In Case You Missed This... One Of The Most Important Quotes From Last Year...

[WillyT]

By Matt Stoller:

Most activists and political operatives are under a delusion about American politics, which goes as follows. Politicians will do *anything* to get reelected, and they will pander, beg, borrow, lie, cheat and steal, just to stay in office. It’s all about their job.

This is 100% wrong. The dirty secret of American politics is that, for most politicians, getting elected is just not that important. What matters is post-election employment. It’s all about staying in the elite political class, which means being respected in a dense network of corporate-funded think tanks, high-powered law firms, banks, defense contractors, prestigious universities, and corporations. If you run a campaign based on populist themes, that’s a threat to your post-election employment prospects.

Link: http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/05/its-not-about-reelection-bill-clintons-80-million-payday.html

Found through: http://inthesetimes.com/article/14153/the_post_election_politics_of_the_revolving_door/

[WillyT]

1. Because, I Fear... It is The Truth...

[undergroundpanther]

2. we really have to

put the upper class in it's place,broke in a gutter,alone and dispised.

when will people learn sucking up to the rich few gets you hated by the many.

I would love to see a law banning people who make over 70,000 dollars total income from holding ANY political office.

[xchrom]

3. Du rec. Nt

[truedelphi]

4. An awful lot of dirty little secrets come out once you grasp this notion.

You have Bill Clinton signing off on the odious Phil Graham sponsored "Bank Modernization and Reform Act," late in the final days of his Administration.

Inside the pages of that bill, Glass Steagall was basically eliminated, with the end result being that a total collapse of the economy occurred some eight or so years later. And with that collapse, the Middle Class is floundering also. (OF course, Clinton might say it all depends on just who you are referring to as "Middle Class." There are now an awful lot of people calling themselves that who make above 200K each year. But of course, for most of the 99%, we don't make anywhere near that amount.)

Now in the old days, when a politician pulled off something like that, they would go to the park near the underground subway and get a big bag of cash. Nowadays, it is more likely the politician gets a deal to receive some $ 100,000 per every speech he offers up in front of a Corporate Podium.

[WillyT]

5. Exactly...

[WillyT]

6. Damn... I Should Have Put Boobs In The Title...

[WillyT]

7. Last Kick From Me...

[WillyT]

8. I Lied... THIS Is The Last Kick...

:shrug;