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Lawyers and Bankers and Thugs, Oh My!

Posted: January 6, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Barack Obama, Team Obama, We are so F'd, WE TOLD THEM SO | Tags: , , , , |41 Comments

If you need any proof that the Obama Presidency, Part Deux isn’t going to get any better, this is it. When is the last time you read that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce liked anything a Democratic politician did?

President Barack Obama chose former commerce secretary William Daley as his new chief of staff Thursday, bringing a renowned powerbroker on the wavelength of big business into his retooled administration.

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The former commerce secretary is an imposing figure steeped in the ways of Washington. As well as his tenure as Clinton’s commerce secretary, he helped to negotiate congressional ratification of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

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“This is a strong appointment. Bill Daley is a man of stature and extraordinary experience in government, business, trade negotiations, and global affairs,” said US Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue.

“He’s an accomplished manager and strong leader. We look forward to working with him to accelerate our recovery, grow the economy, create jobs, and tackle America’s global challenges.”

Yup. We continue on the Yellow Brick Road to the Chicago Way.  Want some more information on this appointment?

Check out The Nation.

Daley, brother of outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, was Commerce Secretary under Bill Clinton, the chief architect of NAFTA, chairman of Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, a top adviser/fundraiser for the Obama campaign and, most recently, Midwest chairman of JP Morgan Chase. He shares the corporate centrism of Emanuel and, when it comes to economic issues, may be worse. AFL-CIO head John Sweeney once said that Daley stood “squarely on the opposite side of working families.”

Daley lobbied for telecommunications giant SBC, publicly chided the Obama administration for pursuing healthcare reform (he serves on the board of drugmaker Merck), advised the Chamber of Commerce on Wall Street regulation (they wanted less of it) and reportedly urged Obama’s team to drop the most popular provision of the financial reform bill—the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. When Daley joined the board of the corporate-aligned Democratic group Third Way in July 2010, board chairman John Vogelstein said that Daley’s tasks would include “reforming entitlements”—a clever code word for cutting Social Security and Medicare. Yet, despite all this, Obama is making Daley the focal point of his White House in year three. Didn’t the president learn anything from Rahm’s disastrous tenure at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

Here’s more on Daley via Ezra Klein and WAPO.

Imagine I told you that one of the candidates President Obama is considering for chief of staff opposed the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, opposed doing health-care reform and led the Chamber of Commerce’s effort to loosen the post-Enron regulations on the accounting and auditing professions. His major qualification for the job is that he’s extremely well liked by the business community, in part because he routinely advocates for their interests and in part because he’s a top executive at J.P. Morgan. His theory of politics is that the Democratic Party has become too liberal and needs to tack right. Last year, he doubled down on that argument by joining the board of Third Way.

Next time some one tells you that Obama is a socialist or a progressive or anything more than a DINO,  laugh in their face and show them the evidence.  Just remember, when they say “Play Ball!!’ in Chicago, they’re not standing on Wrigley Field and they’re not talking to the Cubs. We are so F’d.

41 Comments on “Lawyers and Bankers and Thugs, Oh My!”

  1. minkoffminx's avatar Minkoff Minx says:
    January 6, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    We are so F’ed indeed. I think this is just a sign of how the next 2 years will proceed. Have a weak ass president, who will bend to the GOP and big money like a wet noodle, and a staff that will be corrupt bullies, and will only fight for what gives them more money…screw the people, the only thing important to these Chicago politicians is themselves.

  2. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    January 6, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    OT: apparently some woman shouted “except Obama” repeatedly during the reading of the Constitution today when they got to the presidential eligibility part.

    *Eyeroll* They should just put Barnum and Bailey signs up all over the Capitol.

  3. minkoffminx's avatar Minkoff Minx says:
    January 6, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Map shows birds migrate from BP disaster up through Arkansas and Kentucky, near areas where dead birds are dropping from sky (PHOTO) | Florida Oil Spill Law

    OT: Wow….check this out!

    • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
      January 6, 2011 at 1:35 pm

      pcousteau Philippe Cousteau
      Now 100 tons of fish dead off the coast of Brazil…WTF!! We can’t keep doing what we R doing…when will we learn? – http://say.ly/IIu6gH

      Here’s some one I believe on fish kills.

      Since last Thursday, 100 tons of sardines, croaker, and catfish have died near Paraná, Brazil. Paraná is in the southern part of the country and has some coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The 100 ton count came from a survey conducted by the Federation of Fishermen’s Colony of Paraná, Paranaguá. It has been reported by this fishing association that 2,800 fisherman depend on fish caught in the area for their daily incomes.

    • Silent Kate's avatar Silent Kate says:
      January 6, 2011 at 8:45 pm

      I’ve been thinking the bird and fish thing has something to do with the oil spill. Of course we are being fed more crap about fireworks, which happen every year! If it is BP, it will get covered up.

  4. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    January 6, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    cue Richard Gere…

  5. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    January 6, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Oh… and suddenly I’m reminded of Naftagate.

  6. HT's avatar HT says:
    January 6, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    Corruption coming to the Corrupt. Seems appropriate. Is there one honest politician left?

  7. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 6, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    We told you so!!

    Love,
    The Sky Dancing Cassandras!

    The Dow and S&P 500 slipped on Thursday on disappointing December sales from some top retailers, and investors braced for Friday’s employment report, a key gauge of the economy.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BQ13120110106

    Stocks slipped Thursday after the government reported an increase in the number of applications for unemployment benefits last week.

    The Labor Department said 409,000 people made first-time claims for benefits. That’s up from 388,000 the previous week, when applications fell to their lowest level in more than two years. The number of applications suggests that companies are adding jobs but at a sluggish pace.

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7369039.html

    I’d really like credit for the number of times I hear nobody could’ve known and some of us have been talking about this for months, if not years

    • Rikke's avatar Sima says:
      January 6, 2011 at 9:48 pm

      But, but, but… all the newspapers were saying how GREAT the season was this year. I didn’t see much evidence of it, but then, I don’t have major tons of disposable income.

      I kept thinking. Wow, everyone is recovering but me, and feeling left out. Now, not so much.

  8. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 6, 2011 at 3:09 pm

    Oh, sheesh, it’s happened again in the Congo. Why can’t the UN stop this?

    Dozens of women were raped in a coordinated attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo on New Year’s Day, Doctors Without Borders said Thursday.

    The humanitarian agency said 33 women were raped in Fizi, South Kivu, in the eastern part of the war-torn country.

    “Women had been restrained with ropes or beaten unconscious with the butt of a gun before being attacked, some in front of their children,” said Annemarie Loof, an official with the agency, commonly known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres.

    “Up to four armed men were involved at a time and homes and shops were looted,” she said in a statement.

    Rape is a frequent weapon of war in Congo, the United Nations says.

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/06/congo.rapes/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

    • HT's avatar HT says:
      January 6, 2011 at 5:21 pm

      Repulsive, and yes the Un could stop it, but choose not to take action. After all, women and children aren’t important – oil and minerals are.

  9. Teresa's avatar Teresa says:
    January 6, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Totally off-topic, but I think I’d be here a thousand times more frequently if it weren’t for the grey on grey web template you use. Not only does it remind me of a depressingly dreary winter day in Seattle after many long days of rain, the grey on grey background of comments is pretty hard for tired post-40 eyes to read. The red text all over the place is also not very soothing for tired eyes, nor is the almost black grey with white text in your links. I’m sure the color scheme was designed by a professional artist at WordPress, and it looks very nice when viewed once. But it’s a tough color scheme, especially in winter.

    And maybe it’s by design that you keep me away (LOL), but I’m mentioning it anyway, because it may also be keeping people whom you actually WANT to be here away. So I’m hoping this is constructive feedback for their sake.

    Just had to say. I vent, therefore I am.

    • Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
      January 6, 2011 at 9:21 pm

      Teresa, good to have feedback on what works and doesn’t work for people. We’re still in the process of updating this site and its configuration and things like that, so I’d just ask for your patience and we’ll work out the kinks I think.

      On that note, everyone who had probs with the dark wood background on my little let-them-listen soapbox… just thought I’d let you know it’s gone and I have a better layout now.

    • NW Luna's avatar NW Luna says:
      January 6, 2011 at 11:12 pm

      Thank you, Teresa, for saying this. I’ve been having the same reaction. It’s a very edgy graphic design, and doesn’t (to me) have the right visual ambiance. I think of the the Sky Dancing blog as a web home/community space with warm, intelligent people having spirited discussions. But the graphic theme looks like the site should be selling X-acto knives or computer peripherals.

      I too am venting after a long day in the salt mines.

    • minkoffminx's avatar Minkoff Minx says:
      January 6, 2011 at 11:16 pm

      I think it is good to hear comments like this. I would want the site to be reader friendly. Thanks for the input…I read mostly from the reader feed and that does not have the light gray or red links. I understand where you are coming from Teresa.

    • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
      January 6, 2011 at 11:49 pm

      I don’t think we’re wedded to this I we can try something else.

  10. Rikke's avatar Sima says:
    January 6, 2011 at 9:42 pm

    It’s weird liking a post that is so depressing, but there you go. I’m glad for the background information on this guy. I knew it was bad when I heard Daley and Chicago, but didn’t know how bad.

  11. dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
    January 7, 2011 at 12:52 am

    Okay … is it easier to read now? Are the colors okay? The widget column is on the left now but I kept the content basically the same.

    • Rikke's avatar Sima says:
      January 7, 2011 at 1:21 am

      I like this much better to read, except for one thing. The nesting moves over too far to the right on highly nested comments, leaving about a word length on each line.

      Other than that, I LOVE the colors and black text is much easier to read.

  12. foxyladi14's avatar foxyladi14 says:
    January 7, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    love the new header :mrgreen:

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