I wish we could talk sanely about the Clintons and their long history

[cali]

of dependence on and entanglement with corporate big $$$. We've discussed it as regards repubs but it devolves into a food fight when it comes to the Clintons. So go ahead, excoriate me for this post, yawn, dismiss it, but that doesn't mean that the Clintons aren't part of this.

I'd be happy to stipulate that they haven't done anything illegal- but that doesn't mean that it isn't problematic.

And I wish we could dispense Schwiezer: The discussion of this far, far predates his idiotic book- which I see as a huge stumbling block to discussing it; bring it up and people immediately start screaming that you're on the side of the right wingers.

The intersection between politics and corporate money is a serious problem. And it's not just CU. It was recognized and discussed as a serious problem long before 2008.

The Clintons owe virtually all of their financial success to corporate money. They owe the success of their Foundation to corporate money. If neither one were in politics anymore, that wouldn't be a problem.

Money buys access. Period. The more access, the more influence. Again, not saying that any of this is illegal, but it functions to shut out other voices. You can argue that some of that money is buying access for the good, but you'd be hard pressed to argue that most of it is.

The Clintons earned $25 million since the beginning of 2014 making speeches. This is not money that was donated to the Foundation. It was personal income. Most of it came from speeches to corporate interests.



Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband made at least $30 million over the last 16 months, mainly from giving paid speeches to corporations, banks and other organizations, according to financial disclosure forms filed with federal elections officials on Friday.

The sum, which makes Mrs. Clinton among the wealthiest of the 2016 presidential candidates, could create challenges for the former secretary of state as she tries to cast herself as a champion of everyday Americans in an era of income inequality.

The $25 million in speaking fees since the beginning of last year continue a lucrative trend for the Clintons: They have now earned more than $125 million on the circuit since leaving the White House in 2001.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/us/politics/clintons-reportedly-earned-30-million-in-the-last-16-months.html?_r=0