Stig --Last week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got all 41 GOP senators to promise to oppose Wall Street reform. He thought President Obama would back down in the face of a unified show of force.He was wrong.Instead, the President stood in front of Wall Street bankers Thursday, going to bat for consumers and confronting the toughest of crowds with a strong message: Reform is good for Americans, good for the market, and it's time to get on board.Bipartisan discussions have begun again -- but Wall Street lobbyists are still swarming Capitol Hill, trying to trip up negotiations and maintain the gridlock that has defined Washington for far too long.So now, it's up to us. We need to show Senate Republicans that the American people are watching closely to see whose side they end up on.The President laid out a bold plan to hold Wall Street accountable, to protect American taxpayers by ensuring they'll never again be asked to bail out a big firm "too big to fail," and to put in place the strongest consumer financial protections ever proposed. But this fight isn't just about fixing Wall Street. It's also about fixing Washington.For too long, it's been a place where special interests have set the rules and petty partisanship has stood in the way of progress. As the President said Thursday, "We can and must put this kind of cynical politics aside."Thanks to strong leadership from the President and Democrats in Congress, the gridlock is starting to crack, and Republicans are slowly giving signs that they'll come on board. The Senate has even scheduled a preliminary vote for Monday at 5:15 p.m.But Wall Street lobbyists are flooding in to firm up opposition -- trying to carve out loopholes and exemptions for big banks and lenders who have long exploited consumers.The only sure-fire way to make sure that the special interests don't get their way is to show Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans that Americans are standing firmly with the President. Thanks, Mitch Mitch
lördag, april 24, 2010
Not backing down
Stig --Last week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got all 41 GOP senators to promise to oppose Wall Street reform. He thought President Obama would back down in the face of a unified show of force.He was wrong.Instead, the President stood in front of Wall Street bankers Thursday, going to bat for consumers and confronting the toughest of crowds with a strong message: Reform is good for Americans, good for the market, and it's time to get on board.Bipartisan discussions have begun again -- but Wall Street lobbyists are still swarming Capitol Hill, trying to trip up negotiations and maintain the gridlock that has defined Washington for far too long.So now, it's up to us. We need to show Senate Republicans that the American people are watching closely to see whose side they end up on.The President laid out a bold plan to hold Wall Street accountable, to protect American taxpayers by ensuring they'll never again be asked to bail out a big firm "too big to fail," and to put in place the strongest consumer financial protections ever proposed. But this fight isn't just about fixing Wall Street. It's also about fixing Washington.For too long, it's been a place where special interests have set the rules and petty partisanship has stood in the way of progress. As the President said Thursday, "We can and must put this kind of cynical politics aside."Thanks to strong leadership from the President and Democrats in Congress, the gridlock is starting to crack, and Republicans are slowly giving signs that they'll come on board. The Senate has even scheduled a preliminary vote for Monday at 5:15 p.m.But Wall Street lobbyists are flooding in to firm up opposition -- trying to carve out loopholes and exemptions for big banks and lenders who have long exploited consumers.The only sure-fire way to make sure that the special interests don't get their way is to show Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans that Americans are standing firmly with the President. Thanks, Mitch Mitch
