Why I don't like McCain & Palin

This article pretty much tells us who pulls McCains strings these days.

McCain Attacks Wall Street Greed—While 83 Wall Street Lobbyists Work for His Campaign

In the past few days, as the economic crisis has deepened, Senator John McCain has been decrying the excesses of Wall Street. At a campaign rally in Tampa on Tuesday, he vowed that he and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, if elected, "are going to put an end to the reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed that have caused a crisis on Wall Street." He noted that the "foundation of our economy...has been put at risk by the greed and mismanagement of Wall Street and Washington."

He blasted CEOs who "seem to escape the consequences." He denounced Wall Streeters who "dreamed up investment schemes that they themselves don't even understand" and who used "derivatives, credit default swaps, and mortgage-backed securities" to try "to make their own rules." He excoriated Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for gaming the system. And he slammed financial industry lobbyists for misguiding members of Congress. "I can promise you the days of dealing and special favors will soon be over in Washington." On Wednesday morning, after the federal government committed $85 billion to prevent the collapse of the American International Group (AIG) insurance conglomerate, McCain again assailed irresponsible corporate executives. "We need to change the way Washington and Wall Street does business," he proclaimed.

McCain has been quick with fiery, populist-tinged speeches. But one thing has been missing: any acknowledgment that McCain's own campaign has been loaded with the type of people he's been denouncing. (The McCain campaign did not respond to a request for comment; we will update the post if they do.) As Mother Jones previously reported, former Senator Phil Gramm, McCain's onetime campaign chairman, used a backroom maneuver in late 2000 to slip into law a bill that kept credit default swaps unregulated. These financial instruments greased the way to the subprime meltdown that has led to today's economic crisis. Several of McCain's most senior campaign aides have lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And the Democratic National Committee, using publicly available records, has identified 177 lobbyists working for the McCain campaign as either aides, policy advisers, or fundraisers.

Of those 177 lobbyists, according to a Mother Jones review of Senate and House records, at least 83 have in recent years lobbied for the financial industry McCain now attacks. These are high-paid influence-peddlers who have been working the corridors of the nation's capital to win favors and special treatment for investment banks, securities firms, hedge funds, accounting outfits, and insurance companies. Their clients have included AIG, the newest symbol of corporate excess; Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy on Monday sending the stock market into a tailspin; Merrill Lynch, which was bought out by Bank of America this week; and Washington Mutual, the banking giant that could be the next to fall. Among these 83 lobbyists are McCain's chief political adviser, Charlie Black (JP Morgan, Washington Mutual Bank, Freddie Mac, Mortgage Bankers Association of America); McCain's national finance co-chairman, Wayne Berman (AIG, Blackstone, Credit Suisse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac); the campaign's congressional liaison, John Green (Carlyle Group, Citigroup, Icahn Associates, Fannie Mae); McCain's veep vetter, Arthur Culvahouse (Fannie Mae); and McCain's transition planning chief, William Timmons Sr. (Citigroup, Freddie Mac, Vanguard Group).

When cable news shows air footage of McCain railing against greedy execs and the lobbyists who rig the rules for the benefit of Wall Street dealmakers, there ought to be a crawl beneath him listing these lobbyists. (Talk about a fair and balanced presentation.) Short of that, here's the list of the McCain aides and bundlers who have worked for the high-finance greed-mongers McCain has pledged to take on. So far, it seems, none of them have been cast out of the campaign. If McCain were serious about his outrage, he might throw these money-changers out of his own temple.

Phil Anderson: American Council of Life Insurers, Aetna, AIG, New York Life, MassMutual, VISA

Rebecca Anderson: Aegon, American Council of Life Insurers, Cigna, Barclays, Credit Suisse First Boston, HSBC

Stanton Anderson: The Debt Exchange

David Beightol: Allstate, Amerigroup, Charles Schwab, HSBC

Rhonda Bentz: VISA

Wayne Berman: American Council of Life Insurers, AIG, Americhoice, Shinsei Bank, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, Broidy Capital Management, Credit Suisse Securities, Highstar Capital, VISA, Ameriquest Mortgage, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Fitch Ratings

Charlie Black: JP Morgan, Washington Mutual Bank, Freddie Mac, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, National Association of Mortgage Brokers

Judy Black: Colorado Credit Union League, Genworth Financial, Bay Harbour Management, Merrill Lynch

Kirk Blalock: Credit Union National Association, Financial Executives International, American Insurance Association, Mutual of Omaha, Zurich Financial Service Group, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

Carlos Bonilla: Financial Services Roundtable, Freddie Mac

Christine Burgeson: Citigroup

Mark Buse: Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Nicholas Calio: Citigroup, Managed Fund Association, Fannie Mae, Merrill Lynch, The Investment Company Institute, TIAA-CRE, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association

Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Amscot Financial Corporation, Community Financial Services Association, Fidelity National Financial

Andrew Cantor: American Insurance Association, Merrill Lynch

Alberto Cardenas: Fannie Mae

James Courter: Goldman Sachs, Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, Investment Company Institute, Merrill Lynch

David Crane: Financial Services Roundtable, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Bank of America, Association of Corporate Credit Unions, Freddie Mac

Dan Crippen: Merrill Lynch, National Multi-Housing Council

Arthur Culvahouse: Fannie Mae

Bryan Cunningham: Arch Capital Group

Alfonse D'Amato: AIG, Freddie Mac

Doug Davenport: Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Goldman Sachs, VISA

Ashley Davis: Prudential Financial, American Financial Group, American Premier Underwriters, Great American Insurance Company

Mimi Dawson: MassMutual

Melissa Edwards: Freddie Mac, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Access to Capital Coalition

Chris Fidler: American Bankers Association, Milcom Venture Partners, National Association Real Estate Investment Trusts

Samuel Geduldig: American Bankers Association, American Institute of CPAs, America Gains, Berkshire Hathaway, Consumer Bankers Association, Ernst & Young, Financial Services Roundtable, Investment Company Institute, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Prudential Financial, Sovereign Investment Council, Fidelity Investments, FMR Corp.

Benjamin Ginsberg: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, AIG Technical Services

David Girard-Dicarlo: American Financial Group, American Premier Underwriters

Juleanna Glover Weiss: RJI Capital, American Institute of CPAs, BNP Paribas, Ernst & Young, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Slade Gorton: Allstate Insurance, Hannan Armstrong Capital

Phil Gramm: UBS Americas

John Green: Laredo National Bank, Alternative Investment Management Association, AIG, Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group, Fannie Mae, Icahn Associates, FMR Corp., AFLAC, VISA

Janet Grissom: American Institute of CPAs, NYSE, Merrill Lynch

Kristen Gullott: San Diego Credit Union

Kent Hance: Stanford Financial Group, Municipal Capital Markets Group, Inc.

Vicki Hart: American Financial Services Association, Citigroup, Investment Company Institute, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, New York Stock Exchange, VISA, Carlyle Group, Credit Suisse, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, Goldman Sachs, Stanford Group, Lloyd's of London, National City Corp.

Richard Hohlt: Capmark Financial Group, Fannie Mae, JP Morgan Chase and Co., Student Loan Marketing Association, Washington Mutual, Guaranty Bank & Trust, Peachtree Settlement Funding, Dime Savings Bank of New York

Gaylord Hughey: Heartland Security Insurance Group

Kate Hull: Credit Union National Association, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Zurich Financial Services, American Insurance Association, Financial Executives International

James Hyland: American Insurance Association, Seattle Home Loan Bank, Self Help Credit Union, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, Merrill Lynch, Mortgage Investors Corp., Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, Freddie Mac, New York Stock Exchange, Citigroup, VISA

Aleix Jarvis: Credit Union National Association, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Financial Executives International, Mutual of Omaha, American Insurance Association, Zurich Financial Services

Greg Jenner: American Council of Life Insurers, JG Wentworth, UBS, VISA, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Frank Keating: American Council of Life Insurers

Steven Kuykendall: California Bankers Association

William Lesher: Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Commerce Ventures, Rabobank International

Thomas Loeffler: Citigroup, Fannie Mae, Investment Company Institute, World Savings and Loan Association, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)

Kelly Lugar: RJI Capital Strategies

Peter Madigan: Arthur Andersen, Bank of New York, Broadridge Securities Processing, Charles Schwab, Deloitte and Touche, Goldman Sachs, International Employee Stock Option Coalition, Mastercard, NYSE, Fannie Mae, Merrill Lynch, PNC Bank

Mary Mann: MassMutual

Paul Martino: Morgan Stanley, Baker Tilly

Jana McKeag: Venture Catalyst

Alison McSlarrow: Fannie Mae, Hartford

Mike Meece: Georgetown Partners

David Metzner: Ernst & Young, Harbinger Capital Investments, Prudential, Public Financial Management, Western Union

Susan Molinari: Freddie Mac, American Land Title Association, Association of Consumer Credit Unions, Beacon Capital Partners, College Loan Corp, Coventry First, E-Trade, Financial Services Roundtable, Rent-A-Center

John Moran: Cerberus Capital Management, American Council of Life Insurers, Accenture

John Napier: Freddie Mac

Susan Nelson: AIG, San Antonio Credit Union

Paul Otellini: Ernst & Young, Financial Services Forum

Steve Perry: Charles Schwab, Hoover Partners, HSBC, National Stock Exchange

Nancy Pfotenhauer: American Land Title Association, Mortgage Bankers Association

Elise Pickering-Finley: Credit Suisse, DE Shaw, Hartford Financial Services, Research In Motion, Retail Industry Lenders Association, URL Mutual

James Pitts: Advanced Association for Life Underwriting, AETNA, American Council of Life Insurers, AIG, Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, Debt Advisory International, Financial Services Coordinating Council, GE Financial Assurance, Hartford Life, Jefferson Pilot Financial, Kenwood Investments, MassMutual, Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, UNUM Provident, VISA, PMI Group

Tim Powers: AP Capital, Genworth Financial, Retail Industry Lenders Association, E-LOAN, General Electric Mortgage Insurance

Walter Price: Wachovia

Sloan Rappoport: Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc. (FBR), Trafelet Delta Funds

Hans Rickhoff: Capital One, Investment Company Institute, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)

Kathleen Shanahan: New York Stock Exchange

Andrew Shore: Accenture, Retail Industry Lenders Association, Barclays, Bond Market Association, Credit Suisse, TPG Capital

Katie Stahl: Alliance for Investment Transparency, Ares Management, Fairfax Financial Holdings, Uhlmann Financial Group

Milly Stanges: TIAA-CREF

Aquiles Suarez: Fannie Mae

Don Sundquist: Freddie Mac, The Hartford

Peter Terpeluk: JP Morgan Chase, Ernst & Young, Prudential

Fred Thompson: Equitas

Jeri Thompson: American Insurance Association

John Timmons: National Association of Federal Credit Unions

William Timmons Sr.: American Council of Life Insurers, Citigroup, Dun & Bradstreet, Freddie Mac, Vanguard Group

Vin Weber: Agstar Financial Services, AKT Investment Corp., American Institute of CPAs, Ernst & Young, Freddie Mac, Louis Dreyfus Corp, PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Jeffery Weiss: JP Morgan

Tony Williams: Russell Investment Group, American Life Inc., Northwestern Mutual

— David Corn, Jonathan Stein, and Nick Baumann

Definately one of the longest posts we've seen, a couple of paragraphs and a link would be helpful.

LTRT wrote:Definately one of the longest posts we've seen, a couple of paragraphs and a link would be helpful.

+1

Maybe a brief opinion on the article?

OMFG!

That's quite a list of people. Great post HH!

Sorry about the length, however, membership is needed on that website, so a simple link would have failed. I really thought the list of 83 lobbyists was important to share since they are now involved in McCains campaign.

I'll keep my other posts shorter. Promise!

lol.. so where's the list of people BO has advising him from Wall Street? Probably was too long to copy.....

Any author who wants to rail against McCain's advisors being on Wall Street as a reason to vote for BO really needs to wake up and realize what they are stepping in because it's deep and stinks.

hoosierhelen wrote:Sorry about the length, however, membership is needed on that website, so a simple link would have failed. I really thought the list of 83 lobbyists was important to share since they are now involved in McCains campaign.

I'll keep my other posts shorter. Promise!

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9753_mccain_campaign_lobbyists_wall_street_aig.html

The link works just fine for me with NO membership.

So from your subject title, should I assume this is the one 'reason' you don't like McCain? You aren't looking at any other issues? Or is this meant as a starter list for people to give reasons they don't like him, because if so, I'd say we have gotten plenty of that already? Obama has done pretty well getting contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, if that means anything to you.

http://pfds.opensecrets.org/092408.html

according to your link, Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae contributed excessively to both Republicans & Democrats (at different times).

Unfortunately we only have 2 choices to vote for this year. I know what I get if I vote for McCain, and my stomach just can't handle it. I have never fogotten the Keating 5 ordeal he was in back in 87.

I admire his military record. End of good things that I can see in him.

Hopefully with a change in leadership and closer attention to Regulations, we can dig ourselves out of this hole we are in now. For God's sake, our Comptroller of the United States was on 60 Minutes telling us this was in crisis mode in March of 2007. He quit his job and hit the road speaking on the topic to everyone who would listen. No one wanted to hear the bad news.

Regulators were in place and doing their job, but our leadership didn't want to take their hands out of the cookie jar.

good posts hh..even the long one was a good read for me. glad your here supporting the next prez!

hoosierhelen wrote:
Unfortunately we only have 2 choices to vote for this year.

Only 2? Just going to overlook the Libertarian party? Green Party? Constitution Party? American Party? Boston Tea Party (yes it is real)

http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

Scooby01_98 wrote:

hoosierhelen wrote:
Unfortunately we only have 2 choices to vote for this year.

Only 2? Just going to overlook the Libertarian party? Green Party? Constitution Party? American Party? Boston Tea Party (yes it is real)

http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

I was about to say the same thing. And that's why we have the same stupidity over and over...everybody thinks there's only two choices and a vote for anything outside those two makes one weird or something - okay, so maybe it is a little weird, but weird can be good! If someone really likes the R's or D's, then they should by all means vote for them, but it seems like most people just vote for the lesser of two evils. With more and more Americans online, I think it should help third-party (or no-party) candidates get their message out better. In fact, I like going to:

www.vote-smart.org

to find other candidates whose views I find more appealing. [/rant] Okay, carry on.

SavoyTruffle wrote:

Scooby01_98 wrote:

hoosierhelen wrote:
Unfortunately we only have 2 choices to vote for this year.

Only 2? Just going to overlook the Libertarian party? Green Party? Constitution Party? American Party? Boston Tea Party (yes it is real)

http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

I was about to say the same thing. And that's why we have the same stupidity over and over...everybody thinks there's only two choices and a vote for anything outside those two makes one weird or something - okay, so maybe it is a little weird, but weird can be good! If someone really likes the R's or D's, then they should by all means vote for them, but it seems like most people just vote for the lesser of two evils. With more and more Americans online, I think it should help third-party (or no-party) candidates get their message out better. In fact, I like going to:

www.vote-smart.org

to find other candidates whose views I find more appealing. [/rant] Okay, carry on.

Too me the only wasted vote; is the person that is eligible to vote and doesn't. I have voted 3rd party quite often, plus when I lived in MD you had to name your party to register to vote and was a registered Libertarian. I'm not happy with the candidate they chose this year (sorry but Bob Barr is not a libertarian). I'm just annoyed that all these 3rd party candidates don't get placed on every state ballot, and Indiana seems to be one of the states that really restricts that choice.

If people would look at these 3rd party's they could possibly find a better party that falls in line with their views of what they believe in. But lets face it your never going to agree with any one party on all of it platform issues.

It was George Washington that warned us against the two party system and he was right.

Here's a stupid question...are 3rd (or 4th or 5th) party candidates even invited to the Presidential Debates? Seems like if your name is on the ballot, you should be there.

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:Here's a stupid question...are 3rd (or 4th or 5th) party candidates even invited to the Presidential Debates? Seems like if your name is on the ballot, you should be there.

The group that runs the debates won't allow it unless you poll a certain percentage (I believe it is 15% but not 100% sure). That was why Ross Perot was able to be in the debate he was polling over 15%.

But they should be allowed to no matter what percentage. Or at least restrict to if they are on the ballot in enough states to win 270 electoral votes they should be included. They can't be any worse than Dennis Kucinich in the Dem debates.

This so called fair and impartial debate committee seems to be anything but with just the two party candidates.

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:Here's a stupid question...are 3rd (or 4th or 5th) party candidates even invited to the Presidential Debates? Seems like if your name is on the ballot, you should be there.

The networks don't believe they have a viable chance of getting elected, so they don't place them on. And they don't have a real chance because no one knows that much about them, because they don't get to be on TV in debates.

Was it Lieberman a couple years ago who ran and was criticized for taking votes from Kerry, but yet they wouldn't let him in on the debates because he wasn't big enough.

SavoyTruffle wrote:http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

I was about to say the same thing. And that's why we have the same stupidity over and over...everybody thinks there's only two choices and a vote for anything outside those two makes one weird or something - okay, so maybe it is a little weird, but weird can be good! If someone really likes the R's or D's, then they should by all means vote for them, but it seems like most people just vote for the lesser of two evils. With more and more Americans online, I think it should help third-party (or no-party) candidates get their message out better. In fact, I like going to:

www.vote-smart.org

to find other candidates whose views I find more appealing. [/rant] Okay, carry on.

Thank you Scooby and Savoy! I seriously was about ready to start a thread on 3rd party candidates since the only other one I was aware of was Ralph Nader. That website is a great wealth of information and I am definitely checking it out. Just don't say anything bad about Obama here because you will be labeled a right wing nut.

cardinal5150 wrote:

Cincy Fan 44 wrote:Here's a stupid question...are 3rd (or 4th or 5th) party candidates even invited to the Presidential Debates? Seems like if your name is on the ballot, you should be there.

The networks don't believe they have a viable chance of getting elected, so they don't place them on. And they don't have a real chance because no one knows that much about them, because they don't get to be on TV in debates.

Was it Lieberman a couple years ago who ran and was criticized for taking votes from Kerry, but yet they wouldn't let him in on the debates because he wasn't big enough.

I think you are thinking about Nader that took the votes from Kerry... The biggest impact a third party candidate had that I remember is Anderson, who ran in 1980.... I believe he was included in the debates with Reagan and Carter.

pez wrote:I think you are thinking about Nader that took the votes from Kerry... The biggest impact a third party candidate had that I remember is Anderson, who ran in 1980.... I believe he was included in the debates with Reagan and Carter.

For me, I think it was H. Ross Perot. I believe if he hadn't been in it, the George Herbert Walker Bush would have been elected for a 2nd term. But I don't know, I was only 6 in 1980.

pez wrote:
I think you are thinking about Nader that took the votes from Kerry... The biggest impact a third party candidate had that I remember is Anderson, who ran in 1980.... I believe he was included in the debates with Reagan and Carter.

There was George Wallace in the late 60's early 70's. He actually won states and had electoral votes in his column. Anderson never won any states and garnered about 5% of the vote. Ross Perot actually got 18% of the vote when he ran in 1992.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace