Posts tagged Mitch McConnell
Holding Politicians Accountable
If Mitch McConnell used his Senate staff and government resources to do opposition research into the health and religious beliefs of a potential challenger, not only would it likely be a violation of Senate ethics rules and federal law, it’s also a violation of common decency. Kentucky voters deserve better.
Mother Jones: Mitch McConnell Will Fundraise With Billionaires After Saying the GOP Is Not The Party of Billionaires
Headline sort of sums it up.
Katrina vanden Heuvel: A Mitch that needs scratching
“Time and again, McConnell has ignored the needs of the people while staunchlydefending the pay-to-play electoral system that shields him from legitimate challengers. And Kentuckians just might be fed up.”
The rich and fabulous cross-country club catering adventures of Mitch McConnell
“His campaign paid Hollywood player Bruce Ramer $3,100 for catering and rental space to woo the Ashley Judd crowd in Beverly Hills. It also paid catering bills of $6,509 at The Olde Farm in Bristol, VA, $828 to Undine in Boston, $677 to the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, $765 to The Chicago Club in Obama City, $770 to the Chops Lobster Bar in Atlanta, and $741 to Mangia Caterers in Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing Big Apple. McConnell also spent well over $10,000 of catering bills inside the Beltway to Belle Haven and Bon Vivant Catering, perhaps feeding the good folks at pharmaceutical giant Amgen, whose PAC threw a fundraiser in his honor on Dec. 17 in DC.”
The 43 Senators pledging to block President Obama’s nominee to lead a Wall Street watchdog agency are drowning in Wall Street campaign cash.
Louisville Courier Journal: New York billionaire to host fundraiser for Sen. Mitch McConnell
“A New York Republican billionaire and mayoral hopeful is scheduled to host a campaign fundraiser this weekend for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., The New York Post reports.
“John Catsimatidis will hold the McConnell event Sunday night in his Central Park apartment on Fifth Avenue, Post reporter Beth DeFalco writes.”
New York Times: Fiscal Footnote: Big Senate Gift to Drug Maker
“The provision gives Amgen an additional two years to sell Sensipar without government controls. The news was so welcome that the company’s chief executive quickly relayed it to investment analysts. But it is projected to cost Medicare up to $500 million over that period.
“Amgen, which has a small army of 74 lobbyists in the capital, was the only company to argue aggressively for the delay, according to several Congressional aides of both parties.
“Supporters of the delay, primarily leaders of the Senate Finance Committee who have long benefited from Amgen’s political largess, said it was necessary to allow regulators to prepare properly for the pricing change.
“But critics, including several Congressional aides who were stunned to find the measure in the final bill, pointed out that Amgen had already won a previous two-year delay, and they depicted a second one as an unnecessary giveaway.”
If Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is going to keep using the filibuster to block legislation that his big donors don’t like, should he be required to wear his sponsors’ logos like a NASCAR driver?
Check out the full report on the connections between McConnell’s filibustering and his fundraising: “Cashing in on Obstruction”
It seems fitting that Mitch McConnell would have his ‘2014 kickoff’ at a lobbyist fundraiser in Washington, D.C. – those are the people he spends the most time representing.
