Life is Funny Sometimes
May 8th, 2008 at 9:55 pm by Susie
So a man with a major subprime lender as his campaign finance chair is being hailed as the new progressive hero who will lead Democrats to the Promised Land.
It’s especially funny to me because so many of the Philadelphia activists who so fervently support Obama relentlessly attacked the candidate I worked for, because the bank he owned made payday loans - for 18 months. (Even though, you know, he was the one who actually made the city poor a priority in his campaign. But what the hell, he had dyed hair, bad caps on his teeth and was a terrible orator. He just didn’t make the activist base feel chills, although old people liked him.)
Even funnier, those same activists had all hailed a different black man as their new progressive hero - even though, like Obama, he was pretty much a DLC Democrat, a former municipal bond dealer with strong ties (a little too strong, for my taste) to the local business community. (At one panel, he said the biggest priority for his administration was expanding the local convention center.)
But we never could break through that illusion people had of who he was. See, there was this assumption (and you know what they say about “assume”) that because he was black, he was automatically a progressive - because he supported what I consider non-partisan basics like efficiency and transparency.
Anyway, he won. And as mayor, he came out strongly to support Hillary Clinton - which was making some of those activist heads explode. “He probably did it just because he thought back then that she’d win,” they said. Even though the man himself rejected that idea, saying he just thought she was the better candidate.
And I just laughed, because life really is funny sometimes.
Penny Pritzker stepped down as chairwoman of the bank’s board in 1994, seven years before it failed. The bank achieved high ratings from regulators for her entire term as chairwoman from 1991-94.
Of course Clinton’s campaign would have nothing to do with anyone involved in sub prime lending:
Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Maggie Williams was paid about $200,000 to sit on the board of Delta Financial, which did subprime lending. Pritzker’s brother J.B. Pritzker, part of the trust that owned Superior, is a national co-chairman of Clinton’s campaign.
Same as it ever was.
Susie, are you mad at Hillary for allowing the same to go on, or is this all about Obama?
at least you’re finally getting to the real issue now.
even though, like Obama, he was pretty much a DLC Democrat,
Susie, you must know how ignorant that sounds. Obama explicitly rejected the DLC, while a certain other Presidential candidate is their standard bearer, and has been for twenty years.
I’m breaking my own rule about interupting the Clinton grieving process, but someone needs to save you from yourself. It probably won’t be me, but someone should.
Yeah, life is funny sometimes, but sometimes it isn’t “ha ha funny”. No, not at all.
gee, weren’t the clintons “connected” to some bank that was a failed S&L once?
PS
when will bring up the gay-lover coke orgy story???
you saving that for sometime special?
SHE DID IT TOO!
Oh, sorry, just trying to get into the spirit of being an Obama supporter, since we’re all supposed to be re-educated for the good of the party.
I remember trying my mother’s patience with defenses like that, but I was only 10 at the time.
steveeboy, I mostly agree with you on a number of things, but pulling out bullshit from Arkansas Project is no good. The absolutely worst thing about this primary has been the willingness of partisans to embrace Freeperdom. The postscript portion of your comment shows an awareness of that phenomenon. There’s no need to go there.
It only counts if a black man does it.
Oh sorry just trying to get into the spirit of the Clinton/McCain coordinated attack machine since we’re all supposed to think it’s just peachy keen wonderful that Democrats are more than willing to play using Karl Rove’s play book (but only if it’s for Hillary of course).
chris,
just wanted to point out the irony of some people.
this is hardly the place to be making any sort of serious argument these days.
PS
and isn’t the arkansas project okay now?
I mean Hillary had a nice sit down with scaife and all, they are the best of pals, all is forgiven!
Tom Knox lost because he publically aligned himself with a manifestly corrupt union leader and a manifestly corrupt council person. Period. Before those poorly-advised alliances, he was leading in the polls despite all of the drawbacks you mention. And taking the promise of transparency and efficiency for granted in Philadelphia is a perilous thing.
Knox endorsed Obama, didn’t he? How does that play into our little false dichotomy here?
So, do you feel better about Mayor Nutter now because he supports Clinton? (Just curious)
Steve, I know it’s tempting. The spectacle of the supporters of the DLC candidate decrying the DLC like qualities of the non-DLC candidate is enough to make anybody’s brain boil.
Chris…
the DLC is a straw man argument for all who play. At least be intellectually honest about your criticisms.