January 4, 2007, was the day the 110th Congress was sworn in. The news was all about Nancy Pelosi making history because she's the first House Speaker without a Y chromosome. Otherwise Harry Reid might have been the target of more attention for being the first Mormon Senate leader. Beyond that, the big story was the media trying to spin what the voters really wanted, what the Democrats were going to do, and how good/bad/likely that was going to be. The two "I" words came up a few times too: Impeachment and Iraq.
The 100 hour agenda was much discussed. Are those mean old Democrats really going to treat the Republicans the way they were treated, or are they going to see the light, be bipartisan, and work hand in hand with President Bush? Lost in all this was how for the last 6 years the record of a GOP Congress has (to paraphrase Shakespeare) been like "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Elsewhere though, the gloves are off. There's one element already gearing up for war with the new Congress. (more)
Much has been made of the historic shift of Congress to Democratic hands, and how they are going to have to stand up to the White House and the Republicans. NeoCons and the Religious Right have also been mentioned as gearing up to oppose the "San Franciscozation" of the country. Getting a lot less attention is a group which has a great deal at stake, and serious resources at their disposal to fight the new Congress. The MSM doesn't like to talk about them too openly, but they are major players in national politics.
The breath of honesty was to be found at Public Radio's Marketplace January 4, 2007. The opening two segments of the show were an open declaration of hostilities on behalf of the business community. Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
To read and hear the two segments, John Dimsdale talks with Kai Ryssdal, and Commentator Jeff Birnbaum, is to realize just how worried elements of the business community are that the Democratic Congress might actually be serious about a populist agenda. It's a real look at the dark underbelly of the 'Ownership Society' .
For the last 6 years and longer Congress has been owned by these people, and they are not happy that the rabble stands a chance of upsetting that most perfect of worlds. The K Street project conceived by Grover Norquist and brought to full flower under Tom Delay was and is a Devil's bargain in which government of, by and for the people was sold off for corporate money by the Republicans in exchange for the money to fund their election campaigns and push their common agenda. In effect the ruling principle became "One dollar, one vote." What kind of money are we talking about? TPM muckraker has some Abramoff numbers that give an idea of how the process works.
The above is why some refer to the Republicans as the money party. Alas, the lure of corporate cash is not something Democrats are inherently immune to; there is a persistent voice within the party calling for moderation. The Democratic Leadership Council has consistently pushed for a retreat from populist politics, AKA Republican Lite. (Hat tip to darrelplant for the link.) Big corporate donors were far happier with this than with the agenda the new Congress is pursuing.
From the Dimsdale piece at Marketplace,
DIMSDALE: There's some talk of it in these early days. This morning, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue, was asked about the Democrats' overtures to business leaders:
THOMAS DONOHUE: Nothing is gonna happen out of a, what is basically a divided Congress, unless we come to these types of agreements. And I applaud them for raising the issues and I look forward to discussing them with them.
DIMSDALE: On the other hand, the Chamber this morning put out its own list of legislative priorities that looks really different from the Democrats': litigation reform, crackdown on counterfeiting, easy trade. So, all the elements are there for two more years of political gridlock, and it's gonna be up the Democrats to prove that they can live up to their promises to change all that.
There is a lot at stake for the big corporations, and it's not just about the minimum wage, health care, or Social Security. The war in Iraq has sent hundreds of billions of dollars their way. The American Enterprise Institute which is urging escalation in Iraq has a board of trustees that is a short list of corporate movers and shakers. Not too many philanthropists there.
Take one name for example, Lee R. Raymond, Vice Chairman -Chairman and CEO Exxon Mobil Corporation. This is the same Exxon Mobil that has taken a page from the Tobacco companies and clouded the debate on global climate change by funding bogus science all over the place. This is also the same Exxon Mobil mentioned in a news article picked up bytrifecta on how major oil companies stand to cash in big on Iraq's oil fields.
You'd think details like this might get more attention on the news, but for some strange reason, corporate owned media congomerates don't seem to like to give corporations bad press. Jeff Birnbaum, whose Marketplace diatribe that the Congressional Democrats are going to be just as unprincipled as the Republicans has some interesting citations; Media Matters tracks Jeff Birnbaum's record. Are we really talking 'fair & balanced' here? Birnbaum doesn't seem to have a lot to say about Congressional ethics till now. Where's he been?
As the 110th Congress gets down to work, one of the big untold stories will be how the business 'community' will be doing everything they can to block populist efforts and talking about the 'extreme left' at every opportunity. What do they want for America? Just look at the past 6 years under our MBA president and expect more of the same. Where will their agenda take us? David Korten gave us a warning in 2001, but the end result was visible as far back as 1952.
So, while the MSM swoons over McCain and endlessly debates the virtues of Obama versus Hillary, lets not forget billions of dollars are riding on what happens next. Money talks - but it doesn't like the spotlight. Let's see if we can get it turned on them - or we'll end up right back where we are now.