Dear Conservatives: Newt Gingrich was paid $55 million as a lobbyist

[Hugo Drax]

since leaving the House, he has done a typically Washington thing and worked as a lobbyist, making $55 million over a decade.

u mad?

But he is white.

 

[freegeeks]

So let's see, in the GOP field we have...


1. Cain - Amoral adulterer that doesn't believe in the sanctity of marriage like he espouses allegedly sexually harassed other women and believes that a Sim City tax scheme that is oddly familiar with a pizza price is the best thing for the country.

2. Romney - Paid WS schill that, while at Bain, took several companies private, resulting in huge layoffs, massive debt burden and most of his deals ended up in bankruptcy or restructuring. He is, effectively, Gordon Gekko buying a presidency.

3. Gingrich - Guy who traded in his name to peddle influence in every single industry that he now doesn't like - including housing GSEs (socialist empires), defense (small government!), banking (TBFT = FAIL!!!), healthcare (I swear, it was only the parts of Obamacare that *I* liked!), among others. Part of the "big government" revolving door that GOP "hates" so much.

4. Bachmann - Batshit crazy.

5. Paul - See #4.

So really, who makes a compelling candidate? Not one fucking person on the GOP side. Yet, the idiots of the GOP will vote for the GOP just the same.

funny post of the week. I'm a non-US citizen and I vote rightish/conservative in my own country but there is no way in hell that I would vote for one of these clowns as a US citizen. At least democrat candidates are sane.

ps: you forgot Perry

 

[Ausm]

Dear Liberals.

How much money have the Clintons made since leaving the White House?
They have done a typically Washington thing and worked as a lobbyist and the lecture circuit, making millions every year.

If I recall, Hillary eventually ran for the Democratic nomination.


So, what is the concern?

Is the solution to exclude people from the government from acting as a lobbyist.
Where did I recently hear that one before:whiste:

Good point here.

 

[bfdd]

Corruption like this usually wasn't stood for, but the common man has gotten to soft.

 

[wirednuts]

i dont even know why we need lobbiests. shouldnt those be your city alderman and officials? cant we make the traditional practice of lobbying illegal, so we can focus on things that actually matter? i dont really care if colgate is paying millions to get exclusive laws written in their favor. that just hurts anyone and everyone not affiliated with colgate. instead, that time and money could have been directed at solving actual shit like all these natural disasters we are having lately. and wars.

 

[ultimatebob]

Now that Gingrich is the front runner, it's only a matter of time until some new marital infidelities or dirty business dealings are "uncovered" about him.

The media has played whack-a-mole with every Republican front runner so far, so I'd imagine that Gingrich won't be spared the same fate. There are plenty skeletons in his closet to uncover.

 

[Fern]

since leaving the House, he has done a typically Washington thing and worked as a lobbyist, making $55 million over a decade.

u mad?

Don't think so. My understanding is that he was NOT registered as a lobbyist. You are required by law to register if you're going to lobby. If he lobbied as you claim he'll be prosecuted.

IIRC, the claim was $5M, not $55M as you claim. If so, that's a very significant difference.

Further, my understanding is that the consulting fees were not paid to Newt personally. I believe they were paid to company he owns full or in part. Now, many of you may not see a difference but if there are other owners/partners, or employees, and an office that was rented etc it is a pretty big difference.

Even if he was lobbying I don't see the big deal (other than lack of registering). Unless you die in office, that's what everybody does when they leave office.

Fern

 

[Fern]

i dont even know why we need lobbiests. -snip-

We need lobbyists, maybe not the ones we have doing what they do. But we need them.

Basically all we have in Congress in a bunch of fuggin lawyers. How in the h3ll is a lawyer going to intelligently decide on regulations and the like for businesses/industries they know jack sh!t about?

Congresspersons need expert information and, IMO, that is a legitimate and beneficial purpose for lobbyists. Not saying that's what they're doing, just saying..

Fern

 

[Fern]

Now that Gingrich is the front runner, it's only a matter of time until some new marital infidelities or dirty business dealings are "uncovered" about him.
-snip-

Personally I doubt it.

But he's hauling so much baggage now I doubt anybody would pay much attention to a new 'car' attached to that train anyway.

Fern

 

[Craig234]

We need lobbyists, maybe not the ones we have doing what they do. But we need them.

Basically all we have in Congress in a bunch of fuggin lawyers. How in the h3ll is a lawyer going to intelligently decide on regulations and the like for businesses/industries they know jack sh!t about?

Congresspersons need expert information and, IMO, that is a legitimate and beneficial purpose for lobbyists. Not saying that's what they're doing, just saying..

Fern

You don't get it.

Welcome to the 1920's, when Walter Lippmann wrote about this issue in his important book "Public Opinion", about how the public's opinion in a democracy is very unreliably influenced - if only he had an idea about modern marketing - and he suggested that our leaders hire independent experts to advise them.

That's 'good government'. And it's exactly that reason, when 'special interests' want to be the ones government uses for information, that is behind much of their attack on the government having those experts, always calling them 'waste' and 'bureacracy' - just rely on their information instead, the'll give you plenty of 'industry' talking points to defend policy bad for the public.

Lobbyists LOVE to make Congress depend on them for things - and it's bad for society.

Not only do we not "need" lobbyists doing that function, it's very bad and corrupting for us to allow it - but that's how it works today.

Lobbyists not only provide the information that helps Congress, not only provides biased information in their interest, they often actually write the laws.

An example of that is ALEC, the organization funded by businesses that actually writes 'model legislation' for Republicans to introduce in all 50 states when they can.

Here, legislator - here's an agenda item identified as important to the special interests, here are talking points to sell it (job creators!), here's the actual text of the bill to pass.

Craig234

 

[micrometers]

a lobbyist for Fannie Mae of all things. Cmon, the housing bust wasn't too long ago. It's not that hard to connect the dots and attack Gingrich for being part of the old system.

As a side topic, I'm not old enough to remember life before Gingrich, but everything I've read says that Gingrich launched the era of highly partisan dysfunction in the congress.

 

[bfdd]

a lobbyist for Fannie Mae of all things. Cmon, the housing bust wasn't too long ago. It's not that hard to connect the dots and attack Gingrich for being part of the old system.

As a side topic, I'm not old enough to remember life before Gingrich, but everything I've read says that Gingrich launched the era of highly partisan dysfunction in the congress.

yeah he kind of did launch it. the dude is a douche and im honestly surprised he's lasted this long. like i said he must have very powerful friends.

 

[micrometers]

Dear Liberals.

How much money have the Clintons made since leaving the White House?
They have done a typically Washington thing and worked as a lobbyist and the lecture circuit, making millions every year.

If I recall, Hillary eventually ran for the Democratic nomination.


So, what is the concern?

Is the solution to exclude people from the government from acting as a lobbyist.
Where did I recently hear that one before:whiste:

All Bill Clinton has done is go around giving a few speeches to people who will pay to hear a former president talk. He hasn't helped anyone work the system in congress like gingrich has.

And Hillary is distinct from Bill (duh) and she spent her time post-presidency as a Senator, getting stuff done.

 

[bfdd]

All Bill Clinton has done is go around giving a few speeches to people who will pay to hear a former president talk. He hasn't helped anyone work the system in congress like gingrich has.

And Hillary is distinct from Bill (duh) and she spent her time post-presidency as a Senator, getting stuff done.

I disagree about Hillary. She didn't become a Senator to get stuff done, she became a Senator so she could use it as a platform to jump off for her Presidential run. She's a politician through and through.

 

[werepossum]

Now that Gingrich is the front runner, it's only a matter of time until some new marital infidelities or dirty business dealings are "uncovered" about him.

The media has played whack-a-mole with every Republican front runner so far, so I'd imagine that Gingrich won't be spared the same fate. There are plenty skeletons in his closet to uncover.

I imagine Gingrich's closet like Bender's on Futurama - about twenty times the size of his living area. And it's all skeletons.

a lobbyist for Fannie Mae of all things. Cmon, the housing bust wasn't too long ago. It's not that hard to connect the dots and attack Gingrich for being part of the old system.

As a side topic, I'm not old enough to remember life before Gingrich, but everything I've read says that Gingrich launched the era of highly partisan dysfunction in the congress.

Gingrich introduced the era of Republicans not knowing their place in the back of the bus. Before he nationalized the 1994 election, Democrats had forty uninterrupted years of solid control of the House and nearly as much of the Senate. Republican lawmakers went along to get along - Democrats wrote the bills, and Republicans cosponsored them to get perks for the folks back home. When the Pubbies took over, the Democrats went ape shit. Even Byrd had no living memory of NOT being completely in charge. Republicans had a lot of Presidents, but only Reagan was actually capable of going around the media straight to the people and therefore making the Democrats at least some of what they wanted.

It's easy to have bipartisanship if one party always leads; the other party has no choice. That doesn't mean it's desirable.

 

[Craig234]

As a side topic, I'm not old enough to remember life before Gingrich, but everything I've read says that Gingrich launched the era of highly partisan dysfunction in the congress.

You can't blame one person for that, but Gingrich was a big part. His claim to fame was breaking new ground on his willingness to attack worse than anyone else.

But people like the Republican campaign strategists - including Karl Rover - have a big hand in it too.

Voters bear some responsibility too for responding to it with their votes.

 

[LegendKiller]

yeah he kind of did launch it. the dude is a douche and im honestly surprised he's lasted this long. like i said he must have very powerful friends.

Part of his "launching" was going after Clinton like a rabid pitbull after a t-bone for having an affair, all the while he was banging his current tweety-bird bimbo behind his wife's back.

Yet another reason he's a hypocritical asshole who will do anything to sell this country down for more power. As if that weren't enough, now we know that he was paid $55mm to see it out even more.


But that doesn't stop fools from saying "as long as it's not Obama, I am fine with ANYTHING". I think they'd vote for a sand flea at this point, they just thrive on polarization.

 

[werepossum]

You can't blame one person for that, but Gingrich was a big part. His claim to fame was breaking new ground on his willingness to attack worse than anyone else.

But people like the Republican campaign strategists - including Karl Rover - have a big hand in it too.

Voters bear some responsibility too for responding to it with their votes.

Wow. Gingrich, Karl Rove, Republican campaign strategists, the voters - everyone except the Democrats. What are the odds that yet another Craig-reasoned analysis would find blame everywhere except the left? It's almost like there's some kind of systematic bias . . .

Part of his "launching" was going after Clinton like a rabid pitbull after a t-bone for having an affair, all the while he was banging his current tweety-bird bimbo behind his wife's back.

Yet another reason he's a hypocritical asshole who will do anything to sell this country down for more power. As if that weren't enough, now we know that he was paid $55mm to see it out even more.


But that doesn't stop fools from saying "as long as it's not Obama, I am fine with ANYTHING". I think they'd vote for a sand flea at this point, they just thrive on polarization.

You misremember. Gingrich freakin' disappeared when Clinton's affair came to light. The one time a reporter cornered him, his only comment was that a man's private life was his own business. That's when my wife and I knew he was having an affair. It was only later, after the issue became Clinton's lying under oath and subornation of perjury, that Gingrich felt safe in coming back to the forefront.

 

[cybrsage]

You can't blame one person for that, but Gingrich was a big part. His claim to fame was breaking new ground on his willingness to attack worse than anyone else.

But people like the Republican campaign strategists - including Karl Rover - have a big hand in it too.

Voters bear some responsibility too for responding to it with their votes.

I think it is funny how you blame the problems both parties caused on everyone but the dems.

 

[fskimospy]

I think it is funny how you blame the problems both parties caused on everyone but the dems.

Ahh the retreat to false equivalence. We've missed you!

 

[cybrsage]

I see my statement invoked you...not really a surprise, you are another person who does that.

 

[fskimospy]

I see my statement invoked you...not really a surprise, you are another person who does that.

At this point my only hope is that you are trolling. It would be pretty crushingly sad if you weren't.

 

[cybrsage]

Me: Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there to remove eskimospy.

State Farm Rep: Sorry, it does not work that way, even though he does appear to be a car wreck in process.

Me: Darn...

 

[HomerJS]

Newt said politicians with ties to Fannie and Freddie should be in jail.

Hey Newt, when are you going to turn yourself in?

 

[Siddhartha]

It is a wonder Obama did not hire him to work in his administration. After promising to not hire any lobbyists, he put several into his administration.

The left is fine with that, so what is the big deal here?

Wow, it took 19 posts in this thread before someone tried to divert it to Obama and the lefties! Usually it is less than two or three posts for a similar diversion.