On Thursday, Microsoft President Brad Smith spoke to employees and defended the conduct of its corporate PAC. A transcript of Smith's comments was leaked on the social bookmarking site Pinboard, and later
"Smith says that PAC donations are 'important' because the money buys access and 'help' from politicians."
I understand that I am horribly naive in this, but this type of statement frustrates and infuriates me. Is this a system that can ever be reformed?
I don't remember the source, but I recall the idea that politicians should wear their "endorsements" like a Nascar driver - all over their cars & uniforms. (I know even less about Nascar, so please don't eviserate me. Lightly chide, sure.)
It frustrates & angers me that Democrats have seemingly learned nothing from this. Sure they appear to be going for the 2nd impeachment but Schumer’s not a strong Senate leader & never has been. McConnell trounces him regularly and it looks like that patterns is going to continue. We need to not only hobble Mitch, but kick his crutches out from under him and force him to the ground where he can’t get back up. McConnell has single handedly done more to dismantle our Democracy than anyone. No more playing nice & fuck unity.
Aww. The 1% playing both sides of the field. Employees across the board being encouraged to make PAC contributions at Microsoft. Bill Gates gives away part of his fortune and the employee is funding a PAC. A PAC then giving money to the insurrectionists. Then saying they don't know. Then playing a game of smoke and mirrors with continued support to the likes of Josh Hawley. It is almost so we'll plotted you could use it in a Baldacci book.
Josh Hawley is a traitor. His latest is to say he was representing what his constituents wanted him to do. Bull Shit. It is waist deep with all of the GOP who contested the electoral college. He and Cruz at a minimum need to be removed from office.
While they include it every year in the local realty board fees for the purpose of lobbying,
I do not make a PAC contribution in the Real Estate field. Why, because the brokerage takes 26% of my 3% commission. I am considered a contract worker and have no benefits. I don't make the fabulous figures the few big agents do nor the brokers, and certainly not the fantastic 1% international realty firm corporations that sell the name to offices as franchises. I wouldn't give money to a PAC anywhere even if I had benefits. Trickle economics down works no better in PAC contributions than it does when the 1% and corporate get trillions of dollar tax cuts.
Biden administration have the guts to introduce campaign Finance reform? Both sides of the aisle benefit from PAC contributions.
I doubt they will unless pressure builds by people like Judd reporting the truth, if the masses will even believe the truth...
In America today, will the truth set us free? From what I continue to read, hear and see, I think it's an uphill battle through rough terrain...
The fairness doctrine needs to return to its full Glory. None of this matters until this is put back in place. From there we can proceed with the rest.
Dick Cheney made sure that got knocked out of the ballpark so he could lie to everybody about wmds.
Put it back.
The propaganda spewing politicians would no longer be able to spew such nonsense.
When is Hawley up for re-election? He is not going anywhere until then. Too many Senate Republicans are questioning whether Trump’s impeachment trial should happen; there is no way they will vote to censure or expel one of their own. (If only we could get rid of Hawley and Cruz so easily.) The people who voted Hawley into office must vote him out, and that’s as it should be. (If only the people of Minnesota had been given the opportunity to reject or retain Al Franken, he probably would still be in the Senate.) I hope Hawley will be rejected by his constituents; they should prove that he was wrong when he said he was only acting on their behalf. And whoever runs against him should receive as much financial support as possible from the entire country.
I am sick to DEATH of listening to filthy rich CEO’s defend their bad/unethical decisions. So, all this money went to a politician that was spewing lies and violence but somehow Microsoft didn’t get the tweets, news conferences, newspaper articles etc etc etc? Bullshit! Microsoft needs to take responsibility for their support of lieing, racist, violent traitors and STOP all funding to them now and forever. Whichever party they are in (I think if they just stopped all money’s to Republicans that should pretty much cover it). It’s a NO BRAINER Microsoft. You are putting your greed for political influence above morals, ethics and just plain EVIL. Get it together or you will continue to see your company’s name splashed all over the news as well as having your products boycotted.
Microsoft is only one of the beg, fat angels who are trying to dance on the head of a pin here. This temporary halting of giving to seditionist PACs says everything about their intentions. We’re any of these vote-buyers serious, they would all start asking for their donations back and threatening any further giving until t**** and his abetting traitors are no longer threats to their business interests by promoting all this civil unrest. Business do not thrive in upheaval so I really don’t get the long-term thinking here. Companies don’t usually invest in unstable countries.
A wonderful man I knew in the 1990s, Santiago Rodriguez, was the first Director of Diversity until Microsoft poached him around 1996. Rodriguez was a national force in multiple minority communities. The hire was a coup and necessary to attend to MS' ongoing failures on diversity. Arriving at Microsoft, Santiago learned that MS had the evil right wing Ralph Reed (Christian Coalition) on retainer as a consultant. He walked into his boss' (Brad Smith?) office and threatened to resign and make a stink if Reed's contract was not discontinued. Reed's contract was canceled and Rodriguez stayed. Unfortunately, Rodriguez died unexpectedly within a year or two. Microsoft learned its lesson . . . not to hire senior leaders who were also activists, and soon returned to hiring evil figures from the right. to do what? The idea of hiring consultants on 'both sides of the aisle' was relatively new. Law firms, in particular, started hired not from values but with the intention to serve all customers regardless of their values (in the 1080s?). They did this to bump up their billing to hundreds of dollars and hour and to grow to ridiculous sizes. Many large international law firms based in NYC in the early 80s had fewer than 100 attorneys on staff and a few offices. Curious to know how Ivy League law and business schools supported (likely) or opposed (highly unlikely) this change.
How do these fake patriots and corporations continue to get away with lying like this? This isn't complicated at all. Traitors to the United States that encouraged an insurrection at the Capital Building are still in our government today. Hawley is the definition of a traitor to the very values he claims to care about. Baselessly claiming fraud with zero evidence and continuing to do so after the 'protestors' stormed the building. There was a mountain of evidence that Russia interfered in 2016 and these same people didn't believe that when they were shown proof that Russia favored trump. Those same people believe the 2020 election was fraudulent with zero evidence to back them up. Unbridled hypocrisy from these treason weasels.
Corporate purchase of Congressional influence has been going on for longer than probably most of the people reading this column. Politics is not pretty, read “Master of the Senate” and you’ll see it took someone like LBJ, and only LBJ, to get major legislation passed.
"Smith says that PAC donations are 'important' because the money buys access and 'help' from politicians."
I understand that I am horribly naive in this, but this type of statement frustrates and infuriates me. Is this a system that can ever be reformed?
I don't remember the source, but I recall the idea that politicians should wear their "endorsements" like a Nascar driver - all over their cars & uniforms. (I know even less about Nascar, so please don't eviserate me. Lightly chide, sure.)
It frustrates & angers me that Democrats have seemingly learned nothing from this. Sure they appear to be going for the 2nd impeachment but Schumer’s not a strong Senate leader & never has been. McConnell trounces him regularly and it looks like that patterns is going to continue. We need to not only hobble Mitch, but kick his crutches out from under him and force him to the ground where he can’t get back up. McConnell has single handedly done more to dismantle our Democracy than anyone. No more playing nice & fuck unity.
Great work Judd!
Aww. The 1% playing both sides of the field. Employees across the board being encouraged to make PAC contributions at Microsoft. Bill Gates gives away part of his fortune and the employee is funding a PAC. A PAC then giving money to the insurrectionists. Then saying they don't know. Then playing a game of smoke and mirrors with continued support to the likes of Josh Hawley. It is almost so we'll plotted you could use it in a Baldacci book.
Josh Hawley is a traitor. His latest is to say he was representing what his constituents wanted him to do. Bull Shit. It is waist deep with all of the GOP who contested the electoral college. He and Cruz at a minimum need to be removed from office.
While they include it every year in the local realty board fees for the purpose of lobbying,
I do not make a PAC contribution in the Real Estate field. Why, because the brokerage takes 26% of my 3% commission. I am considered a contract worker and have no benefits. I don't make the fabulous figures the few big agents do nor the brokers, and certainly not the fantastic 1% international realty firm corporations that sell the name to offices as franchises. I wouldn't give money to a PAC anywhere even if I had benefits. Trickle economics down works no better in PAC contributions than it does when the 1% and corporate get trillions of dollar tax cuts.
Biden administration have the guts to introduce campaign Finance reform? Both sides of the aisle benefit from PAC contributions.
I doubt they will unless pressure builds by people like Judd reporting the truth, if the masses will even believe the truth...
In America today, will the truth set us free? From what I continue to read, hear and see, I think it's an uphill battle through rough terrain...
The fairness doctrine needs to return to its full Glory. None of this matters until this is put back in place. From there we can proceed with the rest.
Dick Cheney made sure that got knocked out of the ballpark so he could lie to everybody about wmds.
Put it back.
The propaganda spewing politicians would no longer be able to spew such nonsense.
When is Hawley up for re-election? He is not going anywhere until then. Too many Senate Republicans are questioning whether Trump’s impeachment trial should happen; there is no way they will vote to censure or expel one of their own. (If only we could get rid of Hawley and Cruz so easily.) The people who voted Hawley into office must vote him out, and that’s as it should be. (If only the people of Minnesota had been given the opportunity to reject or retain Al Franken, he probably would still be in the Senate.) I hope Hawley will be rejected by his constituents; they should prove that he was wrong when he said he was only acting on their behalf. And whoever runs against him should receive as much financial support as possible from the entire country.
I am sick to DEATH of listening to filthy rich CEO’s defend their bad/unethical decisions. So, all this money went to a politician that was spewing lies and violence but somehow Microsoft didn’t get the tweets, news conferences, newspaper articles etc etc etc? Bullshit! Microsoft needs to take responsibility for their support of lieing, racist, violent traitors and STOP all funding to them now and forever. Whichever party they are in (I think if they just stopped all money’s to Republicans that should pretty much cover it). It’s a NO BRAINER Microsoft. You are putting your greed for political influence above morals, ethics and just plain EVIL. Get it together or you will continue to see your company’s name splashed all over the news as well as having your products boycotted.
Microsoft is only one of the beg, fat angels who are trying to dance on the head of a pin here. This temporary halting of giving to seditionist PACs says everything about their intentions. We’re any of these vote-buyers serious, they would all start asking for their donations back and threatening any further giving until t**** and his abetting traitors are no longer threats to their business interests by promoting all this civil unrest. Business do not thrive in upheaval so I really don’t get the long-term thinking here. Companies don’t usually invest in unstable countries.
Does Microsoft also donate to Democrats? If so are the amounts comparable?
A wonderful man I knew in the 1990s, Santiago Rodriguez, was the first Director of Diversity until Microsoft poached him around 1996. Rodriguez was a national force in multiple minority communities. The hire was a coup and necessary to attend to MS' ongoing failures on diversity. Arriving at Microsoft, Santiago learned that MS had the evil right wing Ralph Reed (Christian Coalition) on retainer as a consultant. He walked into his boss' (Brad Smith?) office and threatened to resign and make a stink if Reed's contract was not discontinued. Reed's contract was canceled and Rodriguez stayed. Unfortunately, Rodriguez died unexpectedly within a year or two. Microsoft learned its lesson . . . not to hire senior leaders who were also activists, and soon returned to hiring evil figures from the right. to do what? The idea of hiring consultants on 'both sides of the aisle' was relatively new. Law firms, in particular, started hired not from values but with the intention to serve all customers regardless of their values (in the 1080s?). They did this to bump up their billing to hundreds of dollars and hour and to grow to ridiculous sizes. Many large international law firms based in NYC in the early 80s had fewer than 100 attorneys on staff and a few offices. Curious to know how Ivy League law and business schools supported (likely) or opposed (highly unlikely) this change.
How do these fake patriots and corporations continue to get away with lying like this? This isn't complicated at all. Traitors to the United States that encouraged an insurrection at the Capital Building are still in our government today. Hawley is the definition of a traitor to the very values he claims to care about. Baselessly claiming fraud with zero evidence and continuing to do so after the 'protestors' stormed the building. There was a mountain of evidence that Russia interfered in 2016 and these same people didn't believe that when they were shown proof that Russia favored trump. Those same people believe the 2020 election was fraudulent with zero evidence to back them up. Unbridled hypocrisy from these treason weasels.
I wonder how large tax considerations loom for Microsoft in their donations re Smith's comments.
Corporate purchase of Congressional influence has been going on for longer than probably most of the people reading this column. Politics is not pretty, read “Master of the Senate” and you’ll see it took someone like LBJ, and only LBJ, to get major legislation passed.
Ugh, just ugh.