Is Bernie right to critize Obama's and Hillary's Wall St Financiers / Relationships

[FreakinDJ]

I think this is a very important conversation we need to have

As Bernie so thoughtfully pointed out last night, African Americans lost 1/2 of their wealth due to the foreclosure crisis. He also pointed out with his economic and education plans many more African American youths would be gainfully employed / properly educated as opposed to being victim to the criminal justice system

But we as voters have a very short memory

Here is an Op I posted just 4 short years ago here on DU and I think it applies realistically to the problems outlined in last night debate


We needed a Roosevelt, but we got an Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002146427

[bigwillq]

1. Yes

And I hope the other candidates will criticize Bernie. No candidate or elected official should be above criticism.

[bowens43]

2. yes

[MuseRider]

3. Yes.

Absolutely yes.

Otherwise why bother trying to make things better?

[FreakinDJ]

4. Hillary is relying on the "Short Memory" of voters

but I think the devastation to the African Community via the Foreclosure Crisis may be her Waterloo

[MuseRider]

7. One would hope so.

The short memory in this country is going to kill us one day, coming pretty close.

[m-lekktor]

5. yes. nt

[HereSince1628]

6. The criticism is general, but, it strikes nerves personally for those accepting that money

Researchers have concluded that almost nothing the people want gets done by DC politicians, but that almost everything that gets done is on the wish list of the rich.

It's hard to argue that the system isn't far far off the ideas that justified the Founders in setting up a republic. Or the ideas immortalized in Lincoln's words about government for, of and by the people.

What creeps out politicians is how the problem grinds down to the very very personal. In NH Hillary made the statement that by Bernie's standards there are no clean politicians. And she's absolutely right. There are almost no clean politicians.

That makes a deeply personal wound for politicians who have gotten dirty through the 'necessary work' of feeding the pigs at the trough. They've come to accept that what they do is required. They may or may not like it. They may or may not participate in the graft. But they all take the money, because, everyone with a lick of sense, which leaves out the pony dreaming Bernie, knows that you can't do anything without money from the rich and powerful.

The list of participants is as long as the old DLC list-serv, and no one wants to be held accountable. It's insulting.

To which I say, Nuts!

[tk2kewl]

9. Very good post

[Jarqui]

8. Absolutely

Doing something about lobbyists in an unfulfilled Obama promise

How Obama failed to shut Washington's revolving door
He vowed to keep lobbyists out of his administration, but loopholes weakened his pledge.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/barack-obama-revolving-door-lobbying-217042#ixzz3zxb0fzZc

Some of that problem was that if he excluded everyone who had lobbied, then there was almost no one who had decent experience to fill positions in some areas.

Bernie's point about money corrupting politics is valid. Obama didn't solve it.

I do not think Wall Street money influenced Obama himself. But it significantly helped finance the wall of obstruction his legislation and efforts ran into. It softened legislation like Dodd-Frank. And they were going to obstruct anything Obama tried to do about it.

I think the world of Obama and believe overall, considering what he faced, he did a great job.

But there is a lot of work that remains to be done.

The Clintons are much more of a concern. Hillary has been called weather vane for a long history of flip-flops - she can be influenced as her untrustworthy ethical rudder is not very deep. Since they left the White House, they have collected nearly $4 billion for campaigns, the Clinton Foundation, the library and speaking fees - a lot of it from Wall Street. There's no way from all the back slapping financial donations to their causes that they can address money in politics because they're a poster example of the problem. As the Politico article covered recently, Hillary will say one thing about Wall Street in public and another behind closed doors when they're paying her $250,000 to speak. To me, that alone should disqualify her from the Oval office.