Olbermann breaks story? Why no play?

I caught part of Countdown last night and saw KO detail McCain's ties to Phil Gramm, who has ties to UBS/lobbying.

It's a bit complicated, but an interesting story nonetheless.

Why no play today? It doesn't seem like anybody's picked it up. Is it because KO is a TV guy whose show really isn't seen by that many people?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/27/233320/204/832/523934

dailykos link = [/Fen]

 

There's your answer.

Seriously, though, I think we're going to hear a lot more about McCain's ties to lobbyists in the coming months.

 

I don't currently have MSNBC as Verizon doesn't carry it.

I can only assume that the "Straight Talk Express" is not actually asking people to board but instead is hoping you just lay down on the tracks.

 

I watched it ... very good reporting, but too complicated for the average person to understand. I had to pause and rewind a couple parts. The regular media would rather cover the "performance" aspect of the horse race.

I find it very troubling that McCain has employed Phil Gramm to be his top economic advisor given Gramm's ties to UBS and his documented lobbying against bills that could have helped some people avoid foreclosure.

 

It's that damn liberal media, at it again ....

 

I generally like Olbermann, but the more he establishes himself as the Special Commenter, the more difficult it is for him or for "Countdown" to have credibility as a news show. This story probably should be bigger than it is, but perhaps a lot of other news outlets are saying, "Well, consider the source..."

 

It's Barack, Ragu.

 

The difference, though, is that McCain has made "fightin' the lobbyists!" a cornerstone of his campaign, much more so than Obama. It's supposed to be a part of his maverick image/attitude. Instead, it turns out that his campaign is run by the same lobbyists he says he's against.

 

Legislators kowtowing to special-interest dollars is Kryptonite to legitimate
representative democracy.

And I don't claim to be the originator of that insight. It's been declaimed for decades, and few are willing to listen.

 

I wouldn't begrudge Phil Gramm the opportunity to make money in the private sector. But when he does it by lobbying Congress on behalf of a company that bought up a bunch of bad loans and wanted legislation to diminish its financial burden by ruining American families, then he should not be the chief financial advisor to a presidential candidate.

It looks particularly bad for McCain on two fronts. The obvious one is that it goes against the spirit of his "no lobbyist" campaign pledge. The less obvious one is that McCain is taking economic advice from shady people with bad track records like Phil Gramm, an outgrowth of the fact that McCain admittedly doesn't understand the economy very well and has never produced much of a plan to confront the housing crisis. I guess we now understand why.