How Hillary Helped Wall Street, As Senator: (a few of numerous examples of how donations work)

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http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/4/1479904/-Clinton-Last-Night-Name-Anything-Wall-Street-Has-Influenced-Me-On-OK-I-Will--

While being questioned about her Wall Street ties, Clinton said to Anderson Cooper

“But you know anybody who knows me who thinks that they can influence me — name anything they’ve influenced me on. Just name one thing. I’m out here every day saying I’m going to shut them down, I’m going after them.”

Challenge accepted.

In 2007, while running for president, Clinton made campaign speeches attacking the tax break for hedge-fund and private-equity executives — one of the infamous loopholes that allows rich people to pay way less in taxes than they’re supposed to
— but did not sign her name onto legislation that would have ended the tax break and closed the loophole.

Just as she’s doing now, she was “out there every day saying I’m going to shut them down,” but did not actually use her elected-official power to keep her word, and follow through with the simple act of signing her name onto someone else’s bill.

As Politico reports,

When Clinton had a chance to support a 2007 bill that aimed to curb a tax break she publicly decried for hedge-fund and private-equity executives, she failed to sign on.

Clinton said one thing in public, but did another behind closed doors.

She attacked Wall Street to voters, but helped them as a senator.

Because Wall Street executives were the biggest donors to her 2006 Senate campaign and her 2008 presidential campaign.

Clinton got millions from the financial industry while also protecting them — she is most assuredly influenced by her Wall Street donors.

In 2007 and 2008, Clinton did not work with the other senators in Congress to pass a housing bill to stop individual financial players from destroying the economy.

As ProPublica reports,

When a broad housing bill finally became law in 2008, Clinton was not among the more than dozen senators credited by party leaders as playing a key role.

She was not a leader in the Senate to stop Wall Street’s reckless behavior.

In fact, she was barely even a follower.

Additionally, as Politico reports—

Clinton also has some history with the shadow-banking world she says is a continuing risk to the financial system.

While in the Senate, she made a little-noticed overture to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who was involved in talks to rescue giant insurer AIG with government funds.

She was calling on behalf of wealthy investors who stood to lose millions and had hired two longtime Clinton associates to represent them.

So not only did she not battle for the American people against Wall Street, or even follow those who were fighting for the citizens, she actually fought on Wall Street’s behalf.

Furthermore, the classic “Cut it out” 2007 speech that Clinton has used as evidence of her “tough on Wall Street” record (and now suddenly stopped referencing) was not quite as strict and severe as she’s tried to make it seem.

As Politico reports—

For the second time in the debates she referenced a speech she gave to executives before the economic meltdown.

In October’s debate she had described herself as going to Wall Street and saying, “Cut it out! Quit foreclosing on homes! Quit engaging in these kinds of speculative behaviors.”

But what did that speech actually entail?

Clinton gave a shout-out to her “wonderful donors” in the audience, and asked the bankers to voluntarily suspend foreclosures and freeze interest rates on adjustable subprime mortgages. She praised Wall Street for its role in creating the nation’s wealth, then added that “too many American families are not sharing” in that prosperity.

Guess what?

They didn’t listen to her and, less than a month later, the economy crashed.