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"Corruption" Then And Now
Remember how the "news" media was going on and on about the Clinton Foundation -- at least when they weren't going on and on abut Hillary Clinton's emails, or airing entire Trump rallies for free?
Dec 18, 2016
Remember how the "news" media was going on and on about the Clinton Foundation -- at least when they weren't going on and on abut Hillary Clinton's emails, or airing entire Trump rallies for free?
Media "coverage" of the 2016 campaign was almost entirely devoid of discussion of the important issues. Climate change? Housing policy? Instead it consisted of media coverage of anything Donald Trump said -- including repeatedly giving free time to air entire Trump rallies -- insinuations about the activities of the Clinton Foundation and insinuations that Clinton did something illegal with her emails. (Even FBI Director Comey got in on that game.) What were voters to think?
The "corruption" accusation was that Clinton was "selling access" by having meetings with people who had donated money to the Clinton Foundation charity. That was called a "criminal enterprise."
Trump: Clinton Foundation 'a criminal enterprise' etc. etc. etc. etc.
That Was Then
This is now. Now is different from then.
Ivanka Trump, who sits in on official meeting with foreign leaders, sits at the table while tech CEO oligarchs meet with the president-presumed-elect, etc., sells meetings for tens of thousands of dollars. This is not an insinuation; she actually and openly does this.
NYT: Available to the Highest Bidder: Coffee With Ivanka Trump,
Ozan M. Ozkural, a London-based investment manager, found a creative way to gain one-on-one access to the new first family: He bid nearly $60,000 to have a cup of coffee with Ivanka Trump for a charity event she was hosting.
This isn't an insinuation, not an inflated campaign accusation, the guy said he was doing it to buy access and information that others can't get.
Mr. Ozkural wanted to meet with Ms. Trump -- who is considering playing an informal role in her father's administration -- to gain insight into topics like President-elect Donald J. Trump's possible future dealings with Turkey and other nations where Mr. Ozkural invests, he said.
What Trump called a "criminal enterprise" is now only "problematic":
The charitable fund-raising by Mr. Trump's children is problematic, ethics lawyers said, because of the unusual role they are playing in the transition process, with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, attending meetings the president-elect had with executives from major technology companies and with the prime minister of Japan, and Mr. Trump's oldest son, Donald Jr., helping to select the nominee for interior secretary.
That was then this is now. Things change. The guy who won then with blue-collar votes is now staffing a cabinet of billionaires. Quartz: Trump's 17 cabinet-level picks have more money than a third of American households combined, "Affluence of this magnitude in a US presidential cabinet is unprecedented."
And his family is selling actual access and influence. As if any of this crowd needed more money.
This is blatantly selling access. Again, this is not an insinuation, as Trump and the "news" media repeated during the campaign. This is right there in the open. Blatant, open, corrupt, and there is nothing we can do about it.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson is a former Senior Fellow for the Campaign for America's Future & Renew California.
Remember how the "news" media was going on and on about the Clinton Foundation -- at least when they weren't going on and on abut Hillary Clinton's emails, or airing entire Trump rallies for free?
Media "coverage" of the 2016 campaign was almost entirely devoid of discussion of the important issues. Climate change? Housing policy? Instead it consisted of media coverage of anything Donald Trump said -- including repeatedly giving free time to air entire Trump rallies -- insinuations about the activities of the Clinton Foundation and insinuations that Clinton did something illegal with her emails. (Even FBI Director Comey got in on that game.) What were voters to think?
The "corruption" accusation was that Clinton was "selling access" by having meetings with people who had donated money to the Clinton Foundation charity. That was called a "criminal enterprise."
Trump: Clinton Foundation 'a criminal enterprise' etc. etc. etc. etc.
That Was Then
This is now. Now is different from then.
Ivanka Trump, who sits in on official meeting with foreign leaders, sits at the table while tech CEO oligarchs meet with the president-presumed-elect, etc., sells meetings for tens of thousands of dollars. This is not an insinuation; she actually and openly does this.
NYT: Available to the Highest Bidder: Coffee With Ivanka Trump,
Ozan M. Ozkural, a London-based investment manager, found a creative way to gain one-on-one access to the new first family: He bid nearly $60,000 to have a cup of coffee with Ivanka Trump for a charity event she was hosting.
This isn't an insinuation, not an inflated campaign accusation, the guy said he was doing it to buy access and information that others can't get.
Mr. Ozkural wanted to meet with Ms. Trump -- who is considering playing an informal role in her father's administration -- to gain insight into topics like President-elect Donald J. Trump's possible future dealings with Turkey and other nations where Mr. Ozkural invests, he said.
What Trump called a "criminal enterprise" is now only "problematic":
The charitable fund-raising by Mr. Trump's children is problematic, ethics lawyers said, because of the unusual role they are playing in the transition process, with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, attending meetings the president-elect had with executives from major technology companies and with the prime minister of Japan, and Mr. Trump's oldest son, Donald Jr., helping to select the nominee for interior secretary.
That was then this is now. Things change. The guy who won then with blue-collar votes is now staffing a cabinet of billionaires. Quartz: Trump's 17 cabinet-level picks have more money than a third of American households combined, "Affluence of this magnitude in a US presidential cabinet is unprecedented."
And his family is selling actual access and influence. As if any of this crowd needed more money.
This is blatantly selling access. Again, this is not an insinuation, as Trump and the "news" media repeated during the campaign. This is right there in the open. Blatant, open, corrupt, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson is a former Senior Fellow for the Campaign for America's Future & Renew California.
Remember how the "news" media was going on and on about the Clinton Foundation -- at least when they weren't going on and on abut Hillary Clinton's emails, or airing entire Trump rallies for free?
Media "coverage" of the 2016 campaign was almost entirely devoid of discussion of the important issues. Climate change? Housing policy? Instead it consisted of media coverage of anything Donald Trump said -- including repeatedly giving free time to air entire Trump rallies -- insinuations about the activities of the Clinton Foundation and insinuations that Clinton did something illegal with her emails. (Even FBI Director Comey got in on that game.) What were voters to think?
The "corruption" accusation was that Clinton was "selling access" by having meetings with people who had donated money to the Clinton Foundation charity. That was called a "criminal enterprise."
Trump: Clinton Foundation 'a criminal enterprise' etc. etc. etc. etc.
That Was Then
This is now. Now is different from then.
Ivanka Trump, who sits in on official meeting with foreign leaders, sits at the table while tech CEO oligarchs meet with the president-presumed-elect, etc., sells meetings for tens of thousands of dollars. This is not an insinuation; she actually and openly does this.
NYT: Available to the Highest Bidder: Coffee With Ivanka Trump,
Ozan M. Ozkural, a London-based investment manager, found a creative way to gain one-on-one access to the new first family: He bid nearly $60,000 to have a cup of coffee with Ivanka Trump for a charity event she was hosting.
This isn't an insinuation, not an inflated campaign accusation, the guy said he was doing it to buy access and information that others can't get.
Mr. Ozkural wanted to meet with Ms. Trump -- who is considering playing an informal role in her father's administration -- to gain insight into topics like President-elect Donald J. Trump's possible future dealings with Turkey and other nations where Mr. Ozkural invests, he said.
What Trump called a "criminal enterprise" is now only "problematic":
The charitable fund-raising by Mr. Trump's children is problematic, ethics lawyers said, because of the unusual role they are playing in the transition process, with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, attending meetings the president-elect had with executives from major technology companies and with the prime minister of Japan, and Mr. Trump's oldest son, Donald Jr., helping to select the nominee for interior secretary.
That was then this is now. Things change. The guy who won then with blue-collar votes is now staffing a cabinet of billionaires. Quartz: Trump's 17 cabinet-level picks have more money than a third of American households combined, "Affluence of this magnitude in a US presidential cabinet is unprecedented."
And his family is selling actual access and influence. As if any of this crowd needed more money.
This is blatantly selling access. Again, this is not an insinuation, as Trump and the "news" media repeated during the campaign. This is right there in the open. Blatant, open, corrupt, and there is nothing we can do about it.
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