I'd like to know why you feel Hillary favors Wall Street and Corporate America (VERY LONG POST) [View all]

[Lucinda]

Last edited Mon Jan 25, 2016, 10:16 PM - Edit history (2)

I mean that. I really want to know why you have come to that conclusion.

But first, I want to address a few comments that I've seen here on DU since I've returned, and provide a little information that I found while looking for answers. For the record, I support Clinton, I like a Bernie a lot, and have been sharing his Face Book posts for a very long time, and will be voting for the Dem candidate in November.

I've heard lots of complaints about Hillary and Wall Street money, and I honestly haven't run across any real support for that point of view yet. If you have some, I truly would like to see it.

I've seen this graphic from the Sanders campaign floating around Pre and Post debate and I think it needs to be addressed.



The Sanders team posted this graphic on January 17th on Face Book with a comment that said
"I don't get personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs #DemDebate " which implies that this supported Bernie's comment about Hillary accepting 600k in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. This was the first time that I have ever been disappointed in Sanders.

The graphic, has NOTHING to do with speaking fees. It represents the career donations to Hillary from these companies and covers a period from 1999 to August 2015. You can find the information here:
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00000019&type=I

You can use the drop down to look at the figures in two year increments. And if you'd like to see the graphic on Sanders page it is here:
https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/photos/a.324119347643076.89553.124955570892789/963633427024995/?type=3&theater

If you recall, Clinton ran for public office from the state of New York which is pretty much the financial hub of this country, and many, many, people work in those companies. Fortunately, some of those people are Dems, and they contributed to Clinton's campaigns for public office. If you look across the row at the link, you will see the breakdown for each company listed. As you can see the bulk of each listing come from individuals - not some big corporate dude smoking a cigar handing Clinton a big fat check.

The link states:
This table lists the top donors to this candidate in 1999-2016. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Bernie's numbers are also listed on the graphic, presumably to show how much less he had received, and from more benign donors. But the truth here is that Bernie wouldn't need to raise as much money to run for office as Hillary would from a huge state like New York. He also wouldn't have donors from Wall Street companies, because those people work in New York. The graphic is very misleading, but I think it is important because it may be what people have been using to make a lot the noise that gets airplay about Clinton receiving money from these companies.

The graphic that the Sanders campaign used to support their claim that she took big money from Wall Street wasn't for speeches. It was donations. Mostly from individuals. In support of her campaigns for public office. And I was sad to see this misinformation coming from the Sanders campaign. I haven't looked in to the people running his campaign, but I don't think this serves the man that I admire very much.

~~~

As for her speeches, that were given after she stepped down from state - which in total are for a LOT of money - but are in no way out of the ordinary. The only thing remarkable about the amount of fees, is that she is one of the few women in the world who make as much as her male peers on the speaking circuit. She was the First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, Senator from New York, and The SOS of the United States. I don't find it unusual that people would want to here what she had to say. Everyone from other politicians, to sports figures, authors, and motivational speakers get these big paydays. I agree with those of you that think it's a heck of a lot of money to pay someone to talk, but it is the standard for successful people making the circuit. The link below contains an incomplete, but pretty comprehensive list, of where she went, who she spoke to, what the event was about, and how much she was paid. (where available)

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-12/the-very-valuable-words-of-hillary-clinton

There is a wide range of groups that heard Hillary speak. Some look fascinating. Some look downright boring!

~~~
In regards to her views on Glass-Stegall,I agree with her that reinstating something that was crafted in 1933 doesn't really solve the problems that exist in 2016. I know some of you believe that killing Glass-Stegall caused the crisis, but I agree with those that say it didn't. This article I am linking presents a point by point breakdown by Andrew Ross Sorkin - with quotes from Elizabeth Warren. I'm not trying to change your mind if you favor reinstatement, I'm just pointing out HRC's take on it in terms of those who think she would be soft on wall street.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/reinstating-an-old-rule-is-not-a-cure-for-crisis/?_r=0

The last link I'm going to bore you with is what Hillary's actual plans are in dealing with the serious issues of the financial industries.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-10-08/hillary-clinton-s-plan-to-prevent-the-next-crash

My purpose for this post is to provide and also receive information.
I find absolutely nothing in the areas above that leads me to believe that Hillary would in any way favor banks or corporations over the work of her lifetime, which has been in the pursuit of improving the lives of the people of this country.

For anyone reading this far I thank you for your time. If your view that she is beholden to the banks or corporations comes from some other source, I would really like you to share it with me. I've been ill for quite a while now, and have missed lots of stuff.

I did not deal with Bill Clinton's income from speeches, because I haven't finished my research. I know some of you feel there is a conflict of interest there, and I would appreciate any links you can share about it. All I know right now, is that the work he has been doing globally takes a lot of money.

If you do respond, it may take me a little while to answer. We've got a storm coming in, and that tends to make the pain from my health issues go into overdrive, but I will answer when I can. And I may edit a lot. I'm a bad typist, but I tried to be very careful! Thanks again for reading!

Lucinda

EDIT 3 to add - I over did it the night I posted, got a massive headache, and then couldn't get to sleep until this morning when it finally calmed down. I know how to tweak my usual health issues, but I don't usually have headaches. Then our weather changed, so I am dealing with that too, but didn't want to let this drop, so I will be back to finish my reading tomorow.

Editing to add that I am working my way through still - answering quick ones, and collecting links to read, to answer the others...Thank you all again for responding!


Editing again because I am too tired to keep reading and my head feels like it's cracking open! If I missed you, I'll be back!... and to those kind enough to add links for me to look at, and I haven't finished commenting, I'll be back for you too!