Pigs at the Trough: Hillary Clinton Queen of the Earmarks with 261 grants to lobbyists!

[AtomicKitten]

http://nalert.blogspot.com/2008/01/hillary-leads-way-with-261-earmarks.html

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=205270

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/10/hillary-clinton-lands-ear_n_76048.html

* Since taking office in 2001, Clinton has delivered $500 million worth of earmarks that have specifically benefited 59 corporations. About 64% of those corporations provided funds to her campaigns through donations made by employees, executives, board members or lobbyists, a review by the Los Angeles Times shows.

[mod mom]

1. "$500 million worth of earmarks that have specifically benefited 59 corporations"

She's definitely not number 1 in campaign contributions from the lobbyists for nothing!

If she is our nominee the corporatists will further bring ruin to this country!

[EVDebs]

7. I didn't read the link but are the 59 corps listed ? "Mama Warbucks"

It alludes to many of the corps being defense contractors.

[mod mom]

8. I didn't find links to them but you can expect the GOP to run with this one:

"RNC from calling Hillary the "President of Pork"" especially will resonate coming from McCain.

[Avalux]

2. She's such a progressive!

Thanks for the links; maybe some will take their blinders off and realize it will be impossible for Hillary to make decisions in the best interest of the people when she is beholden to corporations.

[DJ13]

4. Fat chance, but I wish!

------------

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Wouldn't bet on that.

[AtomicKitten]

23. word

:thumbsup:

[Tennessee Gal]

3. Interesting.

Thank you for the links!

[babylonsister]

5. Damn! Tell me we won't be getting more of the same. nt

[Triana]

6. So - how does electing her represent "change" from what we've got now in our gov't?

HOW does electing someone like her OR Obama (who also rakes it in from the same) do ANYTHING to alleviate the current corporate chokehold on our government and our representatives in Washington that is preventing true progress on any of the issues?

[rinsd]

9. Your headline is wrong.

2nd link in op - The Hill reported yesterday that Hillary Clinton inserted more earmarks into the latest defense spending bill than any other Senator except for Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin. The 26 earmarks, totaling $148.4 million, mostly went to the New York-based defense industry. (For more on Hillary's ties to military contractors, see the Village Voice article "Mama Warbucks.")

These earmarks appear to be legitimate and above board.

1st link in OP relies on this info - http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200801/POL20080124e.html

Top Earmark-er Clinton Grants $303,000 to 'Gay' Lobby Group
By Fred Lucas
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
January 24, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - A group that lobbies for needle exchanges, for allowing more immigrants with HIV/AIDS to legally enter the country, and for condom distribution in prisons received a $303,000 federal earmark pushed by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

<snip lots of kvetching about gay men>

"Sen. Clinton is very proud to have helped New York-based projects that train nurses, improve our hospitals, help those suffering from 9/11-related health ailments, bolster national and homeland security, and provide our brave men and women in uniform with the resources they need to achieve the mission while keeping them safe," said Clinton's press secretary, Philippe Reines, in a written statement to Cybercast News Service.

Faculty and administrators at the New School, a university in New York - which received more than $2.9 million in earmarks with Clinton's name on them - gave a total of $5,100 to her campaign last year. New School President Bob Kerry is a vocal Clinton supporter.

Mitchell Rosenthall, listed as president of Phoenix House, a drug rehab center with an office in New York, gave Clinton's campaign $800 through donations in August and September. The omnibus bill approved by the Senate in October included a $601,000 earmark with Clinton's name on it for the Phoenix House.

In addition, Reynold Levy, president of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, contributed $3,200 to Clinton last February. Clinton's name was on two earmarks worth a total of $890,000 for the Lincoln Center.

OMG that witch!

[Emit]

10. I had no idea Clinton voted against requiring public disclosure of earmark sponsors and recipients

From the last link: "When the Senate debated lobbying and ethics reforms in January, Clinton voted against requiring public disclosure of earmark sponsors and earmark recipients, and to change the definition of an earmark to include both federal and non-federal projects. "

[rinsd]

11. She voted Yea to table a specific motion. Most Democrats did as well

Here's the vote

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00005

[Occam Bandage]

15. So she voted against transparency.

Unless, of course, you opposed applying the exact same standard to Obama's vote on usury.

[rinsd]

16. Wasn't happy with the vote.

[Occam Bandage]

17. That's the problem with applying bogus standards to your enemies.

They come back to bite you in the ass exactly as hard. The net result? Everyone's trying to sort through the bullshit. If you honestly believed you had a better candidate, that would be the last thing you would want.

[rinsd]

21. Did I attack Obama on the bankruptcy bill?

I understand the general sentiment of being rational vs partisan, but I am a little confused about the bankruptcy part.

[Occam Bandage]

24. Not referring to you in particular; more referring to your candidate.

[zulchzulu]

13. Is she selling Earmark Earrings on her web site yet?

:puke:

K&R

[AtomicKitten]

19. just a mouseclick away ...

ugh

[OneBlueSky]

14. the queen of pork . . . and given her donations from pharmaceutical and healthcare interests . . .

the chance of any meaningful healthcare reform in a Clinton administration are zero and none . . .

[paulk]

18. I wish my Senators were half as effective at bringing Fed money

to Colorado.

That is part of their job, you know. It seems that HRC has been very effective at it. Maybe that's why the people in NY re elected her with such an overwhelming majority?

[Lucinda]

20. Yup.

[jackson_dem]

22. So Hillary is more effective in Congress than Obama

Another reason to prefer here.

Do you think Obama isn't doing the same thing? He wasn't against lobbyists anyway until recently.

[Marie26]

25. Comparison:

Obama reveals his 2008 'earmarks,' challenges other candidates to do same

"Earmarks" -- known sometimes as "pork" -- are the items that members of Congress insert into bills to fund projects that are near and dear to their hearts for one reason or another. ...
Today, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama posted online the more than 100 earmarks he has requested for fiscal year 2008 (either on his own or with other senators).

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton told the Associated Press that "as a matter of transparency and good government, Obama thinks it's important that voters know who their candidates are, what their sources of income are and whether they have any potential conflicts. ... We would hope that other candidates follow suit in disclosing their earmarks as well."

Obama's earmarks add up to more than $300 million."

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/06/obama-reveals-h.html

Obama's Earmarks Released -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/11/AR2007101101573_5.html?hpid=topnews


Did Clinton release any of this info voluntarily? Obama posted his out in the open on his web-site, so I give him props for that.

[Barack_America]

26. This is why I would vomit if Edwards throws his support her way for a VP or AG spot.

Blech!

Why do people support her?!?! Argh!

[Blarch]

27. And she thinks they don't want anything in return.

That makes her lying hack.

[Bread and Circus]

28. Queen of the Earmarks

nice.

[PervezClinton]

29. Oh, Ms. Thang knows a thang or two about this. Talk to me, baby.