DMR: Edwards' "anti-corporate rhetoric would make it difficult to work with the business community"

[Stop Cornyn]

I KNOW the Des Moines Register didn't MEAN that as an endorsement of Edwards, but -- FUCKIN' A -- that tells me all I need to know about who's earned my support!

I sent Dennis Kucinich a check less than 24 hours ago, and now I'm breaking out the checkbook again for Edwards!

[maddiejoan]

1. Makes me realize

That he won't be able to get anything done.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Because nothing can get done in politics anymore unless the right palms are greased?

God, I would hate to be so cynical.

[maddiejoan]

7. You are far more cyncical than I am

If you believe the only way to work with the business community is to grease palms.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. I contend that must be your belief.

Because Edward's "anti-corporate" stance is in truth, anti-corruption, anti-anti-labor, anti-lack of corporate responsibility. As exemplified by going after the makers of the swimming pool which sucked the intestines of a 5 year old girl into its circulation system - and his client was one of many; the company settled out of court on prior claims for similar incidents and did not take that product off the market or change its design to make it safer - they figured the cost of settling would be less than the cost of replacing or retrofitting all the pools they'd already sold. THAT is how Edwards is "anti-corporate".

But, maybe you're cool with that.

[maddiejoan]

14. I'd be even cooler with it

If he went for getting the products removed from the marketplace, rather than settling for the sum of money --much of which he gets to pocket.

Your example doesn't show me he's anti-corporate at all.

:shrug:

It shows me that he was more interested in spending less time on the case and netting personal gain.

Did he as a Senator do any follow up with any legislation mandating safety standards for pool drains?

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. He didn't settle. He put the bastards out of business.

And he is NOT anti-corporate. He is anti-corruption. Anti-negligence. Pro-people.

Any company that is responsible, that takes care of business and does not make decisions that endanger people has nothing to worry about. He has ALWAYS pushed for corporate responsibility, safety standards in the workplace.

And, the safty standards for pool drains existed - the company was in violation of them with a bad design, and the company knew it from the previous cases that they settled on, cases that Edwards had nothing to do with. HE refused to settle.

[maddiejoan]

18. My bad

I misread your sentence:

"the company settled out of court on prior claims for similar incidents and did not take that product off the market or change its design to make it safer - they figured the cost of settling would be less than the cost of replacing or retrofitting all the pools they'd already sold."

I took it to mean that Edwards had settled, I am mildly dyslexic and had to reread that a third time to see what you were actually saying.

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. No, no. My bad. I should have been clearer.

In my defense, it is closing in on 2:30 and am starting to get a little spacy.

[JDPriestly]

13. As I explained in an earlier post,

when a candidate accepts donations from the big corporate lobbyists, that candidate virtually becomes an employee of the corporations. Thus, when that candidate becomes president, regardless of what that candidate may say or how vociferously that candidate will deny it, he or she owes his or her livelihood to the corporations and represents them. Thus, when the candidate, now president, sits at the negotiating table with the lobbyists for the corporations, there is only one party represented at that negotiating table -- the corporations. That is the way it is now in D.C. No matter where you go, most of the members of Congress and the administration owe their positions to corporate money. Thus the Congress members and the administration serve the same employer -- the huge multinational corporations -- Walmart, Halliburton, Eli Lilly, etc. They only serve us the people to the extent they absolutely have to to avoid our catching on.

Hillary is taking money from corporate lobbyists. If she is elected, she will be in their pay. The Des Moines Register also relies on the big multinational corporations for its income -- from their ad placements. The Des Moines Register, therefore, puts the interests of the multinationals first. Its editors state clearly that that is why they prefer Hillary. They are entitled to prefer her. So are you. But realize that your vote for Hillary is a vote for a person who will get along so well with big business because she is, in reality, its employee. Go ahead and vote for that.

But, remember, as long as we have a corporate employee in the White House and as long as corporate employees dominate in Congress, we will not have significant change -- not in the laws and regulations on the environment, on labor law, on healthcare, on world issues, not on anything. We will keep NAFTA pretty much as it is. We will not win the struggle to heal the environment. The polar bears will die just as other wildlife is now dying. And it will be because of your choice and the choices of all those who support candidates like Hillary who get along well with business, i.e., the big multinational corporations. It is your choice. I have chosen to support Edwards.

[maddiejoan]

15. Edwards takes his share too

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/10/obama_edwards_and_the_lobbying.html

[JDPriestly]

21. They are including all trial lawyers -- which includes me, and

I assure you I am not a lobbyists and have not clout whatsoever in D.C. A lot of lawyers want Edwards to be president. He is a great lawyer. He speaks up for little people. That article is simply wrong.

[Snotcicles]

34. Makes me realize he'll make them play by the rules not give them

Laissez-faire capitalism.

[rocktivity]

2. Well, keep in mind that DMR is a corporate entity in its own right

owned by Gannett since 1985. Therefore, are they looking out for their readers or themselves?

:headbang:
rocknation

[bluestateguy]

3. for 27 years, our presidents have "worked with the business community"

We need to defeat the business community, not pander to their every desire; show 'em that there is a new sheriff in town.

[maddiejoan]

5. Not all business is evil

But here I am stating the obvious.

[Blackhatjack]

6. Actually this is a false statement, .... and here is why.....

When large corporations use their wealth to wield power through their bought and paid for Capitol Hill Surrogates, they step on the very business interests that we ought to be encouraging.

Edwards would be the most pro-business President in history in that he would promote those business interests that have been shut out --the ones who deal fairly with their employees, who compete honestly for government contracts and actually live up to their contractual duties, those who spend their company's money on legitimate needs of the company and its labor rather than scraping off the cream and giving it to corrupt company officials, board members, and lobbyists.

Edwards would be the worst nightmare of those corrupt corporate interests which now control Capitol Hill. And they deserve it....

[TahitiNut]

9. Agreed.

Once upon a time, the GOP took pride in standing up for the small, owner-operated business and family farms. No longer. They (as well as MANY Democrats) have sold out to the multinationals and the financial "industry."

[caligirl]

10. thank you for this wonderful post. Nice to read.

[Blue_In_AK]

17. Well said

[1932]

26. America became powerful in the 20th century because of the power amassed in middle/working class

but now all the wealth created for the bottom and middle has been shifted back to the top, and it is threatening America's future.

[brentspeak]

29. Well said

[Little Star]

33. I could not have said it better! Right on Blackhatjack! K&R

[DS1]

8. I was for Kucinich, and I do love the guy

and do hate DMR for banning him from the debates, but Edwards IMO is the guy. It should have been Edwards/Kerry in 04

[creeksneakers2]

11. Like them or not

Corporations are a major part of our economy. A president should not cave in to them, nor should he make them the enemy. Somebody needs to get corporations under control and limit their power over our government. Edwards takes it too far though.

[Blackhatjack]

20. How is making Corporations Play By The Rules 'taking it too far'??

Edwards is not anti-business, never has been.

Edwards is right that a small number of extremely wealthy corporate interests have taken control of our government, and they need to be reigned in.

The system in Washington is 'rigged' and anyone can see it.

Saying he will fix that system to make it fairer and return power to the people is not going to hurt the economy at all --in fact it will make the economy grow.

[flashl]

22. It is evident that corporations are NOT self-regulating or self-policing

It’s just unbelievable that there is tolerance for corporate misconduct that disenfranchises, maims, renders homeless, and violates individual sovereignty as a matter of business yet, at the same time this country maintains a zero tolerance policy for children in schools.

This makes no sense to me.

Corporations do not ACT on behalf of the social or economical well-being of the MANY but the FEW. Therefore, deference for the interest of foreign national corporations should be the least of our concerns.

[1932]

25. The mortgage crisis is a perfect example. The greed of banks to get people to overleverage

and to extract fees on the churn is going to cause a lot of personal and economic misery for people all over the world.

The government could have easily prevented this (and it was obvious what was going on).

[cali]

23. People who are sincerely anti-corruption don't put millions and millions

into those very corrupt entities, hedge funds. They just don't.

[1932]

24. So which asset management companies can Democrats invest in?

And somebody should tell Wall St that it's safe to put their money in Edwards, because, judging from the FEC reporting, it looks like they might believe that he's not their candidate (they must be listening to his campaign and judging him by his record before he entered the sentate, and his record voting on the side of workers and consumers in the senate).

[Stop Cornyn]

27. You're aware that Obama and Hillary have about 4 times as much campaign donations from hedge funds?

[flashl]

30. Remember pensions vaporizing under Raygun? That wasn't an individual decision.

[Lost4words]

32. Profit trumps Humanity in the good ole USA

Nationalize utilities and bring back the private farmer.

8643

[mmonk]

28. Just what we need. Our policies both domestic and foreign are

designed to serve the corporations. Most people think the Supreme Court battle is only about abortion and/or religion but it's primarily a battle between corporate control vs. the common wealth and the power of citizens as well. The time to fight corporatism is right now.

[Lost4words]

31. Sounds good to me!

[jtrockville]

35. Corporations are supposed to serve OUR needs, not vice-versa!

Why on earth should government "work with business" anyway?

[ulysses]

36. oh, well fuckall, we can't do anything that would make it difficult to work

with the business community!

:freak:

Just ratcheted John up a notch in my book.

[Postman]

37. What more proof do you need that Hillary is NOT a liberal.

When the DMR won't endorse Edwards because he will fight corporate power the inverse is true when it comes to Hillary. She embraces corporate power. Who needs a corporate democrat when you can have the real thing in voting for a republican.....

[Kansas Wyatt]

38. Throw Corporate America out of the house....

And fill up the dinner table with 'We The People.'

Abolish our present Corporate Government forever.

[burrowowl]

39. The Government shouldn't work with the Corporatists!

It should regulate the bastards and make them pay taxes, like in the days of Eisenhower!

[MzShellG]

40. Absolutely..

I would love an Obama/Edwards ticket. Or Kucinich as vp. A dream ticket.