In justifying the state Democratic leadership’s decision to throw the WSLC under a bus as a convenient excuse for killing the controversial Workers Privacy Act, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown issued a statement saying we have to “draw the line” between the offending email and the “normal process.”
Huh. Which I suppose begs the question: what exactly is the normal process?
Back in 2004, House Democrats sent a fundraising letter to business groups that had recently given more money to R’s than to D’s, exhorting them to balance their generosity…
“As a result of our research, we would like to ask that you consider balancing out your contribution history by writing a donation of $10,000 to the Harry Truman Fund,” concludes the letter obtained by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “We would very much appreciate your generosity and support as we gear up for the 2004 legislative session and impending campaign season.
“Our Leadership team wants to maintain our open door policy with you.”
So, is that the normal process, encouraging the inference that money equals access? House Speaker Frank Chopp seemed to think so, vigorously defending both the ethics and legality of his fundraising efforts.
“Since when is it a crime to talk about having an open door and bringing people together? … The only limit on me meeting with people is my time,” said House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle. “That’s hardly threatening language. … That’s pretty soft language.
“And that’s pretty common language.”
No doubt. So if that’s the normal process, when did it become a crime for constituency groups to talk about withholding future financial support from politicians who refuse to support their agenda? I thought that’s the whole point: we work for and give money to only those candidates who generally vote our way.
Of course, Frank knows as well as anybody that this is the way the system works, and for all the effort to make labor look like the unethical bad guys here, it is the business lobby that has recently honed influence peddling into one of Olympia’s most profitable professions. So profitable in fact, that one of the lobbyists who brokered Boeing’s $4 billion 7E7 tax break, conducts workshops teaching other businesses how to “Turn Your State Government Relations Department from a Money Pit into a Cash Cow.”
The seminar, presented during a portion of the annual three-day meeting of the State Government Affairs Council, taught dozens of corporate government-relations executives how to “Turn Your State Government Relations Department from a Money Pit into a Cash Cow.” Michael Press, national director of Ernst & Young’s Business Incentives Practice, and Robin Stone, former vice president of state and local government relations for The Boeing Company, delivered the Microsoft PowerPoint-supported presentation March 26 in Savannah, Ga.
The presentation includes a long list of “negotiable incentives” along with such such helpful tips as “control publicity,” “avoid legislation if possible,” and “be mindful of the election cycle,” while encouraging businesses to make a “but for” the incentives threat. (You know, “but for a multi-billion dollar tax break, we’re moving all our jobs out of state.”)
Turning your state government relations department into a cash cow is perfectly legal, and just plain smart business, and from the lack of moralizing on the part of our politicians and opinion leaders, I can only assume that it is perfectly ethical as well. So what’s so wrong, by comparison, about labor using the resources at its disposal to influence the legislation it wants? Why shouldn’t unions be able to say what we all understand to be true: “If you don’t support us, we won’t support you?”
Ethical or not, isn’t that the “normal process?”
Yes. It is the normal process.
How many Nader-like elections will it take for Democrats to figure out not only which side their bread is buttered on, but from whom they got the bread and butter.
Did I use ‘whom’ correctly?
FucK it! Whom cares?
Goldy is really asking if extortion is a crime? Am I hearing this right?
And what defines an email as offensive, which the email they sited certainly wasn’t.
I’m I the only one starting to get the feeling that our state is run by spoiled 3rd graders?
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[Rick and Renault discussing Victor Laszlo’s chances of escaping Casablanca]
Captain Renault: This is the end of the chase.
Rick: Twenty thousand francs says it isn’t.
Captain Renault: Is that a serious offer?
Rick: I just paid out twenty. I’d like to get it back.
Captain Renault: Make it ten. I’m only a poor corrupt official.
Goldy–
One big difference is this WSLC issue is related to a SPECIFIC PIECE OF LEGISLATION CURRENTLY BEFORE THE LEGISLATORS.
I think that alone differentiates between what Bender did and the example you cite where it had nothing to do with A SPECIFIC PIECE OF PENDING LEGISLATION.
Nice try though Goldy. Back to the drawing Board.
Perhaps Bender and his goons can dream up a better analogy than this one they crafted for you!
Perhaps Bender ought to retire for the good of the citizens of the State of Washington.
He has completely marginalized himself…and will likely be under the microscope for all his past practices.
If you are too mean to the Legislators, perhaps yet another humiliating e-mail will pop up??
Better for Bender to resign and the State to move on….but no one is holding their breath as Bender cares more about himself than the folks he claims to represent.
I’m surprised you continue to give this Thread Space Goldy. It’s a reaaaaaal loser for your side.
I’d be talking about the High School Basketball Tournament or recipes or what type of flowers Jon DeVore likes………….
anything but this.
But…keep it going if you must.
Puddy–
Read this–
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200....._hov_dummy
Turns out, not surprisingly, that the DUMMY was our very own ByeByeGoober!
It would be easy for a cop to confuse the knuckle-dragger for a DUMMY!
Wow. Great research Goldy. I almost bought that Dem leadership was actually facing an ethical delima. Their hypocracy is astounding and almost borders on arrogance if Frank thought this wouldn’t br brought back into the light.
I’m no physics major, but for every action…
The $4 billion Boeing extorted from the state is $4 billion of higher taxes the rest of us will have to pay. Why isn’t Boeing in jail?
Do you fucking wingnuts see us criticizing the Democrats? Do you, huh? Do you? That’s the difference between you and us. We criticize when it’s deserved. You always criticize your opponents and never criticize people on your own side — even when they advocate armed revolution, treason, and killing people.
@7 Perhaps Tom McCabe should be put in the stocks for all the smelly horse dung he has polluted Washington’s airwaves with — using taxpayer money to fund his smear ads.
SB 6035 — retro reform — passed the Senate 25-24, har har har!!! I can already hear Tom McCabe whistling his way to the poorhouse!!! HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR
You always criticize your opponents and never criticize people on your own side — even when they advocate armed revolution, treason, goat fucking and killing people.
There. Fixed.
I hear Chuck Norris is going armed Galt on us, and wants to be king of Texas, or something.
@11
You spend too many days in a hole.
Republican are noted for throwing Republicans under the bus.
On the other had a Democrat could kill his own baby and you would re-elect him.
@14 My mistake — thanks for your help. What would we do without editors? That’s the Republicans’ problem — they have no editors, no one cleans up their mistakes, their stuff is unedited and therefore is crap.
@16 “Republican are noted for throwing Republicans under the bus.”
They’re better known for stealing from each other, but that’s beside the point. You never hear a Republican criticize another Republican. They just push them off the curb without explanation.