Say what you want about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, but he's a man who knows what he wants and who's not afraid to go get it. Specifically, he wants Wall Street fat-cat campaign contributions. But, he's not an idiot, so he's tapped a conservative heavy-hitter spindanista to help hide his grab for all that corporate money behind a cloak of populism.
McConnell's hearers should not be fooled, however, as shown in Brave New Film's new video.
Despite taking a bath in Wall Street dollars, McConnell still wants you to believe he's some kind of fiery, populist, anti-big-bank crusader just looking out for the little guy. He drafted Republican celebrity pollster Frank Luntz to help string together some transparent pandering while he rakes in the dough [h/t The Huffington Post]:
[McConnell] knocked the expansion of power at the Fed and Treasury, while sounding the alarm on Wall Street accountability. If the outline of his speech sounds familiar, it's because it is the exact argument pollster Frank Luntz urged Republicans to make earlier this year in a widely publicized memo. Compare the excerpts below...:
Luntz: "The single best way to kill any legislation is to link it to the Big Bank Bailout."
McConnell: "We cannot allow endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks. And that's why we must not pass the financial reform bill that's about to hit the floor."
Luntz: "Taxpayers should not be held responsible for the failure of big business any longer. If a business is going to fail, not matter how big, let it fail."
That's great, Mitch, but I have one small question for you and your listeners:
Q: Why would Wall Street fat cats help fund the re-election of an anti-big-bank crusader?
A: They wouldn't.
A newspaper in McConnell's own district and FOXBusiness (FOX, for crying out loud!) caught him with his hand in the cookie jar:
...Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell recently called on about 25 Wall Street executives, many of them hedge fund managers, to hear their complaints about proposals for regulating the financial industry.
With him was Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which raises campaign money for Republican candidates for Senate.
"The undercurrent of the gathering," FOX reports, "was undeniably political. ... McConnell and Cornyn made it clear they need Wall Street's help" to defeat the reforms by electing more Republicans in November.
This is why so many people hate so many politicians. Far too many say one thing to the public and another thing in private, smoke-and-whiskey-filled rooms to their cigar-smoking patrons. It's like they think no one can see what they're doing. You're not invisible, Mitch! We can see you!
GIve it a rest. We're not stupid.