Hey, Look at What W Took!

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From: News and Views | Opinion | Wednesday, February 07, 2001

Think Bill & Hil Got a Lot? Hey, Look at What W Took

Oh, if only the Clintons had been bar mitzvahed! Then they'd know: Real friends don't give gifts.

They give cash.

How the όber-WASP George W. Bush managed to learn this is a mystery murkier than the Dade County vote count. But even as the public was having fits about the Clintons' U-Haul full of flatware, Bush was quietly pocketing $100,000 checks from his buddies, and no one raised so much as a fish fork.

The occasion for this generosity was the Bush-Cheney inauguration, and the total collected was more than $40 million. In knickknack terms, that's enough for about 786,000 place settings, 32,000 love seats and a solid-gold doggie dish. It's also $10 million more than Bill Clinton raised for his second inauguration in '97.

Whence came such philanthropy? Let's see. Philip Morris, Chevron and General Motors each gave $100,000. So did Exxon, Enron and good ol' Dow Chemical. Money poured in from energy companies, oil refineries, telecommunications moguls, drug corporations — even uniform manufacturers.

Because this money was paying for the inaugural, donors could argue that their motives were purely patriotic. Believe that, and I've got a pair of coffee tables I'd like to resell you.

"There is virtually no regulation on contributions to inaugurals," explains Steve Weiss, communications director at The Center for Responsive Politics. This creates a White House-size loophole at the very dawn of a new administration.

It also creates at least the appearance of soft-money shenanigans. Consider that of the 474 individuals Bush appointed to his transition teams, more than half made contributions to the Republicans.

Thus, Dick Farmer, whose outfit produces uniforms, gave $100,000 to the inaugural and — hey! — just happened to be appointed to the Veterans Advisory Team. Richard Egan of the computer company EMC gave $100,000 and found himself appointed to Bush's Commerce Advisory Team. Kenneth Lay, head of energy giant Enron, gave $100,000 and — surprise! — got appointed to the Energy Advisory Team.

What a coinky-dink!

And yet, despite these enormous donations and seemingly instant White House access, America remains obsessed with the $190,000 worth of soup tureens and tchotchkes that the Clintons walked off with.

Tell me: Who is going to have a greater impact on this country, an ex-President and a junior senator or the new leader of the free world at the start of his four-year term?

Sure it's cheesy to collect china from your friends. But it's cheesier still to collect IOUs.

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), February 14, 2001

Answers

Yawn....been here done that.

I am impressed though....the pickings on Dubya material must be pretty thin if you liberals dig and continue to find weak crap like this and then reuse it twice a week.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.


Debra (Thisis@it.com)

If this is it, you ain't got much.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.


Thank you Ain't for pointing that out. You are too kind.

Had the situation been reversed this is how I would have posted to you ...

Ain't -

This article was posted the other day. For a look at the conversation that followed go here. :)

By the way, you didn't comment on the article. May I ask why?

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), February 14, 2001.


Debra, spare me. You are not as innocent as you would have us believe.

Your article is an attack...I responded accordingly.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.


By the way, you didn't comment on the article. May I ask why?

Because I can't state my position better than what Flint and Barry have already stated theirs to be.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 14, 2001.



No. It is because you are a boring asshole.

-- Debs buddy (friend@of.Debra's), February 14, 2001.

Deb I am surprised at you. Ain't is an Anoited One. Unlike we losers Ain't doesn't overthink things,,,he just nos. Look at his sources. Do they look like they would be prone to published UTTER CRAP wrapped as the whole truth? OK maybe drudge a tad, but WorldNetDaily? come-on friend wake- up and smell the coffee.

Now apologize and thank the day you were born for the Anoited Ones. Hail Ain't!

-- (doc_paulie@hotmail.com), February 14, 2001.


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