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Monday, February 25, 2013

Politics $500,000 Will Get You Access to President Obama, White House Press Secretary Awkwardly Confirms

Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 2:36 PM

This video of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spending four awkward minutes trying to explain that President Obama is not for sale is really painful to watch:

The White House press corps eviscerated Carney, and with good reason. This access program is wrong. Clearly, it needs to end.

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I like it. It's up-front (sort of). If you think that rich people weren't buying access to power before this, you're nuts. The art of politics is about 90% finding ways to suck money out of people who have it, and always has been. Abe Lincoln had rich political backers who expected access and got it.

Posted by Fnarf

on February 25, 2013 at 2:50 PM

Welcome to America. Absolutely everything and everybody is for sale. All that remains is the haggling over the price.

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on February 25, 2013 at 2:55 PM

Government for sale? Of course this is America. God bless the Free Market! God Bless the U.S.A.!

Posted by CC-Rob on February 25, 2013 at 3:02 PM

Terrifyingly, I agree completely with Fnarf.

Posted by randoma on February 25, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Paul Constant is my hero today, for criticizing Obama's press secretary. Soon, he'll go ahead and hit the blocking sled against Jay Carney's warmongering, drone-humping, Wall-Street fellating boss.

Posted by Che Guava on February 25, 2013 at 3:26 PM

What he meant to say is it's $50,000 -- that's right only fifty thousand to bend the President's ear. Discounts for groups. No problem.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on February 25, 2013 at 3:51 PM

Hey, he said he would "change business as usual in Washington"

Classic Obama: says one thing, does another.

Posted by anon1256 on February 25, 2013 at 4:14 PM

I wish the press would have pressed a little harder to uncover the details of how and why Jeff Gannon had as much access to the White House as he did.

Posted by john t on February 25, 2013 at 4:17 PM

your president is a cheap whore

Posted by spread'em, Barack... on February 25, 2013 at 4:24 PM

@ 9 He is your president too just like Bush was our president.

@ 5 Wall Street flatting tell them to them they hate him. Look the man is is a centrist so the right and left wings will hate him.

Posted by Seattle14 on February 25, 2013 at 4:29 PM

Meeting with the President doesn't mean you get any say on policy.

Posted by Seattle14 on February 25, 2013 at 4:32 PM

@11 - The same interests are already making policy as members of his administration.

Posted by anon1256 on February 25, 2013 at 4:38 PM

@10 - Of course, letting the bankers walk with the loot is a "centrist" policy.

Posted by anon1256 on February 25, 2013 at 4:42 PM

How much does a night in The Lincoln Bedroom go for?

Posted by gunmmoontree on February 25, 2013 at 5:22 PM

Doesn't help that he's clearly reading from scripted response the entire damned time, and doing it about as well as a high school drama class understudy.

Posted by Knat on February 25, 2013 at 5:39 PM

So the White House is saying that *they* aren't selling access to the president. They, the White House, is giving that access to OFA at no cost; they have scheduled a meeting between the President and the representatives of OFA without any money changing hands. The White House says that it is OFA who is selling participation in the meeting by allowing large donors to participate.

It takes a pretty sharp lawyer to slice the difference that thinly. The fact is that the White House knows that OFA is doing this and the White House's knowing acquiesence constitutes participation. They know that OFA is selling access to the president and they are not only endorsing it but participating in it. They aren't fooling anyone. This is not an arm's length transaction.

Posted by Charlie Mas on February 25, 2013 at 5:57 PM

They're lowballing the fee. After all, we're living in a world $500K buys you less than 4 seconds of a Superbowl ad.

There's a limited number of people that Obama even has the time to see. I bet there's a waiting list even if you have money in hand. They should up the price. Screw the little people who can afford only $500K.

Posted by Free Lunch on February 25, 2013 at 6:19 PM

10

fuck that shit.

he is YOUR president.

2012 was a tipping point.

there are two Americas and they shall not both survive.

the productive class is focused on protecting its families from the corruption and certain financial ruin of Obama's American't.

No.

he is YOUR president.

Posted by Your Whore Slut is not Our President on February 25, 2013 at 7:58 PM

Is this the same press corps that barely covers all the money-drenched, glad-handing, influence peddling fundraisers that members of Congress spend more time in than they do actually WORKING in CONGRESS?

Give me a fucking break. The Washington Press Corps should all be put on ritalin and forced to spend 2 minutes reading a book for every minute they spend on Twitter.

Posted by nullbull on February 25, 2013 at 10:31 PM

@18 - On whose president's watch did the greatest downturn since the Great Depression happen? And which president waged a financially crippling war resulting in thousands of American casualties for a premise that turned out to be completely false?

Yours.

And whose president is pulling us out of this downturn - despite every effort of your half of Congress to tank the economy further so he wouldn't get reelected - as well as pulling us out of that pointless war?

Mine.

I'll own mine if you own yours.

Posted by Free Lunch on February 25, 2013 at 10:37 PM