Change? Who Said Anything About Change?

We don’t generally just link to posts or articles by others, not because they aren’t great but because we assume readers come here mostly to see what we have to say about events. It’s no secret, of course, what pundits and web sites we admire; see the links on our sidebar. But every once in a while commentary is so trenchant that we can do no better than echo it. As with Glenn Reynolds’s headline: “We are the same we’ve been waiting for: Harkin Calls On Lobbyists To Fight Spending Cuts.”

In an e-mail obtained by ABC News, a top staffer for the key Senate Appropriations subcommittee called for a meeting of lobbyists and interest groups that would be affected by expected cuts to the Labor and Heath and Human Services budget. The Jan. 24 meeting was attended by approximately 400 people, sources told ABC, and served as a “call to arms” for those determined to fight Republican budget cuts.
“One thing everyone should be able to agree on now is that a rising tide lifts all boats, and that a higher [Labor, Health & Human Services] allocation improves the chances for every stakeholder group to receive more funding,” the committee staffer for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrote in an e-mail inviting people to the meeting.

I love that phrase: “stakeholder group.” That pretty well sums up the Democratic Party, the party of reaction and defense of the status quo against all logic, and heedless of all consequences. The Obama administration has been a golden age for lobbyists, which is a big part of the reason why Washington D.C. and its suburbs are now the nation’s richest province. The fat cats will do whatever it takes to defend their privileges.

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