A country with Chicago in charge

[Better Believe It]

A country with Chicago in charge
By John R. MacArthur
John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper’s Magazine.
January 19, 2011

Sadly, this is no ordinary story about intra-party politics; it’s a bad thing for America, liberal Democrats and organized labor, which is in its death throes. With Chicago in charge of the country, reform becomes all but impossible. Foolish things have been said about “pro-business” Bill Daley moving Obama “to the center,” as if the president remotely resembled a left-winger. Obama began in the center and has been moving right ever since.

Nevertheless, there is a destructive ideological part of the Daley appointment and Emanuel’s ascent, despite their non-ideological devotion to power. Emanuel and Daley were two of the three principal Clinton lobbyists in the campaign to pass the corporate-backed, anti-labor North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993, and Daley helped push through the even greater killer of U.S. jobs, Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China, in 2000. Both are former employees of investment banks, which have a burning interest in “free trade” and cross-border investment deals facilitated by “free trade.” Obama has already reneged on his Ohio presidential-primary pledge in 2008 to reform NAFTA and has let drop the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act.

His naming of Daley is the final nail in the coffin of his 2008 campaign alliance with unions. Between them, NAFTA and PNTR have sent millions of good-paying American factory jobs out of America, so it’s pertinent to ask what Bill Daley will bring to the table on behalf of U.S. workers.

So far, as Ralph Nader notes, the signs are all anti-blue collar. No doubt it’s Daley’s idea for Obama to speak at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters on Feb. 7, instead of making its president, Tom Donahue, cross Lafayette Park to plead his case at the White House. Chances are, Obama won’t be dropping by AFL-CIO headquarters next door to discuss raising the minimum wage.

Read the full article at:

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_nurick19_01-19-11_F4M0UGT_v48.41f17e0.html#

[somone]

1. "Goldman Sachs was Obama’s No. 1 corporate donor"

This is worth repeating

[bushisanidiot]

2. Oh, geezus. Another conspiracy theory.

blah!

[Better Believe It]

4. Conspiracy???? Hardly. We all know about Obama's Wall Street connections and pals.

And we're all familiar with President Obama's Wall Street and corporate appointments.

I haven't seen anyone suggest a hidden plot or conspiracy.

It's not a secret!

[bushisanidiot]

11. So where are these "pals" now? All the rich corporations are sitting

on billions of dollars of profit and not hiring.

Are they doing President Obama a favor by trying to make him look bad?

With "friends" like those, who needs enemies?

[HowHasItComeToThis]

22. BINGO

[TheWraith]

14. Except that most of those "Wall Street and corporate appointments" are absolute lies.

Like the myth that Tim Geithner used to work for Goldman Sachs, when in fact he's never worked in Wall Street other than working for the Fed.

[former9thward]

19. "other than working for the Fed."

"other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

[Octafish]

10. Good one! Absolutely NUTTY!

"One of the things that is interesting about reading conspiracy theory is that much of what folks think is conspiracy is really many people acting in concert to make or protect their money." -- Catherine Austin Fitts.

A former government big wig, Fitts now is an ethical investment guru. She also wrote an indictment of big money: Narco-Dollars for Beginners.

Money does crazy things to people.

[bushisanidiot]

12. "So let's make a deal, Senator Obama. I'll give you millions for your

presidential campaign, and in return, we will take whatever profit we make and sit on the sidelines with it, NOT hire any new employees, and handicap your presidency, ensuring that you will not get re-elected in 2012. Sound good to you?"

STOOOPID!

[Octafish]

21. I don't know.

I do know you don't bring a knife to a gunfight. And when the fight requires weaponry fashioned from cold, hard cash, remember to bring lots.

Something else I know: Reverse Robin Hood doesn't cut it for most of America. It benefits Wall Street Big Money and their toadies.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. They knew that he was going to win and wanted to be on his good side

[SidDithers]

18. What should be repeated is that it's inaccurate...

the donations were from Goldman Sachs employees, not from Goldman Sachs.

Sid

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. Kick, Rec. n/t

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[emilyg]

6. knr

[leftstreet]

7. K&R

[JoePhilly]

8. "Nadar" ... ??

[dembotoz]

9. and worse yet????--Bears fans

[TheWraith]

13. Another smear article from the guy who called Obama "a very smooth liar" in 2008.

The guy who's non-stop accused Obama of being a Chicago machine crony, "liquidating" the American auto industry, destroying democracy, etcetera, etcetera.

[Better Believe It]

17. What part of the article is inaccurate and a false smear against President Obama?

I'm glad to hear that President Obama has absolutely no connections with the Chicago Democratic Party Daley machine.

Thanks for the info!

And please post a credible link to the article where Obama was described as "a very smooth liar".

Thanks.

[TheWraith]

26. The same way it's a smear when the right described him as a radical socialist.

Who wants to destroy America. It's all a pack of dishonest smears which are just vague enough that you can't provide a link to disprove them, therefore the people who want to believe still can.

As for your other note, right here:

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2009/06/hbc-90005226

The title of the article, by MacArthur himself, is "Obama a very smooth liar."

[Catherina]

16. Rec'd Thank you, n/t

[SidDithers]

20. Unrec for repeating the Goldman Sachs biggest donor smear...

Edit: and Fuck Ralph Nader.

Sid

[ProSense]

23. Yeah, Chicago is a downright scary place.

It would be better to have NYC, Detroit, Miami, DC, Trenton or some other city in charge.

We'll see if America meets doom because of President Obama's policies. In my estimation, MacArthur is going to be disappointed.

[blindpig]

24. k&r

[xchrom]

25. Recommend

[Warren DeMontague]

27. Chicago? Chicago? CHICAGO??? O FUCKING NOOO!!! WUR DOOMED!!!

DOOOOMED!!


DOOOOOOMED!!!









DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!




Although, actually, we could do worse.