Isn't it way past time that Americans had a Second National Party to
choose from?
Carl Jarvis
On 5/12/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Excerpt: "The Democratic Party's 2012 platform pledged to 'curb the
influence of lobbyists and special interests.' But the 2016 convention in
Philadelphia will be officially hosted by lobbyists and corporate
executives, a number of whom are actively working to undermine progressive
policies achieved by President Barack Obama, including health care reform
and net neutrality."
2012 Democratic Convention. (photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty)
Democratic Convention Hosted by Republican Donors, Anti-Obamacare Lobbyists
By Lee Fang and Zaid Jilani, The Intercept
11 May 16
The Democratic Party's 2012 platform pledged to "curb the influence of
lobbyists and special interests." But the 2016 convention in Philadelphia
will be officially hosted by lobbyists and corporate executives, a number
of
whom are actively working to undermine progressive policies achieved by
President Barack Obama, including health care reform and net neutrality.
Some of the members of the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host
Committee, whose job is to organize the logistics and events for the
convention, are hardly even Democratic Party stalwarts, given that many
have
donated and raised thousands of dollars for Republican presidential and
congressional candidates this cycle.
The composition of the 15-member Host Committee may appear out of sync with
the rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and
Hillary Clinton, but the reality is that the party, in the form of the
Democratic National Committee, has moved decisively to embrace the lobbying
industry. In October 2015, DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.,
reportedly huddled with dozens of lobbyists to plan the convention in
Philadelphia, and provided the influence peddlers involved with a menu of
offerings in exchange for donations. In February, news reports revealed
that
the DNC had quietly lifted the Obama-era ban on federal lobbyist donations
to the party and convention committee.
Anna Adams-Sarthou, the communications director for the Philadelphia 2016
Host Committee, wrote in an email to The Intercept that she has "no
concerns" about lobbyists participating in the effort, because "the Host
Committee is a nonprofit entity that does not lobby."
he Host Committee, however, is deeply involved in planning events for the
delegates, fundraising, and handling media relations, among other
responsibilities.
"Our Host Committee is made up a diverse group of civic leaders that have
led efforts like this in the past, many of whom were integrally involved in
the bid for Philadelphia to host the convention," Adams-Sarthou wrote.
The Host Committee's finance chair is Daniel Hilferty. In his day job,
Hilferty is CEO of Independence Blue Cross, a health insurance giant that
covers nine million people. In December, Hilferty became board chairman of
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association of America, a trade group that
lobbies for the insurance industry, and he serves on the board of directors
of America's Health Insurance Plan's (AHIP), the insurance industry
lobbying
group that spearheaded the campaign against the Affordable Care Act. Lobby
registration documents show the BCBS Association is actively supporting a
number of Republican bills to roll back provisions of the ACA.
In an interview conducted late last year, Hilferty said he plans to make
"sure to work closely at the congressional level, with the administration,
with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, to have input" into how the ACA is
implemented under the next administration.
Hilferty has also donated heavily to Republicans this cycle, giving $10,000
to Prosperity for Pennsylvania, a Super PAC supporting the reelection of
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; $1,000 to the PAC supporting Sen. Orin Hatch,
R-Utah; $1,000 to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; $2,700 to Chris Christie's
presidential campaign; $25,300 to the NRCC, a GOP committee designed to
re-elect House Republicans; and $2,700 to Jeb Bush. Hilferty also gave
$2,700 to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Allyson Schwartz, a former Democratic lawmaker, is a co-chair of the Host
Committee. She was recently named head of a new advocacy group for the
health insurance industry called Better Medicare Alliance. The group,
according to the Center for Public Integrity, was set up by APCO, a
lobbying
firm for health insurance companies, to push to expand Medicare Advantage
plans, the privately managed programs that were curtailed with the
enactment
of the ACA.
David Cohen is the special advisor to the Host Committee, and serves as the
executive vice president of Comcast, overseeing the company's lobbying and
regulatory strategy. In addition to being a "Hillblazer" - one of Hillary
Clinton's bundlers who has raised $100,000 or more - Cohen has been a
particularly bitter and duplicitous leading opponent of the rules regarding
net neutrality, the principle that all Internet traffic must be treated
equally. And despite hosting fundraisers for Clinton at his home last
summer, Cohen has spent heavily to help elect a Republican Congress,
including recent donations to the NRCC; Sen. Toomey; Sen. Scott; Sen. Kelly
Ayotte, R-N.H.; as well as $33,400 to the NRSC, a committee for helping
elect GOP members to the Senate.
The Philadelphia Host Committee chair, former Gov. Ed Rendell, headed for
Wall Street as soon as he left office, and has since represented a number
of
controversial special interests. In 2011, as New York was debating
regulations on fracking, Rendell wrote a pro-fracking opinion column in the
New York Daily News, while failing to disclose that he was a paid
consultant
at a private equity firm that had investments in the industry.
That same year, Rendell started providing paid speeches on behalf of the
Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), a fringe Iranian exile group that was considered
a
terrorist organization by the State Department at the time (it was delisted
in 2012).
The former governor also joined the group Fix The Debt - an organization
backed by private equity billionaire Pete Peterson that advocates for
cutting Social Security benefits - co-chairing its activities alongside
Judd
Gregg.
Rendell is currently a special counsel at the law and lobbying firm Ballard
Spahr; earlier this year, the firm launched a new election law group,
advising clients on campaign finance and lobbying strategy.
"The Democratic Party, especially the DNC, have never liked Obama's
policies
to disengage lobbyists from campaign fundraising," says Craig Holman, an
expert on ethics and campaign finance with Public Citizen. "The party only
went along with the restrictions because Obama was the party leader. As
soon
as Obama could no longer be viewed as the leader of the party, the DNC
quietly repealed the lobbyist restrictions. The public learned about it
only
weeks later."
"Party bosses have always preferred a Wild West when it comes to
fundraising," he adds. "If party bosses had their way, we would have no
restrictions on campaign contributions to the parties and return to the
days
of Tammany Hall."
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not
valid.
2012 Democratic Convention. (photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty)
https://theintercept.com/2016/05/11/lobbyists-dnc-2016-convention/https://th
eintercept.com/2016/05/11/lobbyists-dnc-2016-convention/
Democratic Convention Hosted by Republican Donors, Anti-Obamacare Lobbyists
By Lee Fang and Zaid Jilani, The Intercept
11 May 16
he Democratic Party's 2012 platform pledged to "curb the influence of
lobbyists and special interests." But the 2016 convention in Philadelphia
will be officially hosted by lobbyists and corporate executives, a number
of
whom are actively working to undermine progressive policies achieved by
President Barack Obama, including health care reform and net neutrality.
Some of the members of the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host
Committee, whose job is to organize the logistics and events for the
convention, are hardly even Democratic Party stalwarts, given that many
have
donated and raised thousands of dollars for Republican presidential and
congressional candidates this cycle.
The composition of the 15-member Host Committee may appear out of sync with
the rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and
Hillary Clinton, but the reality is that the party, in the form of the
Democratic National Committee, has moved decisively to embrace the lobbying
industry. In October 2015, DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.,
reportedly huddled with dozens of lobbyists to plan the convention in
Philadelphia, and provided the influence peddlers involved with a menu of
offerings in exchange for donations. In February, news reports revealed
that
the DNC had quietly lifted the Obama-era ban on federal lobbyist donations
to the party and convention committee.
Anna Adams-Sarthou, the communications director for the Philadelphia 2016
Host Committee, wrote in an email to The Intercept that she has "no
concerns" about lobbyists participating in the effort, because "the Host
Committee is a nonprofit entity that does not lobby."
he Host Committee, however, is deeply involved in planning events for the
delegates, fundraising, and handling media relations, among other
responsibilities.
"Our Host Committee is made up a diverse group of civic leaders that have
led efforts like this in the past, many of whom were integrally involved in
the bid for Philadelphia to host the convention," Adams-Sarthou wrote.
The Host Committee's finance chair is Daniel Hilferty. In his day job,
Hilferty is CEO of Independence Blue Cross, a health insurance giant that
covers nine million people. In December, Hilferty became board chairman of
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association of America, a trade group that
lobbies for the insurance industry, and he serves on the board of directors
of America's Health Insurance Plan's (AHIP), the insurance industry
lobbying
group that spearheaded the campaign against the Affordable Care Act. Lobby
registration documents show the BCBS Association is actively supporting a
number of Republican bills to roll back provisions of the ACA.
In an interview conducted late last year, Hilferty said he plans to make
"sure to work closely at the congressional level, with the administration,
with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, to have input" into how the ACA is
implemented under the next administration.
Hilferty has also donated heavily to Republicans this cycle, giving $10,000
to Prosperity for Pennsylvania, a Super PAC supporting the reelection of
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.; $1,000 to the PAC supporting Sen. Orin Hatch,
R-Utah; $1,000 to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; $2,700 to Chris Christie's
presidential campaign; $25,300 to the NRCC, a GOP committee designed to
re-elect House Republicans; and $2,700 to Jeb Bush. Hilferty also gave
$2,700 to Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Allyson Schwartz, a former Democratic lawmaker, is a co-chair of the Host
Committee. She was recently named head of a new advocacy group for the
health insurance industry called Better Medicare Alliance. The group,
according to the Center for Public Integrity, was set up by APCO, a
lobbying
firm for health insurance companies, to push to expand Medicare Advantage
plans, the privately managed programs that were curtailed with the
enactment
of the ACA.
David Cohen is the special advisor to the Host Committee, and serves as the
executive vice president of Comcast, overseeing the company's lobbying and
regulatory strategy. In addition to being a "Hillblazer" - one of Hillary
Clinton's bundlers who has raised $100,000 or more - Cohen has been a
particularly bitter and duplicitous leading opponent of the rules regarding
net neutrality, the principle that all Internet traffic must be treated
equally. And despite hosting fundraisers for Clinton at his home last
summer, Cohen has spent heavily to help elect a Republican Congress,
including recent donations to the NRCC; Sen. Toomey; Sen. Scott; Sen. Kelly
Ayotte, R-N.H.; as well as $33,400 to the NRSC, a committee for helping
elect GOP members to the Senate.
The Philadelphia Host Committee chair, former Gov. Ed Rendell, headed for
Wall Street as soon as he left office, and has since represented a number
of
controversial special interests. In 2011, as New York was debating
regulations on fracking, Rendell wrote a pro-fracking opinion column in the
New York Daily News, while failing to disclose that he was a paid
consultant
at a private equity firm that had investments in the industry.
That same year, Rendell started providing paid speeches on behalf of the
Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), a fringe Iranian exile group that was considered
a
terrorist organization by the State Department at the time (it was delisted
in 2012).
The former governor also joined the group Fix The Debt - an organization
backed by private equity billionaire Pete Peterson that advocates for
cutting Social Security benefits - co-chairing its activities alongside
Judd
Gregg.
Rendell is currently a special counsel at the law and lobbying firm Ballard
Spahr; earlier this year, the firm launched a new election law group,
advising clients on campaign finance and lobbying strategy.
"The Democratic Party, especially the DNC, have never liked Obama's
policies
to disengage lobbyists from campaign fundraising," says Craig Holman, an
expert on ethics and campaign finance with Public Citizen. "The party only
went along with the restrictions because Obama was the party leader. As
soon
as Obama could no longer be viewed as the leader of the party, the DNC
quietly repealed the lobbyist restrictions. The public learned about it
only
weeks later."
"Party bosses have always preferred a Wild West when it comes to
fundraising," he adds. "If party bosses had their way, we would have no
restrictions on campaign contributions to the parties and return to the
days
of Tammany Hall."
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
