Obama Nominates SOPA Lobbyist for TPP Trade Post

[rhett o rick]

From The Nation Magazine (http://www.thenation.com/blog/178575/obama-nominates-sopa-lobbyist-tpp-trade-post#)

By Lee Fang

President Obama nominates Robert Holleyman as deputy US trade representative. If confirmed by the US Senate, Holleyman will help lead the effort to pass the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

"Holleyman is a former lobbyist who led efforts to pass the Stop Online Privacy Act legislation, better known as SOPA, when he was leader of the Business Software Alliance. The SOPA debate (along with its sister legislation, PROTECT-IP, in the Senate) brought a spotlight on industry efforts to undermine Internet freedom through what many considered to be draconian intellectual property policy."

"Critics have pointed out, the leaked TPP documents relating to TPP negotiations reveal that the United States is seeking to resurrect portions of the SOPA bill through the TPP, namely, holding Internet Service Providers liable for hosting copyright infringement and extending the copyright life of certain corporate-owned copyrights."

Please support progressive media like The Nation Magazine.

[Autumn]

1. Okay.

[jsr]

2. Perfect fit.

[L0oniX]

3. So I guess that Obama campaign shit about him being anti lobbyist was bullshit?

[woo me with science]

6. Hall-of-Fame Worthy.

[truebrit71]

22. Right?

[BelgianMadCow]

23. Marketeer of the year award

not kidding. A managed brand in the Illusion of Choice Theatre.

[fleabiscuit]

33. I thought there was; One from column A, or One from column B?

~

[sulphurdunn]

31. Yep

[L0oniX]

4. The article is reposted from republicreport.

[KoKo]

9. The article link goes to the "Nation" website

I've also seen Lee Fang on "Democracy Now".... Fang has his own investigative Web Site...but, I don't know the name of it.

ON EDIT: "Republic Report" seems to be his new website.

[L0oniX]

14. It may be just back links to get Google ranking.

From The Nation: "This post was originally published at RepublicReport.org"

[dreamnightwind]

10. Why wouldn't it be?

Something I don't know?

Lee Fang is very credible, I've seen him interviewed and read his articles a number of times. IIRC he's a frequent guest of Thom Hartmann.

From the republicreport.org's "about" page:

Republic Report’s Lee Fang is a reporting fellow with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute and a Contributing Writer with The Nation magazine. He covers money in politics, conservative movements and lobbying. Lee’s work has resulted in multiple calls for hearings in Congress and the Federal Election Commission. He has interviewed over fifty members of Congress, David Koch, and other political elites. He is author of The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right, a recently published book on how the right-wing political infrastructure was rebuilt after President Obama’s 2008 election. More on the book can be found at www.themachinebook.com.

[L0oniX]

13. Heh ...didn't imply there was anything wrong with that or Fang...

but the op does ask for support for The Nation.

[KoKo]

17. They always have that donate pop up box on their web site.

They need money to support the print magazine... So...its not new that they put it up with this post from Fang.

[L0oniX]

18. Fang rox.

[JJChambers]

15. Concerning

Shouldn't an article's worthiness be judged based on it's content and accuracy, rather than the source website? In a case like this, either the appointee is a corporate shill, or he isn't. I don't see how the source website should automatically invalidate the alarming nature of this appointment.

[L0oniX]

16. Hmmm ...twisty.

The ops asks for support of The Nation. I am in agreement. The original post was not from The Nation. That is all there is to it ...but go on because seeing what is not being said is a favourite past time on DU. For your info ...Google uses back links to rank. When publishing it is standard to create or spread links to and from other sites. I would have thought a poster would provide the original link though ...begs the question if the link is allowed on DU.

[Armstead]

5. Business-As-Usual Obama

[cali]

7. Hard to imagine picking someone with a more pro-corporate, anti-public sector

background.

This is absolutely fitting with appointing Froman with his Citibank background and Islam Siddiqui as Chief Agricultural Negotiator. Siddiqui came from a longtime background of lobbying for Bayer Crop Life, Monsanto, DuPont, etc.

[L0oniX]

11. Oh ...Citibank and Bank of America paid bonuses to them ...to do what?

During the SOPA debate, Holleyman was chief executive of the Business Software Alliance, a trade group for software companies including IBM. Holleyman commended then-Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith for his work in sponsoring SOPA and for pushing for its passage. In 2012, as the bill worked its way through Congress, the BSA spent over $1.6 million on lobbying. After widespread outrage against the bill, which eventually failed, BSA withdrew official support and sought similar policy changes through other legislation.

If the Senate approves Holleyman as the next deputy trade representative, he will have another opportunity to advance SOPA-style policy.

Last week, Republic Report broke several stories regarding the TPP, including bonuses paid by CitiGroup and Bank of America to officials also tapped by the administration to lead the TPP deal. We also reported on media companies and their lobbying efforts on the bill — which have been extensive, despite the lack of coverage media outlets are devoting to the issue.

http://www.republicreport.org/2014/bsa-tpp/

[KoKo]

20. Thanks for the Link to Original...Since some might find the "donate box"

at "Nation" offensive or they can't unblock it to read the whole article.

I think that was your point...that others might want to go to the Original Post to read the whole article and the other articles there. So thanks for the additional link...

[rhett o rick]

25. Now let's not jump to conclusions here. We havent seen the final TPP agreement

therefore we have no reasons to suspect................ ah shit, we have a load of reasons to believe the TPP will be pro-Corporate.

[zeemike]

29. Why do you hate freedom Rhett O Rick?

Don't you know that corporations are people too my friend?

[rhett o rick]

35. Because freedom carries so many responsibilities. Abject naivete is so nice.

By the way, my favorite flavor is cherry.

[frwrfpos]

8. recommend

[KoKo]

12. Sigh.......

I wanted to say..."the hits keep coming" but that kind of gets old...

[rhett o rick]

46. It's becoming old hat. "Democratic President appoints another conservative." nm

[truebrit71]

21. But the Prez isn't a Hall-of-fame bullshit artist...

...at least not according to some around here...



Another appointment, another fucking sellout....

[cali]

24. and this is why the ridiculous indignation over the suggestion

that he's a bullshitter, is so creepy.

Of course he's a great bullshitter. Most good politicians are. And yeah, he's VERY PRO CORPORATE.

DUH.

[QC]

26. The president just hired that guy so he can keep a close eye on him.

Now the man works for Obama so he has to do exactly what Obama says.

This is a very, very smart chess move.

(Remember that excuse for the dismaying appointments we started seeing right after the 2008 election?)

[MisterP]

28. "Cabinet of Rivals! Cabinet of Rivals!!!" yeah, we remember--but the point was never to convince

it was to reframe thinking and buy time

[QC]

37. Well, it was also about silencing criticism.

Can't have people saying critical things about their public officials. Just ain't fittin'.

[MisterP]

39. authoritarianism and authoritarian policy go well together

[rhett o rick]

34. Using that theory, is he keeping an eye on Clapper? Was he before Snowden.

I realize it isnt your theory.

[QC]

36. I suspect it's more like Clapper is keeping an eye on the president,

now that you mention it.

But yeah, don't you remember the constant assertions that the reason the president was filling up his administration with Monsanto lobbyists and stock swindlers and the like was so that he could closely monitor them and make them behave?

That was a classic!

[rhett o rick]

42. You mean the "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" meme?

Well that meme takes for granted that when you have your enemies close, YOU WONT LET THEM DO WHAT THEY DO!!

Those that try to use that meme to explain why Obama has appointed so many "enemies", are not very smart.

[QC]

44. I think some pushing that meme were very smart, if cynical,

and used it as a way to silence criticism, but others were trying to square Campaigning Obama with Governing Obama.

I remember getting my heart broken by Bill Clinton, who taught me not to fall in love with politicians. I was young and taken in by his charm--not to mention traumatized by watching Mondale and Dukakis bomb in my first two elections--and I fell hard for Clinton.

Soon enough, I discovered that he was more interested in making his enemies love him than looking out for the people who got him elected, and all the other problems he brought to his presidency, and I stopped falling in love with politicians. It was a good lesson.

I still like Clinton, and I think he was probably the best we could have gotten at the time. I feel the same way about Obama. I like him fine and voted for him twice and still think that was the right thing to do, as I live in a swing state with a lot of electoral votes.

I just don't do the whole fan thing about politicians anymore.

[villager]

27. Tells you all you really need to know about this administration, in a nutshell

Alas.

[Jack Rabbit]

30. Freudian Slip?

I believe SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act

The second paragraph refers to it as the Stop Online Privacy Act. That sounds more like an appropriations bill for the NSA, but it probably applies to SOPA as well.

[woo me with science]

40. Good catch.

That's absolute perfection and makes you wonder if it was slipped in by a disgusted editor.

[rhett o rick]

43. I agree, a Freudian slip. Good catch. nm

[WillyT]

32. Par For The Course...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

38. Why do documents about TPP have to "leaked" in Obama's "transparent" government?

I guess "World Class Bulshitter" answers that, and many other, questions.

[frylock]

41. it's just a two-minute prayer!!12

haters!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

45. At some point a *Shrug* factor develops as an acknowledgement of the expected.

3rd Way president initiates 3rd Way policies....and tries to sell them as beneficial.

[KoKo]

48. I know...I feel the way you do...

many times. Then I kick myself in the butt and listen to Chomsky and find a Seeger or Springsteen You Tube....and rock myself into action.. What action ...these days..I don't know but they are out there. "Moral Mondays in the South....It's something..

But damned if it isn't hard to keep that MoJo going........without help.

[Enthusiast]

50. It isn't selling.

Not with me.

[kenny blankenship]

47. Some bullshit artists work in watercolors, the masters work in oils

Oils have a rich and deep saturated color you can't get from lesser media. For a talented bullshit artist, they make possible vivid bold strokes you can believe in. Audacious colors. True colors.

[Enthusiast]

49. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

Thank you, rhett o rick!

The President is WRONG! Admit the President is wrong. Criticize the President for this in hopes of changing his position.

Remember, "Hold my feet to the fire. Make me do it."