Soros says he regretted backing Obama over Clinton because

[cali]

he didn't get the access he expected and wanted from Obama, and he did get that access to Hillary.

Clinton emails: Billionaire Soros said he regretted backing Obama

<snip>

Confidants say that, although he still supports Obama, Soros has been disappointed by him, both politically and personally," the article said. "When Soros wanted to meet with Obama in Washington to discuss global economic problems, Obama’s staff failed to respond."

"Eventually, they arranged not a White House interview but, rather, a low-profile, private meeting in New York, when the President was in town for other business. Soros found this back-door treatment confounding," the article said.

A Soros confident told The New Yorker: "They pissed on him... He didn’t want a f-cking thing! He didn’t want a state dinner, or a White House party—he just wanted to be taken seriously<snip>

<snip>
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/264542-liberal-billionaire-soros-regrets-backing-obama

[beam me up scottie]

1. What a coincidence, that's one of the reasons I supported Obama over Hillary too.

[JonLeibowitz]

4. +1, hehehe (but I was too young to vote then).

[demwing]

2. Soros wants to know how much front door access will cost him.

While the middle class has no chance of ever getting a meet and greet.

Soros is smart, and seems favorable toward Dems, but is essentially just another billionaire who wants more.

[Docreed2003]

51. But but....

I remember all those fundraising emails promising a chance to get to meet the President or First Lady and I just knew that, if I sent in a shekel or two, that I'd get my chance to impress the Executive branch with my concerns for the middle class. Never did win those contests, but I'm sure some folks did, and I just know that they were greeted with more than just a photo op.

[JonLeibowitz]

3. That's a shame (in seinfeld voice). Lest we ever hear that $$ doesn't buy access to HRC....

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. well it is pretty shameful when a billionaire who donated vast amounts of

money can't help guide the ship of state. What kind of democracy is this?

[senz]

6. "What kind of democracy is this?"

Good one.

[flor-de-jasmim]

52. Also: *A* good one!

[farleftlib]

9. LOL!

Now that is funny.

[ucrdem]

7. Sanders said in interviews in May that Obama had lost touch with the electorate

Last edited Sat Jan 2, 2016, 11:55 PM - Edit history (1)

and had decided to run the government without them, excerpt below:

http://www.cpa-connecticut.com/blog/?p=6526


ETA: Now, the relevance to Soros' comment is this: I also recall reading several transcripts of interviews given immediately after Sanders launched his campaign on April 29 wherein he surmises that Obama was doing the bidding of the well-to-do as he intended to retire among them as an explanation for why Obama was pursuing the TPP. So far I haven't found transcripts of those particular comments, so I'm not going to claim them as verified, but I do recall reading them, and when I find them, I will post them.

[cali]

8. Link?

Not that your bitter comments have anything to do with the op.

[ucrdem]

10. Link to what?

My recollections? I checked the transcripts for several shows to see if what I thought I'd heard him say in a podcast or youtube interview posted here he'd really said. He did, in several other interviews too. These were MSNBC and other cable and network shows. I posted about it a couple of times though I didn't assemble excerpts and links into an OP because I didn't have time and not many seemed interested in hearing gripes about Sanders. But I'll see what I can dig up.

[ucrdem]

14. Link: transcript, The Ed Show, April 30, 2015:

Sanders to Ed Schultz:

SCHULTZ: How would President Bernie Sanders be different from President
Obama?

SANDERS: I`ll tell you. First of all, I have lot of respect for President
Obama. He is a friend. I have disagreed with him on tax policy, I was on
the floor of the Senate few years ago, for 8.5 hours arguing that he should
not continue some of Bush`s tax rates for the rich. And obviously, we have
strong disagreement on the TPP.

Well, I think the President has made his biggest mistake is that, after his
historic and brilliant 2008 presidential campaign in which he rally the
American people, for what young people into the political process. What he
did after he was elected as kind to say, “Hey, thanks a lot. I appreciate
it, you`re gone. And now I`m going to sit down and argue, and try to
negotiate with John Boehner or with John Boehner. I think that was a
terrible mistake

http://www.cpa-connecticut.com/blog/?p=6526

[Oilwellian]

16. LOL...please do explain where you see

"star-struck" in the article you post. I look forward to the twisting and squirming.

[beam me up scottie]

17. Where did he say Obama was "star-struck by rich folks" and "was busy doing their bidding"?

[Live and Learn]

18. Are you calling John Boehner a star? nt

[ucrdem]

23. No the rich folks line came up in other interviews

Last edited Sun Jan 3, 2016, 12:29 AM - Edit history (1)

where Sanders was asked specifically about Obama's intentions on trade.

ETA: So far I can't find a transcript of one of those interviews so I'm going to delete the rest of this on request. if I come across a transcript, I'll restore it.

[Live and Learn]

24. So, you posted an irrelevant link?

I really don't care even if he did say that. Bernie is entitled to his opinion. Shouldn't you be over on the Soros post throwing him under the bus for dissing Obama?

[ucrdem]

25. I posted a link supporting what I claimed, yes.

If I can find one with the rich folks line I'll post it. So far I haven't. And this IS the Soros post.

[Live and Learn]

26. No you didn't. Please read your claim again. nt

[ucrdem]

28. "so busy doing their bidding."

He did several interviews but this was seven months ago on a different PC and the transcripts aren't so easy to locate.

[Live and Learn]

29. I feel for you but it still is not what you claimed. Maybe you should change your post

until you can locate your proof. Hope it doesn't take you too long.

[ucrdem]

30. He gave a press conference on April 29 and several interviews on the 29, 30, and early May.

If you don't trust my recollections you don't have to. I'll post one of the transcripts if I find one. But that's what I recall reading and so far I've come across several related comments, for example this one:

Sanders hit back at Obama, who recently accused critics of TPP of being “dishonest” about the negotiations.

“I agree with President Obama on a number of issues, but on trade he is dead wrong,” Sanders said. “He is following in the footsteps of George W. Bush; he’s following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, of Bush I, of Ronald Reagan.

“All these presidents have told us how great these trade agreements would be … how many jobs NAFTA would create, and how many jobs permanent normal trade relations with China would create,” Sanders said, citing two trade accords ratified under Clinton. “Well, you know what? Didn’t quite turn out that way. What in fact turned out is that we lost millions of decent-paying jobs.”

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/bernie-sanders-obama-sounds-like-bush-and-clinton-117717922196.html

[Live and Learn]

31. Still not it. Keep trying. nt

[ornotna]

32. So far you have not been able to give proof to your claim

It seems your memory fails you. You should consider editing your post.

[ucrdem]

36. My memory is fine, but the transcripts are eluding me, so I edited. nt

[Armstead]

42. And Sanders observation on free trade agreements was wrong because....?

It has been an unmitigated disaster for America.

And it is baffling why Obama would support it.

[ucrdem]

45. Several reasons: 1) trade is good, 2) internationalism is good, 3) it's here already, 4) it's an

opportunity to shape world commerce to benefit all, 5) the TPP was already in the works and was going to happen with or without us. There's a link in my signature called "TPP-at-a-glance" that links to a post with a short definition and a list of links to other threads about the TPP.

As for Sanders, I think he knows better but saw an opportunity to demagogue. That's been my position for at least a year.

[Armstead]

47. Trade is good. Government by corporation is not.

ANd the wonderful things that were promised previously did not materialize - except for the benefit American Transnational Corporations and the uber wealthy...The rest of us, not so much.

[ucrdem]

48. Clinton promised jobs and he delivered them. NAFTA (lower tarriffs)

was just part of the program but like TPP an important part. And it worked:

[Armstead]

49. I haven;t time to go into the intricacies, but many of those jobs were....

illusory and/or much more limited to technical brainiacs or low-wage service jobs than were advertised. And they have been outsourced abroad too.

That dip in your chart was not simply the doing of Bush. It was the logical aftermath of the Clinton policies and an unsustainable bubble combined with other factors.

On the economic fundamentals, deregulation, "free trade," monopolization, privatization and related activities and policies and values are hollowing out the US economy.

[PyaarRevolution]

50. Why do we accept a CORPORATE trade deal?

TPP is a CORPORATE trade deal and is Free Trade NOT Fair Trade.

The Teamsters and other organizations should've rallied against it and presented a version of their own trade deal which pushes for a living wage in places like China, OSHA level conditions in all of those countries and NO slave labor(I'm looking at you Malaysia). Instead they went for a position of weakness and tried to work with the TPP.
We saw how destructive NAFTA was and the Unions said they want to try to mitigate that destruction?! I mean coming to THEIR discussions, which were closed to the general public, should've given a clue to the Unions on the TPP. It's like going to a Casino and thinking you'll win big. The odds are skewed so the house always wins.
Internationalism isn't always good, look how Western Capitalism has ruined the security of Japanese jobs. Because like idiots most around the world are chasing short term gains, our infrastructure is crumbling and most jobs have gone overseas.

[ornotna]

34. " His answer was that Obama wants to retire with the jet set and is making sure that will happen"

" by handing them the TPP."

Links for that too please. You're flinging a lot of poo without proof or are we to trust your "recollections".

[ucrdem]

37. I'm running a couple of searches so hold your horses thanks.

ETA: It's not turning up so I edited out the comment.

[ornotna]

38. Horses held

Thank you.

[ucrdem]

39. No worries. Anyway the point is that PBO, contra Alex Jones etc, is not captive to the money boys,

at least not to Soros.

[Armstead]

43. I think its more that Soros is a polarizing figure

Sure some of the things he supports are good.

But he is a figure of mistrust throughtoyt tge spectrum.
He riles up the GOP and his business practices are not always savory.

Were I Obama, I'd have kept my distance too.

[senz]

12. Because he talks the talk and walks the walk

and has done so consistently for 40 years.

Because he's for the American people, not the wealthy corporations.

Because he didn't have to invent a whole new set of "values" and "principles" just for the primary.

Because he's honest.

Because he's real.

And by the way, Bernie Sanders has never -- and will never -- treat Barack Obama the way Hillary Clinton did in 2008.

[Live and Learn]

40. +10,000 nt

[ejbr]

21. True

Look at all the Wall Street types investigated for ruining our economy. I guess he wasn't star struck just indifferent to serving justice in this case.

[ornotna]

27. Yes, links please

I can't seem to find that "quote" anywhere.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. It's all about money and influence

Obama obviously wasn't playing

[senz]

13. I respect President Obama for many reasons,

and Soros just gave me another one.

[ucrdem]

15. With you on this one. nt

[ejbr]

22. Why did Wall Street

types get to walk without any investigation just our money?

[uponit7771]

19. So the influence meme is bunk, I would've meet with Soros cause the conversation could have....

... been interesting.

either way...

not shockingg

[Live and Learn]

20. Yikes, Soros disrespected Obama? Why isn't the crowd here to throw him under the bus?

Oh yeah, that crowd are all Hillary supporters. Appears they didn't really care that much for Obama after all.

[JI7]

44. how did he disrespect Obama ? he is complaining he didn't get access to him, he still supports him

as President.

[elleng]

33. Similar lack of access for Holbrooke,

while he was working IN the administration as special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan. He died 2 or so weeks after meeting declined.

Wonder if it's staff issue, or choices of POTUS. Either way, raises issues of concern about decision making with me.

[840high]

35. I have never liked Soros. No respect for him.

[Douglas Carpenter]

41. he made much of his vast fortune off of currency speculation

That is hardly income that produces jobs, goods or services. It is basically a very disruptive parasite way to create wealth for a few privileged individuals.

[840high]

46. Yes. Thank you.

[Truprogressive85]

53. Oh so that why rich donors give huh

Soros can kiss my ass

I don't give a damn if he gives to liberal causes

The White House is the house of the people not the house of Billionaires

If Soros wants to be Geppetto find himself a puppet he can control (which he has)

There are other billionaire that had access to the President but at least he stood up to one

This why so many of us support Sen. Sanders, fu** the big donors !
All they want is policies that benefits them and have access to the president's ear.