hate (even louder than Goldwater because he spoke from the political pulpit) in America. He embraced the divisiveness and mastered it like a true veteran of the McCarthy Era, which he was.
Nixon expanded domestic surveillance and government secrecy, the very model for what we have today.
If Goldwater signaled the revival of the right wing, Nixon was the Sergeant-at-Arms. His evil, mean-spirited paranoia is the emotional model for the bush regime."
At least put some quotes around it with a link to where you stole it.
I recorded Bill's last show about the corporate take-over of government. Appartently it was "all over" for us "people" long before the new Supreme court ruling on funding. The ruling is just the first thing that has to be rolled back!
like this stuff instead of minor political jockeying topics like who's gained a point or position.
The foundation of our economy crumbling and the MSM is giving is scant attention. Let's not wait for the next big "OH SH*T!" moment. We need some committed political untouchables right now. What are you prepared to do next?!
Ya, there's a lot of the "situation room" TV going on in general. It's a scar from 9/11.
Wolf is basically still suffering from shell-shock. Post Trauma Stress Syndrome. The media profiteers are loving it. the problem is people are suffering Wolf's shell-shock with him. For some people it's every day. Let's not even get started with POX.
News was a 9/11 casualty, and now News may never come back if the corporation has it's way.
This is serious. For now, i'm gonna start supporting PBS.
...was disgusting. The woman got arrested for having the gall to stand up for Americans who couldn't afford insurance. I do believe that Sen. Max Backus is the person who got Dr. Flowers thrown out and arrested.
And no one stood up for her.
~
Bill Moyers Abides!!!
Yes, yes he does.
Status quObama, change you can pretend in.
Next up the Democrats/Republicans from China Inc.
From The Real News Network.
This segment explains the origins of the corporate takeover of both parties as a reaction to the New Left that emerged in the 60s.
Progressives and the Democratic Party Pt.2
Peter Dale Scott: The President does not choose the mindset, it chooses the people who become President
" Well, I'm afraid that by my analysis of things it's not in the power of a president to announce a new mindset out of Washington. The mindset in Washington chooses the people who become president."
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=co...
US foreign policy for DUMMIES?
As of now I despise both the Republicans AND the Democrats.
Aside from a few differences here and there the policies barely change.
The Green Party has my vote from now on until REAL progressives take charge.
Senator McCain? What say you??????
"Is this EAS again? Huh?
Meagan!! Check the Twitter. That McConnell is stealing my Pork!"
I've been asking myself what the hell is gong on here , Obama and the Dems refusing to stand up and fight ... I think Moyers just answered the question . Say hello to fascist America folks , the nightmare didn't end with Bush , it's only beginning . Realistically what the F can we do ?
..some people, got to have it, really need it!
That's what its going to take. There has to be some group, Progressives, willing to donate large sums of money to a progressive candidate who pledges to abide by the laws of this country. Of course, we have to take his word for it and trust that he'll actually do it when and if elected. And that is the problem, actually doing rather than promising to do. change we can hope for. sigh
Hear! Hear!
Equal Opportunity hypocrites, no doubt.
The sun never sets on the American Multinational Conglomerate.
It's the Era of Good Stealing Redux.
Where is the person who is going to pick up the standard and carry the torch when Moyers retires in just a couple of months? Who has the deft touch, the phrasing of a minister (he is an ordained Baptist Minister), the understanding of Washington (he served Kennedy & Johnson), the journalistic chops (he was the editor of Newsday) and the Rolodex and respect of the thinkers that are largely NOT the talking heads that populate the rest of TV? And who will present it in such a genteel manner that respects the intelligence of the audience?
My understanding is that he retires in April and the show with him. With PBS canceling Now and Moyers retiring, who will fill the void?
The two major political parties in this country are just 2 different flavors of suckitude.
"And I was so pleased to be informed of this, I ran 20 red lights in His honor. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord".
It was a more cleverly disguised astroturf campaign.
Unfortunately the only way to get the end result we'd all want is to vote the Democratic ticket. I was a former Republican and changed my party in 2002. You could say I was enlightened. But that enlightenment wasn't because of Democratic inspiration, it was Republican implosion. No Democrat ever was as inspirational as Obama was in the election year but I warned my Democratic friends and informed my Republican friends- when this guy says CHANGE he means back to centrist Clinton policies and away from Bush. He never once detailed an establishemet change. It was a shell game I saw up front, talk populist - promise centrism "I'm ESSENTIALLY a Free marketer". He was the Democrats' TEA PARTIER. Establishment Democrats wanted it that way and essentially put this guy in place.
Establisment Democrats sank the best chance to make real change in 2004, Howard Dean. One enthusiastic scream and they unleashed the press on him, because he challenged the Establishment class.
Anyway, Republicans will never answer a liberal call for change, thats a fact, probably 50% or more of the currently elected Dems would go our way, SOME of the time. But can be bought.
we need PRIMARY CHALLENGES, TERM LIMITS, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
I frankly don't know how any pro-life Dem should be allowed to survive after this years fiasco, either get with the program or get out of the way.
Fiscally Conservative Dems are spineless cowards and stand for everything democrats should be against.
I may have gotten off track but you get the picture. time to stop whining and get active. Time to be enthusiastic about voting Democratic so we don't lose and make the tent bigger by practicing Democracy within our own party, PRIMARY CHALLENGE EVERY SINGLE DEM INCUMBENT and whole heartedly vote for the winner, regardless if he was your primary choice.
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