Supping With The Devil

Back in August, my good friend Goose at Comments From Left Field told me about the heavy-handed way in which the DSCC's Chuck Schumer was trying to make sure there was no primary for the Democrat Senatorial candidacy in Pennsylvania. They prefered their own candidate, Bob Casey, to gain the candidacy unopposed and then face of against Rick Santorum, well known lickspittle for Bush and the religious Right.

At the time I got pretty annoyed about this sorry situation. I quoted a chunk from an essay in The Nation by David Sirota and now I am going to quote it again because every word is true. Sirota says the Democratic Party has lost the plot.

The party permits and even congratulates those within its ranks who sell out America's middle class, whether it be those who voted for the bankruptcy bill or those who consistently vote for corporate-written trade deals like CAFTA or NAFTA. The party elites--many of whom follow the corporate apologism of business-funded groups within its ranks--still believe they can ascend to power on the public's loyalty to a Democratic Party label, even as that party label is almost completely meaningless to much of the public.

Why am I repeating this? Because Goose has another post today which puts names to Sirota's truth.

A little birdy just dropped me some information I thought you all might appreciate... "Last week Bob Casey's campaign asked, 'Who owns Rick Santorum?' The answer is, the same people who own Bob Casey." That's right folks, it would appear that the Democratic party's annointed candidate has been right all along to keep his mouth shut because when it opens it gets filled with feet!

These PACs have given a lot of money to Bob Casey: Cozen and O'Connor PAC, Delaware Valley PAC, Genesis Healthcare Corporation PAC, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP PAC, PH&S Federal PAC, Reed Smith PAC and the Tercenary Fund.

The same PACs bankroll Rick Santorum. But wait, there's more!

Goose goes on to name all 239 of the organisations that gave to both Bob Casey and to Rick Santorum. All the usual suspects are there - arms manufacturers, credit card companies, big pharma, healthcare corporations, media giants, insurance multinationals - even the National Rifle Association has a finger in both pies! In other words, all the vested K-Street interests that have so blighted national politics by buying representation from both parties at the expense of the common man. Being beholden to these corporate funders leads directly to the corporate apologism which so vexes David Sirota and is not what the Democratic Party should be about.

As Democrats continue to throw mud at the Republicans for their "culture of corruption" they should try to remember that they are getting into bed with the very same interests who helped create that culture. Back in my old country of Scotland they have a saying "If ye sup wi the De'il, tak a long spoon". I doubt the DSCC could find a long enough spoon even if it wished to, but its pretty obvious that the party elite are happy just to sup with the Devil.