Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
One of the defining aspects of American life is that we keep our political disagreements in perspective. We are all Americans, after all, united by our love of liberty and the constitutional framework bequeathed us by the Founders. And so liberals and conservatives get into furious political arguments around the backyard barbeque but remain fast friends the next day. We settle our disputes at the ballot box, realizing that any electoral victory is temporary and that our government exists to serve all equally, under the law. Above all, we never retaliate against political opponents using the machinery of government.
Outrageously, this could be another exceptional American attribute that the Obama administration aims to fundamentally transform.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
The White House is drafting new rules that would require companies making bids on government contracts to disclose their contributions to political candidates and organizations, including donations that otherwise would remain secret.
The White House casts the proposal as an effort to improve transparency and accountability, but Republicans charged that the rules would inject politics into what should be an unbiased procurement process.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that President Barack Obama "intends to pursue" the executive order, but said details have not yet been settled.
Predictably, the proposed executive order will not apply to "unions that negotiate labor agreements with the government and to organizations applying for federal grants."
Totally coincidentally, no doubt, this is all occurring as the president kicks off his $1 billion 2012 reelection fundraising drive.
Can anybody tell me why I should not be worried by this?
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Comments :
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Worried is not the operative phrase there.
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
But Barry is an honorable man ...
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
With a price tag to find out the level of Honor. The ante to join in the game just went up.
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Our problem is that we haven't had our frontal lobotomies yet. Perhaps Obama Care mandates that too. Has anybody managed to parse that monstrosity entirely yet?
May '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Is this something that could be overturned by legislation? Yeah, I know... we don't control the Senate, but at least make them stand on the issue. It would be entertaining to see what sort of Schumer-eque contortions they'd use to justify the different treatment of unions and corporations.
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Chicago-style thugs have been in Washington DC for a while now. This is just the latest example.
Dec '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
This is actually a pretty big deal. I looked it over last night and it requires all officers and directors in a firm to disclose their personal contributions. I do work for a firm that bids on lots of government contracts and copied the full text of the Draft EO to one of the senior VPs so that he can at least get the word out to his fellow officers that this may be coming.
Bear in mind that this will also expose any company that bids on federal work to be exposed to the Koch brothers' treatment, not just potential difficulty in federal procurements. Imagine SEIU on your front lawn or even death threats, merely because an employee made a political contribution.
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Oh, perfect. In my day job I work with the Food and Drug Administration. In the future will FDA officials be expected to check my political contributions, Google my Ricochet posts, and otherwise vet me for ideological purity ahead of deciding on the merits of my company's science-based product approval applications?
Will we then expect a change of administration to lead to a wholesale change of favored companies and politically acceptable executives?
When livelihoods are endangered--really and truly threatened--by a loss of political power, then those threatened cling to power in outrageous ways.
I don't want to live in a banana republic. The proposed EO must be stopped.
Oct '10
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
George Savage
Oh, perfect. In my day job I work with the Food and Drug Administration. In the future will FDA officials be expected to check my political contributions, Google my Ricochet posts, and otherwise vet me for ideological purity ahead of deciding on the merits of my company's science-based product approval applications?
Will we then expect a change of administration to lead to a wholesale change of favored companies and politically acceptable executives?
When livelihoods are endangered--really and truly threatened--by a loss of political power, then those threatened cling to power in outrageous ways.
I don't want to live in a banana republic. The proposed EO must be stopped. · Apr 21 at 2:20pm
I recommend you move to Costa Rica quickly. They grow lotsa bananas, but they have a government somewhat like the US once had.
Apr '11
Re: Business with the Government? Better Send a Contribution to Obama
Where was this commitment to openness and transparency during the healthcare debate? You remember - all those discussions that were supposed to be broadcast on CSPAN, courtesy of the fabled post-American (sorry, post-partisan) president. I am curious to know whether this new-found love of transparency will extend as far as letting us all know how often GOP donors are getting awarded federal contracts vs Democratic donors.