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Your Democratic Party hard at work for .. well, someone.
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risky biz
Mar 5, 2020, 11:49:49 AM3/5/20
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'Superdelegate pushing convention effort to stop Sanders is health care lobbyist who backed McConnell
William Owen gave $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Mitch McConnell
A Democratic superdelegate promoting an effort to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., if he fails to clinch a majority of pledged delegates is a health care lobbyist who has contributed thousands to Republicans.
William Owen, a former Tennessee lawmaker and Democratic National Committee member, was among the superdelegates quoted in a New York Times article revealing an effort among party insiders to block Sanders' path to the nomination if he wins a plurality of pledged delegates but not enough to secure a win on a first ballot.
Owen also owns the lobbying firm Asset & Equity Corporations and donated $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and more than a dozen other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last year, according to Federal Election Commission filings first flagged by The Intercept. He has also donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, according to the report.
Owen told The Intercept that he also contributes to Democrats, but the outlet found no record that he donated to any congressional or presidential Democratic candidates this cycle despite backing Democrats in the past.
"I am a committed Democrat, but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides. And the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions," he told the outlet. "I'm a registered lobbyist, and I represent clients. And they have interest in front of Congress, and I attend the Senator's Classic, which is a Republican event, each year."
Owen is a registered lobbyist for the health care technology firm Klox Technologies.
He endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Politico reported last fall that Owen pushed Biden's team to "develop a second-ballot strategy" for the Democratic National Convention. Owen warned that if Sanders or fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, "surges" then "we're in trouble."
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/29/superdelegate-pushing-convention-effort-to-stop-sanders-is-health-care-lobbyist-who-backed-mcconnell/
'Top DNC Committee is Packed With Corporate Lobbyists
The DNC Executive Committee, which can adopt changes to the convention superdelegate process, contains lobbyists for companies that oppose progressive policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
It’s likely that going into the Democratic National Convention in July, none of the presidential candidates will have the outright majority of pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot. If that’s the case, Democratic National Committee members and other unelected superdelegates will be allowed to vote on a second ballot to choose the nominee.
Despite the pivotal role the DNC is likely to play in selecting who runs against President Trump, there is little public knowledge of who runs the party and who the superdelegates are.
Sludge has reviewed a full list of 447 voting DNC members as of August 2019 to create the first public profile of the members and their potential conflicts of interest from their work outside of the party. In this article—the first in a series—we look at the members of the Executive Committee, the DNC’s top governing body.
The Executive Committee, led by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and nine party officers, appoints the co-chairs and the majority of members on the DNC’s four standing committees: Rules and Bylaws, Budget and Finance, Credentials, and Resolutions. The committee also would decide whether to advance any proposed rule changes from the Convention Rules Committee, such as changes to the superdelegate voting process, to the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee for final approval.
Of the 47 Executive Committee members and DNC officers, Sludge found that 17 have backgrounds in promoting corporate interests: 13 are currently registered lobbyists for for-profit companies, principals at consulting firms with corporate clients, or corporate lawyers; three were corporate lobbyists or corporate lawyers in the last six years, and one was a corporate lobbyist in the past.
Several of the members of the Executive Committee were appointed by Perez in an October 2017 purge after his narrow election as chair and his picks did not require approval from other DNC members before joining the committee. The committee, which is tasked with meeting the most frequently of DNC bodies at four times per year, is also required by the bylaws “to keep a record of its proceedings which shall be available to the public,” though no minutes are made available online by the DNC. Several DNC members told Sludge they do not receive prior consultation from the chair regarding the committee’s agendas and decision process.
The DNC does not make its membership available to the public; for this research, Sludge obtained a copy of the membership list from a DNC member. These lobbyists and consultants, as well as their corporate clients, stand to benefit from their power to decide which candidates the national party supports and, through their committee positions, how the DNC budget is allocated and which messages receive promotion.
Here are the party leaders with backgrounds in corporate lobbying and consulting who Tom Perez has appointed to king-making positions on the Executive Committee.'
https://readsludge.com/2020/02/24/top-dnc-committee-is-packed-with-corporate-lobbyists/
William Owen gave $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Mitch McConnell
A Democratic superdelegate promoting an effort to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., if he fails to clinch a majority of pledged delegates is a health care lobbyist who has contributed thousands to Republicans.
William Owen, a former Tennessee lawmaker and Democratic National Committee member, was among the superdelegates quoted in a New York Times article revealing an effort among party insiders to block Sanders' path to the nomination if he wins a plurality of pledged delegates but not enough to secure a win on a first ballot.
Owen also owns the lobbying firm Asset & Equity Corporations and donated $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and more than a dozen other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last year, according to Federal Election Commission filings first flagged by The Intercept. He has also donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, according to the report.
Owen told The Intercept that he also contributes to Democrats, but the outlet found no record that he donated to any congressional or presidential Democratic candidates this cycle despite backing Democrats in the past.
"I am a committed Democrat, but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides. And the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions," he told the outlet. "I'm a registered lobbyist, and I represent clients. And they have interest in front of Congress, and I attend the Senator's Classic, which is a Republican event, each year."
Owen is a registered lobbyist for the health care technology firm Klox Technologies.
He endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Politico reported last fall that Owen pushed Biden's team to "develop a second-ballot strategy" for the Democratic National Convention. Owen warned that if Sanders or fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, "surges" then "we're in trouble."
https://www.salon.com/2020/02/29/superdelegate-pushing-convention-effort-to-stop-sanders-is-health-care-lobbyist-who-backed-mcconnell/
'Top DNC Committee is Packed With Corporate Lobbyists
The DNC Executive Committee, which can adopt changes to the convention superdelegate process, contains lobbyists for companies that oppose progressive policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
It’s likely that going into the Democratic National Convention in July, none of the presidential candidates will have the outright majority of pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot. If that’s the case, Democratic National Committee members and other unelected superdelegates will be allowed to vote on a second ballot to choose the nominee.
Despite the pivotal role the DNC is likely to play in selecting who runs against President Trump, there is little public knowledge of who runs the party and who the superdelegates are.
Sludge has reviewed a full list of 447 voting DNC members as of August 2019 to create the first public profile of the members and their potential conflicts of interest from their work outside of the party. In this article—the first in a series—we look at the members of the Executive Committee, the DNC’s top governing body.
The Executive Committee, led by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and nine party officers, appoints the co-chairs and the majority of members on the DNC’s four standing committees: Rules and Bylaws, Budget and Finance, Credentials, and Resolutions. The committee also would decide whether to advance any proposed rule changes from the Convention Rules Committee, such as changes to the superdelegate voting process, to the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee for final approval.
Of the 47 Executive Committee members and DNC officers, Sludge found that 17 have backgrounds in promoting corporate interests: 13 are currently registered lobbyists for for-profit companies, principals at consulting firms with corporate clients, or corporate lawyers; three were corporate lobbyists or corporate lawyers in the last six years, and one was a corporate lobbyist in the past.
Several of the members of the Executive Committee were appointed by Perez in an October 2017 purge after his narrow election as chair and his picks did not require approval from other DNC members before joining the committee. The committee, which is tasked with meeting the most frequently of DNC bodies at four times per year, is also required by the bylaws “to keep a record of its proceedings which shall be available to the public,” though no minutes are made available online by the DNC. Several DNC members told Sludge they do not receive prior consultation from the chair regarding the committee’s agendas and decision process.
The DNC does not make its membership available to the public; for this research, Sludge obtained a copy of the membership list from a DNC member. These lobbyists and consultants, as well as their corporate clients, stand to benefit from their power to decide which candidates the national party supports and, through their committee positions, how the DNC budget is allocated and which messages receive promotion.
Here are the party leaders with backgrounds in corporate lobbying and consulting who Tom Perez has appointed to king-making positions on the Executive Committee.'
https://readsludge.com/2020/02/24/top-dnc-committee-is-packed-with-corporate-lobbyists/
VegasJerry
Mar 5, 2020, 5:30:33 PM3/5/20
to
“Your Democratic Party hard at work for .. well, someone.”
_________
Yea, someone that can beat Trump. Perhaps you missed my post:
“Why Bernie Scares Me (NYTimes)”
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.gambling.poker/J2BR4c-EeKQ
Where you’d find that Bernie…
“(W)as affiliated with the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party when it was shilling for the Khomeini regime during the Iran hostage crisis. He shilled for the Ortega regime in Nicaragua in the 1980s, while denouncing skeptical journalists as ‘worms.’ In 1985, as mayor of Burlington, Vt., he made the case for bread lines: ‘Sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is because people are lining up for food,’ he said. ‘That is a good thing! In other countries, people don’t line up for food. The rich get the food and the poor starve to death.’
“This isn’t just a callous comment. It reveals a whole substructure of political ignorance and moral idiocy that was altogether common among Sanders’s wing of the political left, both in the U.S. and abroad. Some members of that wing, like Germany’s Joschka Fischer or France’s Bernard Kouchner, came honestly and openly to grips with their youthful errors, which commends them, and, more important, changed their minds on fundamental questions.”
There’s more, but I doubt you’d read, understand, or address that, either. But you can be sure the Trump/GOP/Russian/medical Insurance corporations/banks/Big Pharma machine will – with millions of dollars – pounce and eat Bernie’s lunch. And all we can do is stand there and watch.
And as I’ve shown, you Bat-shit crazy Burnie Babies will help Trump win by crying, “Waa! Waa! If it ain’t Bernie, we’ll teach you a lesson and we’ll not vote for Biden. So the Russians win, and the GOP wins, and Trump wins.
WHY IN THE FUCK DO YOU DIP-SHITS sabotage the party?
Look – again - The election is for someone that can beat Trump. Not about who has the best ideas (that can actually be enacted) but WHO CAN BEAT TRUMP.
As you may have pointed out, most of us agree with Bernie’s ideas; I agree with them in general. Most do. But he doesn’t know how to articulate or implement them.
Yea, free (or nearly free) college – but for those that are qualified. Hell, corporations make the customer pay to train their employees. I know; I did a 4-year Apprenticeship, then later an advanced 1-year paid management training schedule and paid for night classes; and the customers paid because it was a public utility and they simply added the cost when charging the customer. Corporations do the same – and write it off. You know how many corporations pay NO TAXES AT ALL? Wanna see the LIST? So sure, the taxpayer pays to educate their kids K-12, why not beyond – they’re paying anyway? But an uneducated (and illegal) work force works for the benefit of the multi-corporations. (unless educated by them).
Bernie will not yield to sensible limits and adjustments; he just waves his hand and says, “My way only!” So he loses supporters; which leads to losing the election.
Yea, well managed Medicare for all is good; but again, Bernie will not yield to sensible applications. Whereas Obama (and Biden) got what they could get, that will still pass - Obamacare. And that just made it (with a bribe or two). With Bernie it’s full Medicare; “My way only!” (Which he can’t get through) So he loses supporters. With Biden, it’s, “Get Obamacare back to where it was. As he and Pelosi can add what the Republicans blocked; then work toward everybody having medical insurance, then, when possible, start toward Medicare For All. It might mean lowing the Medicare age limit one year a year. (From 62-years old to 61-years old etc.). Depending on politics at the time, perhaps a 2-year jump. But do it like Obama & Biden & Pelosi did – As they could.
Yea, Bernie’s Pie-in-the-Sky sounds real good. But reality is, “Get someone on the ticket that the oppositions can’t point at; make fun of, call socialists. SOMEONE THAT CAN BEAT TRUMP.
You still got Bernie exposing himself with snide remarks at Florida, Pennsylvania et al, claiming “The young people will cover the old people and people that are scared of sudden changes.”
So yea, I like Sander’s General ideas, who doesn’t? But the reality is, the GOP/FOX/Russian/Trump will eat his lunch, just as I have. So “Go with what you know and what can get elected.” THEN make the changes when and where you can.
Be we can’t if cry (Bernie) babies like you claim you’ll sabotage an election because “Waa! Waa! I wanted Bernie. Waa! Waa!
So NOW will you tell us. Will you vote for Biden if he's the one on the ticket?
(Answer required in any response)
_________
Yea, someone that can beat Trump. Perhaps you missed my post:
“Why Bernie Scares Me (NYTimes)”
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.gambling.poker/J2BR4c-EeKQ
Where you’d find that Bernie…
“(W)as affiliated with the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party when it was shilling for the Khomeini regime during the Iran hostage crisis. He shilled for the Ortega regime in Nicaragua in the 1980s, while denouncing skeptical journalists as ‘worms.’ In 1985, as mayor of Burlington, Vt., he made the case for bread lines: ‘Sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is because people are lining up for food,’ he said. ‘That is a good thing! In other countries, people don’t line up for food. The rich get the food and the poor starve to death.’
“This isn’t just a callous comment. It reveals a whole substructure of political ignorance and moral idiocy that was altogether common among Sanders’s wing of the political left, both in the U.S. and abroad. Some members of that wing, like Germany’s Joschka Fischer or France’s Bernard Kouchner, came honestly and openly to grips with their youthful errors, which commends them, and, more important, changed their minds on fundamental questions.”
There’s more, but I doubt you’d read, understand, or address that, either. But you can be sure the Trump/GOP/Russian/medical Insurance corporations/banks/Big Pharma machine will – with millions of dollars – pounce and eat Bernie’s lunch. And all we can do is stand there and watch.
And as I’ve shown, you Bat-shit crazy Burnie Babies will help Trump win by crying, “Waa! Waa! If it ain’t Bernie, we’ll teach you a lesson and we’ll not vote for Biden. So the Russians win, and the GOP wins, and Trump wins.
WHY IN THE FUCK DO YOU DIP-SHITS sabotage the party?
Look – again - The election is for someone that can beat Trump. Not about who has the best ideas (that can actually be enacted) but WHO CAN BEAT TRUMP.
As you may have pointed out, most of us agree with Bernie’s ideas; I agree with them in general. Most do. But he doesn’t know how to articulate or implement them.
Yea, free (or nearly free) college – but for those that are qualified. Hell, corporations make the customer pay to train their employees. I know; I did a 4-year Apprenticeship, then later an advanced 1-year paid management training schedule and paid for night classes; and the customers paid because it was a public utility and they simply added the cost when charging the customer. Corporations do the same – and write it off. You know how many corporations pay NO TAXES AT ALL? Wanna see the LIST? So sure, the taxpayer pays to educate their kids K-12, why not beyond – they’re paying anyway? But an uneducated (and illegal) work force works for the benefit of the multi-corporations. (unless educated by them).
Bernie will not yield to sensible limits and adjustments; he just waves his hand and says, “My way only!” So he loses supporters; which leads to losing the election.
Yea, well managed Medicare for all is good; but again, Bernie will not yield to sensible applications. Whereas Obama (and Biden) got what they could get, that will still pass - Obamacare. And that just made it (with a bribe or two). With Bernie it’s full Medicare; “My way only!” (Which he can’t get through) So he loses supporters. With Biden, it’s, “Get Obamacare back to where it was. As he and Pelosi can add what the Republicans blocked; then work toward everybody having medical insurance, then, when possible, start toward Medicare For All. It might mean lowing the Medicare age limit one year a year. (From 62-years old to 61-years old etc.). Depending on politics at the time, perhaps a 2-year jump. But do it like Obama & Biden & Pelosi did – As they could.
Yea, Bernie’s Pie-in-the-Sky sounds real good. But reality is, “Get someone on the ticket that the oppositions can’t point at; make fun of, call socialists. SOMEONE THAT CAN BEAT TRUMP.
You still got Bernie exposing himself with snide remarks at Florida, Pennsylvania et al, claiming “The young people will cover the old people and people that are scared of sudden changes.”
So yea, I like Sander’s General ideas, who doesn’t? But the reality is, the GOP/FOX/Russian/Trump will eat his lunch, just as I have. So “Go with what you know and what can get elected.” THEN make the changes when and where you can.
Be we can’t if cry (Bernie) babies like you claim you’ll sabotage an election because “Waa! Waa! I wanted Bernie. Waa! Waa!
So NOW will you tell us. Will you vote for Biden if he's the one on the ticket?
(Answer required in any response)
risky biz
Mar 13, 2020, 1:08:26 AM3/13/20
to
Burgos, who is also a member of the standing Committee on Budget and Finance and one of Perez’s nominees to the Convention Credentials Committee, is a prominent corporate lobbyist in New Jersey and New York with his firm of over 30 years, Tonio Burgos & Associates. In Albany, one of Burgos’ highest-profile clients has been the Fortune 500 oil and gas company Williams Companies, which paid Burgos’ firm nearly $1 million for lobbying from 2007 to 2016, according to the non-profit Public Accountability Initiative. Williams Companies has long sought to build a fracked-gas pipeline extending from New Jersey’s Raritan Bay under New York Harbor, a proposal actively opposed by the Stop The Williams Pipeline coalition of environmental groups. After serving as a top aide and appointments secretary for former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, Burgos became a major donor to his son, current Gov. Andrew Cuomo, giving at least $85,800 personally to Andrew Cuomo’s campaigns and another $201,800 through his lobbying firm as of Aug. 2018, according to PAI.
In addition to past fossil fuel industry clients such as National Grid and NRG, Burgos’ 2018 New Jersey lobbying disclosure form lists clients including American Airlines and insurance company AIG. Over in New York, Burgos reported lobbying for dozens of clients, including Pfizer, EmblemHealth, and Verizon, in addition to the Tulsa-based Williams Companies.
Minyon Moore—at-large DNC member
Moore is a principal at public affairs and lobbying firm Dewey Square Group, where she “leads DSG’s State and Local Affairs and Multicultural Strategies practices with clients ranging from the Fortune 100 to startup non-profits seeking counsel.” DSG’s current clients include McDonald’s, Sony Pictures, and Lyft. Dewey Square Group has worked with multiple clients in the health insurance industry to block changes to Medicare Advantage that were needed to finance to Affordable Care Act, including an effort to place fake letters to the editor in local newspapers, according to a report from The Intercept, noted by Kevin Gosztola on Twitter. Moore is also a member of the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee and one of Perez’s nominees to the Convention Credentials Committee.
Jaime Harrison—DNC Counselor and Associate Chair
Harrison, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from May 2013 to April 2017, is currently running as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate against Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. From 2008 to November 2016, he was a principal at the Podesta Group, which at the time was run by Hillary Clinton bundler Tony Podesta, where his lobbying clients included Lockheed Martin, Wells Fargo, BP America, Merck, Bank of America, and others. One of his clients, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, which represents coal companies like Murray Energy and Peabody Energy, fought against President Obama’s Clean Power plan and other climate-related regulations during the period in which Harrison was registered to lobby for them. In November 2016, Harrison told the Post and Courier, “It’s how I pay back the $160,000 of student loan debt. It’s how I pay the mortgage for my grandmother. And I’m proud of my work…”
Harrison challenged Perez in the February 2017 race for DNC chair but dropped his bid and endorsed the former Secretary of Labor, citing “external pressure” on DNC members to support Perez or the other leading challenger, then-Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.).
Michael Blake— DNC Vice Chair
Blake is a New York assemblyperson from the Bronx who last year was found to have been paid up to $20,000 in 2015 by a prominent political consulting firm, Hilltop Public Solutions, whose clients included Airbnb. In May 2015, as a freshperson, Blake introduced legislation sought by Airbnb to collect occupancy taxes from renters. Blake and Hilltop, which received $189,000 in April 2015 from Airbnb for lobbying work, claim he worked for other clients in Maryland and Iowa, though Blake was closely tied to Hilltop’s then-partner, Bill Hyers. Blake is now considered among the frontrunners in a crowded primary to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano in the South Bronx congressional district of NY-15.
John Currie—DNC member from New Jersey
Currie, chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee, is also a member of the standing DNC Credentials Committee. In 1998, Currie lobbied with First Chicago NBD Corp regarding finance and bankruptcy issues for Bank One Corporation, which merged with JPMorgan Chase in 2004. In December 2019, South Jersey Democrats appeared to have secured enough votes in the state party to replace Currie, an ally of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, with their pick of LeRoy Jones, the Essex County Democratic Party Chair, but deals were struck to keep Currie in place for another term until 2021, enabling him to oversee this year’s delegate selection process for the 2020 convention in Milwaukee. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney continued to put pressure on the Murphy administration with a bill in December 2019 that would require more “shadow lobbyists” register and disclose their spending. According to his state party bio, “Currie has been involved in the car business for over forty years and is a partner in General Motors new car dealerships in northern New Jersey.”
Susan R. Swecker—DNC member from Virginia
Swecker, chair of Democratic Party of Virginia since 2015, is currently a consultant and president at Dividing Waters Public Affairs, LLC, which, according to its website, provides “direct lobbying services at every level in Virginia.” In September 2019, Swecker, acting as a consultant, placed calls to Charlottesville area state legislators with questions for a client, casino gaming company Queen of Virginia Skill & Entertainment. According to documents accessed from the the state ethics committee, Swecker registered to lobby for Mastercard in early 2014. Swecker’s firm’s gross income was over $250,000 in 2017, according to a financial disclosure form signed in January 2018. Swecker is also a member of the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee.
Emmy Ruiz—at-large DNC member
A political strategist, Ruiz is currently a partner at NEWCO Strategies, based in Austin, Texas. In February 2019, Ruiz joined as senior adviser for Sen. Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign. Previously, in 2016, Ruiz was Hillary Clinton’s state director in Nevada and Colorado. NEWCO partner Jess O’Connell signed up in July 2019 to advise the Buttigieg campaign on early primary states. “Immediately following the 2016 election, Emmy worked to elect Labor Secretary Tom Perez to Democratic Party National Chair,” according to NEWCO’s website. Ruiz is also a member of the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee.
Will T. Cheek—DNC member from Tennessee
Cheek, who is also a member of the standing Credentials Committee, is a partner at Waller Law, where he is billed as “the go-to liquor attorney in Tennessee.” Cheek “works in concert with Waller’s Government Relations team” to draft state and local liquor legislation, the firm’s website says. Waller advertises legal services in the healthcare, financial, private equity, and real estate industries.
Hon. Lottie Shackelford—at-large DNC member
Shackelford is a former DNC vice chair and was mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas from 1987 through 1988. As senior executive vice president of consulting firm Global USA, Shackelford’s past lobbying clients include Allstate Insurance (2008), Hyundai (2008-2011), and FM Policy Focus, a coalition also known as FM Watch comprised of financial industry trade groups that represent the largest banks in America (2000-2008). In 2006, Shackelford lobbied for Strategic Communication Company on “taxes pertaining to oil and gas companies,” according to records maintained by ProPublica. Shackelford is also a co-chair of the DNC’s standing Credentials Committee.
Belkis (Bel) W. Leong-Hong—DNC member from Maryland
Leong-Hong is currently the founder, president and CEO at Knowledge Advantage, a consulting firm founded in 1999 with clients that have included GE Capital Financial, Lockheed Martin, the Department of Homeland Security, and multiple federal financial contractors. According to her Asian American and Pacific Islanders PAC bio page, “She is a Trustee of the MD State Democratic Party, and is a member of the MDP Executive Council, a member of the Business Council, the Leadership Council, and the Women Leadership Network of MD.” Leong-Hong is also a member of the standing Credentials Committee.
Mark Mallory—DNC member from Ohio
The former mayor of Cincinnati from December 2005 to the end of 2013 (reelected once), Mallory is currently a consultant with his firm Mark Mallory & Assoc., which is based in Cincinnati. One client that hired him in February 2018 to interact with city government was Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati.
Royce B. West—DNC member from Texas
A Texas senator since 1992 representing Dallas County, West joined the Democratic primary field in July 2019 to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) in 2020. West is also a managing partner at West & Assoc., LLP, a law firm with offices in Dallas and Houston that provides corporate law and commercial litigation services. In a recent Texas Tribune profile, West defended his firm’s millions in legal fees from representing public entities such as school boards, downplaying potential conflicts of interest with corporate clients such as Bank of America Securities and Lehman Brothers.
In 2011, West was the subject of a FBI search warrant for the records of his political ally, County Commissioner John Wiley Price, examining their role in plans for developing southern Dallas’ inland port project. West was not charged with any crime, and in April 2017 Price was found not guilty on 7 of 11 counts, with the remaining four charges declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. For West, it was his second federal ethics investigation, the previous one around lobbying work in 2006-2007 for Wai-Wize, a Dallas-based telecommunications firm controlled by influential political consultant Willis E. Johnson. West was never accused of a crime. The Dallas News reported that his law firm received $2.8 million from Dallas Independent School District for legal services between 2006 and 2010.
David Pepper—DNC member from Ohio
Pepper, chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, worked with law firms Squire Sanders and Blank Rome on commercial and business litigation until December 2014. After an underwhelming state Democratic performance in the 2018 elections, Pepper faced intra-party chatter questioning the strategic decision of a 35-day bus tour of smaller towns. A former Cincinnati city councilperson who lost in his campaign for mayor, Pepper came up short in state-wide races for auditor in 2010 and attorney general in 2014. According to Cleveland politics reporter Seth A. Richardson, ‘The Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee elected Pepper as its chairman over Sharon Neuhardt, [U.S. Sen. Sherrod] Brown’s preferred candidate, shortly after the 2014 election.”
DNC Officers’ Corporate Ties
In addition, three DNC officers on the Executive Committee hold jobs at corporate consulting or law firms.
Hon. Karen Carter Peterson—DNC Vice-Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Protection
Since 2014, Peterson has been counsel at Dentons, the largest corporate law firm in the world. A DNC member from Louisiana, Peterson is also a Louisiana state senator and the chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Dentons’ clients include oil majors, as well as insurance, real estate, banking and finance companies. At the climactic DNC member meeting of August 2018, NBC News reported that Peterson spoke out on behalf of a group of African-American and Latino opponents to the reform package, including some older party leaders. The reforms, which passed in a rushed acclimation instead of a paper ballot vote, bar unelected superdelegates from voting on the first nominating ballot at the convention (unless a candidate has already reached a majority of pledged delegates).
Bill Derrough—DNC Treasurer
Derrough is co-head of investment banking firm Moelis & Co, which he joined in 2008. The publicly-traded Moelis’ clients have included the Government of Dubai, the second-largest Japanese bank, and companies in fintech, agribusiness, and media. Through Moelis’ hire of Republican Eric Cantor, the former House Majority Leader, to open its D.C. office in September 2014, the bank sought to woo the “Dulles Corridor” of defense contractors and technology companies in Northern Virginia. Over the past 30 years, Derrough’s bio reads, he has helped restructure hundreds of entities across the U.S., from companies to nonprofits to government entities, representing over $600 billion.
Jason Rae—DNC Secretary
Rae, who in 2012 became the youngest person ever elected to the DNC, was elected secretary in February 2017 with 224 of the 420 votes cast. In November 2017, Rae became a partner at Nation Consulting, a Milwaukee-based firm where he has worked since 2012 and whose clients include WEC Energy Group, one of the nation’s largest electric utility and natural gas delivery holding companies, as well as local Democratic politicians. Rae was the chair of the DNC Youth Council from 2007 to 2017 and currently serves as president and CEO for the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. A resident of Milwaukee, host city of the July 13-16 convention, Rae is also a member of the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee.
Clave
Mar 13, 2020, 1:22:24 AM3/13/20
to
On 3/5/2020 2:30 PM, VegasJerry wrote:
<...>
> So NOW will you tell us. Will you vote for Biden if he's the one on the ticket?
Bisky's too much of a coward to ever answer direct questions. We all
know that by now.
I have no idea why, but it's clearly a consistent personality pathology.
As much as he fights the obvious truth, it's probably been there since
his biskinfancy, and he has no frame of reference to recognize it.
Maybe he does see it and thinks that if he denies it long and loudly
enough, no one else will see it.
Before you comment, please remember that he's more than a little bit of
an idiot.
<...>
> So NOW will you tell us. Will you vote for Biden if he's the one on the ticket?
know that by now.
I have no idea why, but it's clearly a consistent personality pathology.
As much as he fights the obvious truth, it's probably been there since
his biskinfancy, and he has no frame of reference to recognize it.
Maybe he does see it and thinks that if he denies it long and loudly
enough, no one else will see it.
Before you comment, please remember that he's more than a little bit of
an idiot.
VegasJerry
Mar 13, 2020, 11:25:33 AM3/13/20
to
On Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 10:08:26 PM UTC-7, risky biz wrote:
> On Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 8:49:49 AM UTC-8, risky biz wrote:
> > 'Superdelegate pushing convention effort to stop Sanders is health care lobbyist who backed McConnell
> > William Owen gave $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Mitch McConnell
> >
> > A Democratic superdelegate promoting an effort to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., if he fails to clinch a majority of pledged delegates is a health care lobbyist who has contributed thousands to Republicans.
> >
> > William Owen, a former Tennessee lawmaker and Democratic National Committee member, was among the superdelegates quoted in a New York Times article revealing an effort among party insiders to block Sanders' path to the nomination if he wins a plurality of pledged delegates but not enough to secure a win on a first ballot.
> >
> > Owen also owns the lobbying firm Asset & Equity Corporations and donated $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and more than a dozen other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last year, according to Federal Election Commission filings first flagged by The Intercept. He has also donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, according to the report.
> >
> > Owen told The Intercept that he also contributes to Democrats, but the outlet found no record that he donated to any congressional or presidential Democratic candidates this cycle despite backing Democrats in the past.
> >
> > "I am a committed Democrat, but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides. And the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions," he told the outlet. "I'm a registered lobbyist, and I represent clients. And they have interest in front of Congress, and I attend the Senator's Classic, which is a Republican event, each year."
> >
> > Owen is a registered lobbyist for the health care technology firm Klox Technologies.
> >
> > He endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Politico reported last fall that Owen pushed Biden's team to "develop a second-ballot strategy" for the Democratic National Convention. Owen warned that if Sanders or fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, "surges" then "we're in trouble."
> > https://www.salon.com/2020/02/29/superdelegate-pushing-convention-effort-to-stop-sanders-is-health-care-lobbyist-who-backed-mcconnell/
> >
> >
> > 'Top DNC Committee is Packed With Corporate Lobbyists
> >
> > The DNC Executive Committee, which can adopt changes to the convention superdelegate process, contains lobbyists for companies that oppose progressive policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
> >
> > It’s likely that going into the Democratic National Convention in July, none of the presidential candidates will have the outright majority of pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot. If that’s the case, Democratic National Committee members and other unelected superdelegates will be allowed to vote on a second ballot to choose the nominee.
> >
> > Despite the pivotal role the DNC is likely to play in selecting who runs against President Trump, there is little public knowledge of who runs the party and who the superdelegates are.
> >
> > Sludge has reviewed a full list of 447 voting DNC members as of August 2019 to create the first public profile of the members and their potential conflicts of interest from their work outside of the party. In this article—the first in a series—we look at the members of the Executive Committee, the DNC’s top governing body.
> >
> > The Executive Committee, led by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and nine party officers, appoints the co-chairs and the majority of members on the DNC’s four standing committees: Rules and Bylaws, Budget and Finance, Credentials, and Resolutions. The committee also would decide whether to advance any proposed rule changes from the Convention Rules Committee, such as changes to the superdelegate voting process, to the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee for final approval.
> >
> > Of the 47 Executive Committee members and DNC officers, Sludge found that 17 have backgrounds in promoting corporate interests: 13 are currently registered lobbyists for for-profit companies, principals at consulting firms with corporate clients, or corporate lawyers; three were corporate lobbyists or corporate lawyers in the last six years, and one was a corporate lobbyist in the past.
> >
> > Several of the members of the Executive Committee were appointed by Perez in an October 2017 purge after his narrow election as chair and his picks did not require approval from other DNC members before joining the committee. The committee, which is tasked with meeting the most frequently of DNC bodies at four times per year, is also required by the bylaws “to keep a record of its proceedings which shall be available to the public,” though no minutes are made available online by the DNC. Several DNC members told Sludge they do not receive prior consultation from the chair regarding the committee’s agendas and decision process.
> >
> > The DNC does not make its membership available to the public; for this research, Sludge obtained a copy of the membership list from a DNC member. These lobbyists and consultants, as well as their corporate clients, stand to benefit from their power to decide which candidates the national party supports and, through their committee positions, how the DNC budget is allocated and which messages receive promotion.
> >
> > Here are the party leaders with backgrounds in corporate lobbying and consulting who Tom Perez has appointed to king-making positions on the Executive Committee.'
> > https://readsludge.com/2020/02/24/top-dnc-committee-is-packed-with-corporate-lobbyists/
>
> On Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 8:49:49 AM UTC-8, risky biz wrote:
> > 'Superdelegate pushing convention effort to stop Sanders is health care lobbyist who backed McConnell
> > William Owen gave $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Mitch McConnell
> >
> > A Democratic superdelegate promoting an effort to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., if he fails to clinch a majority of pledged delegates is a health care lobbyist who has contributed thousands to Republicans.
> >
> > William Owen, a former Tennessee lawmaker and Democratic National Committee member, was among the superdelegates quoted in a New York Times article revealing an effort among party insiders to block Sanders' path to the nomination if he wins a plurality of pledged delegates but not enough to secure a win on a first ballot.
> >
> > Owen also owns the lobbying firm Asset & Equity Corporations and donated $8,500 to the Senators Classic Committee, a joint fundraising committee backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and more than a dozen other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last year, according to Federal Election Commission filings first flagged by The Intercept. He has also donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, according to the report.
> >
> > Owen told The Intercept that he also contributes to Democrats, but the outlet found no record that he donated to any congressional or presidential Democratic candidates this cycle despite backing Democrats in the past.
> >
> > "I am a committed Democrat, but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides. And the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions," he told the outlet. "I'm a registered lobbyist, and I represent clients. And they have interest in front of Congress, and I attend the Senator's Classic, which is a Republican event, each year."
> >
> > Owen is a registered lobbyist for the health care technology firm Klox Technologies.
> >
> > He endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Politico reported last fall that Owen pushed Biden's team to "develop a second-ballot strategy" for the Democratic National Convention. Owen warned that if Sanders or fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, "surges" then "we're in trouble."
> > https://www.salon.com/2020/02/29/superdelegate-pushing-convention-effort-to-stop-sanders-is-health-care-lobbyist-who-backed-mcconnell/
> >
> >
> > 'Top DNC Committee is Packed With Corporate Lobbyists
> >
> > The DNC Executive Committee, which can adopt changes to the convention superdelegate process, contains lobbyists for companies that oppose progressive policies like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.
> >
> > It’s likely that going into the Democratic National Convention in July, none of the presidential candidates will have the outright majority of pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot. If that’s the case, Democratic National Committee members and other unelected superdelegates will be allowed to vote on a second ballot to choose the nominee.
> >
> > Despite the pivotal role the DNC is likely to play in selecting who runs against President Trump, there is little public knowledge of who runs the party and who the superdelegates are.
> >
> > Sludge has reviewed a full list of 447 voting DNC members as of August 2019 to create the first public profile of the members and their potential conflicts of interest from their work outside of the party. In this article—the first in a series—we look at the members of the Executive Committee, the DNC’s top governing body.
> >
> > The Executive Committee, led by DNC Chairman Tom Perez and nine party officers, appoints the co-chairs and the majority of members on the DNC’s four standing committees: Rules and Bylaws, Budget and Finance, Credentials, and Resolutions. The committee also would decide whether to advance any proposed rule changes from the Convention Rules Committee, such as changes to the superdelegate voting process, to the standing Rules and Bylaws Committee for final approval.
> >
> > Of the 47 Executive Committee members and DNC officers, Sludge found that 17 have backgrounds in promoting corporate interests: 13 are currently registered lobbyists for for-profit companies, principals at consulting firms with corporate clients, or corporate lawyers; three were corporate lobbyists or corporate lawyers in the last six years, and one was a corporate lobbyist in the past.
> >
> > Several of the members of the Executive Committee were appointed by Perez in an October 2017 purge after his narrow election as chair and his picks did not require approval from other DNC members before joining the committee. The committee, which is tasked with meeting the most frequently of DNC bodies at four times per year, is also required by the bylaws “to keep a record of its proceedings which shall be available to the public,” though no minutes are made available online by the DNC. Several DNC members told Sludge they do not receive prior consultation from the chair regarding the committee’s agendas and decision process.
> >
> > The DNC does not make its membership available to the public; for this research, Sludge obtained a copy of the membership list from a DNC member. These lobbyists and consultants, as well as their corporate clients, stand to benefit from their power to decide which candidates the national party supports and, through their committee positions, how the DNC budget is allocated and which messages receive promotion.
> >
> > Here are the party leaders with backgrounds in corporate lobbying and consulting who Tom Perez has appointed to king-making positions on the Executive Committee.'
> > https://readsludge.com/2020/02/24/top-dnc-committee-is-packed-with-corporate-lobbyists/
>
> > So NOW will you tell us. Will you vote for Biden if he's the one
> > on the ticket?
> > on the ticket?
> > (Answer required in any response)
> Here are the party leaders with...
Required answer not noted...
//NEXT//
risky biz
Mar 14, 2020, 1:51:24 PM3/14/20
to
VegasJerry
Mar 14, 2020, 2:47:27 PM3/14/20
to
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