Rightwing talking point: Bush cleaning up Clinton's corruption

[Tempest]

The rightwingnuts are claiming the Enron scandal happened on Clinton's watch and Bush is cleaning it up.

It seems to me Lay and Skilling were convicted of crimes that occurred after Bush took office.

[Libby2]

1. roflmao !!!!!!!!!

oh my.......that's all.

[fooj]

2. Yep.

Ask us in California...can you say ROLLING BLACKOUTS? Their talking points are bullshit.

[CottonBear]

3. WTF? The Clenis is too blame for everything? n/t

[ThomCat]

4. The crimes did take place during the Clinton Term

and continued into the Bush term. But the important point is that these were friends of Bush's, not friends of Clinton's. Clinton did not go out of his way to promote and enable Enron. Bush, on at least one occassion before he became president, did promote Enron.

And they were part of the industry that made Bush what he is. They belong to him and he belongs to them. Period.

[Tempest]

7. That's the frustrating part

The rightards refuse to acknowledge Lay is Bush's albatross.

Some are still repeating the lies that Lay slept in the WH during Clinton's administration and was a golfing buddy of Clinton.

[ThomCat]

11. Of course,

and they can never produce a single photo, news article or any evidence at all. Then they ignore any evidence that they're wrong.
:grr:

[Master Mahon]

10. Yes and Lay Helped Cheney

plan and implement for our energy policy what he did for Enron!
And both actions seem to be taking the same course!

I want to know how soon the pardons will take to print up?

[1monster]

15. Not just *Bush either. Jebby Bush and his cabinet poured

millions and millions (was it 350 million or 35 million? I can't remember) of teacher retirement funds into Enron shares after it started the spiral down the drain.

Propping up Enron was a BFamilyEEEndevor...

[Tempest]

18. $300 million

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/01/28/Opinion/Florida_s_Enron_conne.shtml

[kaygore]

19. Enron's manipulation of the CA energy crisis occurred under Clinton

Clinton had the opportunity before he left office to have the federal regulators examine what were then just claims of energy manipulation in California, but he said he would leave it up to the then incoming president, Bush.

Even then I felt it was like saying, "I'll leave the cat in charge of the mice."

[Tempest]

21. You're way off base

Members of the bipartisan Congressional Northwest Energy Coalition sent a letter today to President Clinton applauding the Administration for addressing the energy crisis in California, and urging him to consider the Northwest in discussions and plans to restore stability to the energy market in the West.

http://www.house.gov/defazio/011601EGRelease.shtml

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

The Honorable William J. Clinton
President
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Clinton:

We applaud you, Secretary Richardson, and Secretary Summers for your leadership to resolve escalating energy prices in California. As Congressional leaders from the Pacific Northwest we urge you to broaden your efforts to address market volatility throughout the Western United States.

As you know, the Pacific Northwest has relied on seasonal power exchanges with California. Typically, the Northwest provides much needed power to California in the hot summer months while importing California power in the cooler winter months. Obviously, higher energy costs in California are impacting our economies also.

As your negotiations progress, we hope to be actively engaged and work together to solve an energy crisis affecting the entire West Coast. Thank you again for your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

(Signatures of Democrats and Republicans alike on web site)

http://www.house.gov/defazio/011601EGLetter.shtml

[Old and In the Way]

5. Yes, these same Republican apologists would have been cheering

Bill on if he had actively prosecuted Enron in the 90's. They wouldn't have called it "wagging the dog" and a politically motivated event to hurt a major RNC contributor. :eyes:

[Tempest]

12. The Repugs prevented Clinton from going after corruption

That's the real sad part about it.



Had he been successful, President Clinton would have brought the following reforms:

1) Stopping Auditor-Consulting Conflicts by Accountants

In 2000, Clinton Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Arthur Levitt, Jr. proposed regulations to prohibit accounting firms from simultaneously serving as consultants and auditors. Arthur Andersen and other accounting firms mounted a massive lobbying campaign against the Clinton-Levitt regulations, killing them. *The lead lobbyist for the accounting firms was Harvey Pitt. After being sworn in as President, George W. Bush named Pitt chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. *

2) Greater Disclosure of Energy Derivatives

In 1997, Bill Clintons Commodities Futures Trading Commission Chair Brooksley Born proposed greater regulation (by way of more stringent disclosure) of energy derivatives, the key financial instrument in Enron's Ponzi-scheme empire. Her proposal was beaten back by House Republicans, including then-House Banking Committee Chair Jim Leach (R-IA) who scolded her for two hours at a hearing.

3) Oversight of Energy Traders

In 2000, William Rainier, Born's successor as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, told Congress that he was "deeply concerned" about a bill to exempt energy trading from CFTC review, noting that those who trade energy derivatives were not subject to any other oversight. Rainer's objections were largely ignored by the Republican-controlled Congress, and the exemption, heavily backed by Enron, became law.

4) Cracking Down on Tax Havens

In 2000, Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers proposed a crackdown on tax havens such as those used by Enron. With the US co-chairing the OECD's Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, Summers crusaded for a crackdown on money-laundering and tax havens. His proposal was opposed by the GOP Congress. When the Bush Administration took office, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill abandoned Summers' crusade, telling the Wall Street
Journal, "The government has not been respectful of the cost it imposes on society." The New York Times reported that Bush's top economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey (a former economic adviser to Enron) also opposed efforts to crack down on tax havens.

5) Protecting 401(k)s

In 1997: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) proposed banning investment of more than 10 percent of the total 401(k) plan in the employer's stock--the maximum that investment experts recommend a person sink into any company. The GOP Senate watered down her bill so much it no longer applied to any corporation in America;

6) Protecting Investors and Shareholders

On December 20, 1995, President Clinton vetoed the Public Securities Litigation Reform Act, which would have restricted lawsuits against corporation accused of securities fraud. In his veto message, Clinton presciently noted that while he supported the notion of reducing frivolous lawsuits: "I am not, however, willing to sign legislation that will have the effect of closing the courthouse door on investors who have legitimate claims. Those who are the victims of fraud should have recourse in our courts. Our markets are as strong and effective as they are because they operate -- and are seen to operate -- with integrity. I believe that this bill, as modified in conference, could erode this crucial basis of our markets' strength." The GOP Congress overrode Clinton's veto.

Wendy Gramm, wife of Texas Republican Senator Phil Gramm also aided Enron's rise to power. As the lame-duck chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, she pushed through a key regulatory exemption on Jan. 14, 1993, six days before Clinton took office. Five weeks later, she joined Enron's board of directors.

The exemption was passed over the objection of the Clinton administration.

[Old and In the Way]

20. Nice recap.

Those boring facts will be somehow overlooked in the great RW Wurlitzer's attempt to BIOCC (Blame it on Clinton/Clenis).

[mrcheerful]

6. Geeeeeeeee, wasn't enron shrubs advisors for americas energy plans?

Didn't enron donate big time for shrub right up to the day enron went belly up? Are pukes that stupid to think americans don't remember that far back? Sick and tired of blame democrats for everything pukes do? Geeeeeee think its time we bomb democrats and start another civil war in order to protect america from dem's and liberals. :sarcasm:

[NoodleBoy]

8. Clinton didn't consider Lay to be Energy or Treasury Secretary

for his superb work bending over and screwing the population of blue-state California.

[Vickers]

9. OK then, I blame the Tate-LaBianca murders on Nixon.

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:

[Montauk6]

13. I'm still waiting for the wingdings to blame Clinton for Watergate, Abscam

and Iran/Contra.

[Virginia Dare]

14. 9/11 happened on Bush's watch...

yet, they claim no resposibility for that, do they?

[Tempest]

16. Bingo!

That's also Clinton's fault according to them.

[underpants]

17. DING

we have us a winner!

[maine_raptor]

22. That is one "Laugh In Your Face" funny Talking Point they got there.

I mean, I thought the rule to follow when assigning blame in some sort of con game was "Follow the Money" ie, who got the cash. Isn't that what "China-gate" was about? Ok, let's take a look at who got the political cash from Enron-gate.

And the Big Winner is?

(Note to all Left-wingers making this response to a ring-winger armed with this TP: smile sweetly when you say the name, it hurts them soooo much more.)

Gee, I guess you right-wingers don't want to talk about that?

Come back when you have something better, eh?