It’s been a great time for all, watching the political responses to the SEC’s decision to sue Goldman Sachs for fraud. Both Democrats and Republicans are searching for mischievous PROOF that rich people on Wall Street have donated money to the other party. And it might surprise you to learn that this proof is readily available! Apparently the people who can take the entire global economy hostage in return for limitless public ransom whenever they’re short on cash have a bit of sway over both political parties.
Ben Smith has Two Stories. Let us blockquote each, for comparison. First:
Goldman suit figure touted, fundraised for ally Schumer
A few weeks before playing a central role in fraud charges against Goldman Sachs, hedge fund titan John Paulson invited colleagues to a fundraiser for Senator Chuck Schumer — “one of the few members of Congress that has consistently supported the hedge fund industry” — according to a copy of the invitation obtained by POLITICO.
Paulson is not a defendant in the SEC’s lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, though he was Goldman’s partner in the alleged fraud, and Fortune reports that he may yet be an SEC target.
Schumer has been an ally on “important issues such as finantical regulation, carried interest, and investor rights,” Paulson wrote, and “against protectionist legislation.”
“Regardless of your party affiliation, I hope you will come to show your strong support for an important leader and supporter of our industry,” Paulson wrote in the letter, circulated to hedge fund managers and provided by a person in the industry.
Second:
Goldman figure Paulson hosted Romney, Steele last week
Republicans Mitt Romney and Michael Steele headlined a Republican National Committee fundraiser six days ago at the home of the hedge fund titan at the center of the Security and Exchange Committee’s fraud charges against Goldman Sachs.
A spokesman for the RNC confirmed the Tuesday evening event at the Manhattan home of John Paulson, who made a fortune betting against the housing market, and whom Goldman is accused of working to structure products sold to unwitting investors.
Paulson appears not to be facing charges. The RNC spokesman declined to comment on the gathering and a Romney spokesman didn’t respond to an email on the topic.
Ha ha, Michael Steele and Mitt Romney, doing things together.
Anyway. Maybe your Wonkette’s opening paragraph was a bit too dismissive. The fuck is wrong with people? Members of both parties, right when freaking Wall Street financial reform is taking center-stage on the agenda, just can’t stop themselves from grovelling for more cash from John Paulson, the single biggest profiteer from (and a major architect of) the global economy’s collapse, with swanky rich people fundraisers and stuff. Just wait! Wait a few weeks, and you can all go together to get this shitsack’s money! Stupid oligarchies.
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The Supreme Court may consider Goldman-Sachs to be a person but it’s impossible to kick the shit out of it.
Damn Schumer for not wanting to regulate finanticals! I don’t know what those are, but as a libtard, I definitely want them regulated.
Save us, Adm. Ackbar, Socialist Lion of Christ!
There’s nothing wrong with a nice little fundraising party here; after all, what’s a little destruction of the world economy between friends?
But remember to listen to the banks and Republicans, because renewed financial regulations are really MOAR BAILOUTS!!
Needs moar campaign finance reform immediately.
Paging Elizabeth Warren, pick up the RED phone.
Paulson thinks he may have bought himself a reprieve. After all, GS was put on notice about 6 months ago.
success=fail
Remember this next time some Wall Street asshole talks about what a hard-working risk-taker he is. He didn’t get his money from his entrepreneurial spirit, the sweat of his brow and his faith in The LORD — he got it from paying off both sides of the Great Whoredom that represents us.
Next, teh wonkett is going to tell me that defense contractors buy politicians on both sidez of the aisle.
Stupid oligarchies.
No, the oligarchs are actually looking pretty clever. They’re making everyone else look stupid.
That Ben Smith, what a fair and balanced reporter he is.
Newell, you must watch more of the Pulitzer prize winning political financier Glenn Beck. You spelled it wrong; its “oligarhy”, dumb libtard.
[re=559547]Advocatus_Diaboli[/re]: You take that back!
Considering that Goldman Sachs is getting hammered by the SEC for betting on itself to fail, this is not an earth shattering revelation.
Hedge. Hogs.
c’mon, peeps, it’s pure socialism, the wealthy redistributing their wealth to the… wealthy. capitalism at its best.
Jeepers, they never taught us about this part in 7th-grade Social Studies class. As missionaries of Democracy, we’d better not let the Iraqis hear about this or they might think us a teeny bit hypocritical.
[re=559539]JMP[/re]: McMuppetface said so, and Cokie Roberts (Morning Edition “analysis”, today)agrees. Can we just shoot her from a cannon?
This shit may be flying, but at fancy fundraisers it smells like fresh eucalyptus wafting in from the garden. And there’s usually a guy who will make an omelette to your personal specifications. Along with filthy filthy hookers.
In a perfect world, teabaggers would sack Goldman’s HQ like a bunch of crazed Visigoths. That is, provided they could tear themselves away from their Double Downs long enough to pick up a torch and pitchfork.
[re=559534]chascates[/re]: If Goldman-Sachs WAS a person it would be a real scrawny kid, like Chris Makepeace in my bodyguard, and they would need a big tough guy for protection. And, of course, they’d have plenty of money to pay a big tough guy for protection so, in the end they wouldn’t get the shit kicked out of them. Still, they’d be wussies who wouldn’t get that well-deserved ass whippin and, worse, they’d have the money to get sexy trophy wives; who’d cheat on them with tough masculine fire fighter-type guys anyway. Then sexy trophy wife would divorce scrawny rich Goldman-Sachs and take his money and the the fire fighter would be driving Goldman-Sachs’ nice car and living in his house. So there would be justice if, in fact, Goldman-Sachs was a person.
[re=559546]SayItWithWookies[/re]: In a perfect free market, the people who do the most useful skilled work are supposed make the most money. In the real world, the most money goes to the Wall Street stockbrokers and financiers, who are not only useless but actively make things worse for the rest of us; which pretty much proves that the free market believers are full of shit.
Where are the Tea Partiers and their righteous anger when it is actually needed?
[re=559563]bitchincamaro[/re]: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126101583
And John McCrazy was blathering on Fox News yesterday that goddamn, “they” want to raise the capital gains tax! Yes, believe it or not, they want to raise it from the current outrageous 16 percent! Your Great American John McCrazy thinks it is simply “un-American” that hedge fund managers making billions be taxed more than 16 percent, because what are they, peons like the rest of us?
[re=559574]Lionel Hutz Esq.[/re]: Mr. Esq, Theirs is not a righteous anger, it’s a racist anger. The titans of Wall Street and Free Markets are White folks.
[re=559568]thesheriffisnear[/re]: I like your Weltanschauung.
[re=559581]freakishlystrong[/re]: THIS.
Cokie Roberts on k.u.n.t. Houston
If those guys down at Gravelly Point want to shoot someone, why don’t they shoot that Paulson dude? They act like they’re all ready to go toe-to-toe with the President and a whole mess of Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles, but they’re afraid of some Wall Street fat-cat with a couple of rent-a-cop body guards armed with the teabagger equiv1alent of cap guns?
[re=559583]V572625694[/re]: That just replaced Gotterdammerung as my favorite word that I could neither spell nor pronounce.
Mark my words. Before sundown today someone will drive the skittles car, or maybe an insane death machine, right into the deli next door to the wrong Goldman Sachs office.
[re=559579]BlueStateLiberal[/re]: Read here about how Spain (and some other EU countries) have a Wealth Tax of as much as 2.5%. That’s a tax on the total estate: bank accounts, stocks, real estate, etc, not just income tax such as we have here. What a great idea!
http://www.properties-in-europe.com/info_spain_tax.htm
No wonder they can afford universal health care.
[re=559572]JMP[/re]: In a perfect free market Sarah Palin’s Facebook ghostwriter, who takes a BB bouncing around in an empty coffee can and turns it into complete sentences that actual humans can understand, would be filthy rich.
[re=559579]BlueStateLiberal[/re]: How dare they suggest increasing the tax on unearned interest income to over half that for money people actually earn; why it’s just as bad as how the Dems are letting the inheritance taxes come back! It’s so unfair that they want to tax rich people when they get money for nothing (and their chicks for free).
[re=559593]V572625694[/re]: OH NOES SOCIMALISM!
I love our 1.14-party system. I think there are races for dogcatcher in Switzerland that have a greater diversity of political opinion.
[re=559560]slappypaddy[/re]: Upper class is socialized as a seperate (but equal!) society. If, two years from now, any one of these fuckwads is still out more than 6 bucks and change from this, I’ll shit my pants on national TeeVee for freedom.
[re=559593]V572625694[/re]: Someone should send that link to John McCrazy just so his head will explode.
[re=559589]McDuff[/re]: And these milita wackos keep insisting they are only organizing to “defend” the country. Dude, don’t you realize you already pay taxes for that, and besides you and your overweight, middle-age cohorts don’t stand much of a chance of defending anything except maybe the remote control from your wife?
Can someone hang some truck nutz on that stupid golden bull?
Template:
A few weeks before playing a central role in fraud charges against _________, _______ invited colleagues to a fundraiser for __________ — “one of the few members of Congress that has consistently supported the _______ industry” — according to a copy of the invitation obtained by_________.
[re=559583]V572625694[/re]: [re=559590]thesheriffisnear[/re]: You fancy Nazis with your special languages!!!
Hey McConnell, How did this “Lets go back to the table and draft a Bi-Partisan Bill” work for you in HCR debate? Talk to the Teabaggers, even they won’t shoot themselves in the foot twice in a row.
Gore Vidal, whilst visting the UK: “Now Britain has two right wing parties, just like the US.”
Reporter: “Which one is more right wing?” Vidal: “One does not bring a measuring rod to Lilliput.”
What the Eyjafjallajoekull?
[re=559574]Lionel Hutz Esq.[/re]: Yeah, where the hell were those Teabaggers? Like for at least the last 8 to 10 years, if not longer. Dont’t get me started…
“Apparently the people who can take the entire global economy hostage in return for limitless public ransom whenever they’re short on cash have a bit of sway over both political parties.”
This is the most succinct, to-the-point characterization you’ll ever find of our system and situation. Unlimited public ransom, indeed.
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