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Writer's pictureHowie Klein

Why Can't Congress Get Rid Of Dark Money From Politics? It Can-- But It Doesn't Want To



As you probably know by now, 13 neo-fascist members of Congress— Matt Rosendale (MT), Matt Gaetz (FL), Ralph Norman (SC), Bob Good (VA), Scott Perry (PA), Dan Bishop (NC), Paul Gosar (AZ), Byron Donalds (FL), Chip Roy (TX), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Eli Crane (AZ), Andrew Clyde (GA) and Andy Ogles (TN)— had a collective conniption this week and threatened Republican senators, insisting that any of them who votes for the Omnibus spending bill will have their own proposals and legislation blocked in the House. McCarthy, desperate for support from the fascists in his conference, immediately gave the idea a thumbs up. Republican senators called the lot of them immature and told them to grow up.


They don’t care if the government shuts down and they don’t care if the country goes bankrupt. Actually, they do care: they would like those two outcomes. They are both actual goals of congressional fascists—and not just in the House, but senatorial fascists as well, like Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, Ron Johnson and Marsha Blackburn.


But McConnell and his caucus will make sure the Omnibus passes. It has plenty of stuff in it they want. Yesterday, Andrew Perez reported on several Republican riders crucially important to the corrupt GOP establishment. “One rider,” wrote Perez, “once again bars the Securities and Exchange Commission from spending any funds to establish or implement any rules requiring companies to disclose their donations to political groups and politically active nonprofits, as well as payments to lobbying groups. Another longstanding rider included in the omnibus bill prohibits the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from issuing any new regulations regarding whether ‘social welfare’ nonprofits, commonly known as dark money groups, qualify for their tax exemptions. Under IRS guidelines, dark money groups are not supposed to devote more than half of their expenditures towards politics. This rider means the IRS cannot even enforce its existing weak regulations on the matter. A third rider bars officials in the executive office of the president from requesting a determination into whether a nonprofit qualifies for its tax exemption, except in cases involving matters of national security.”


You’d think with the Sam Bankman-Fried scandal hanging over their heads they’d avoid this kind of thing. But… they don’t seem in the slightest bit worried about that, do they? Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president at Public Citizen, told Perez that “These damaging dark money poison pills are a long-time cancer on our democracy, and unfortunately they have yet to be cured. We will continue the fight to remove them and enable agencies to act to grapple with the secret money surge we have seen play out ever since the overreaching Citizens United decision came down 13 years ago.”


Yesterday, talking to a gaggle to “reporters” waiting for something to write, Hakeem Jeffries said “Look at what’s happening right now. House Republicans are attacking Senate Republicans. Senate Republicans are calling House Republicans silly and immature. The leadership situation is in chaos. Marjorie Traitor Greene is fighting with Lauren Boebert. And George Santos appears to be starring in the sequel to Catch Me If You Can. And it’s not even January 3rd. The circus has already come to town. Chaos, crisis. Confusion and craziness. Versus Democrats who deliver,” he claimed, “for the American people.”


Since he brought it up... may I respectfully suggest to Hakeem that he deliver an outrageously overdue increase in the minimum wage? And Medicare for All? And the Green New Deal (which the opposes)? And the Pro Act? And getting rid of the dark money riders mentioned above? And how about getting all Democrats-- and Democratic committees-- to disgorge all the stolen funds from Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX?



1 Comment


dcrapguy
dcrapguy
Dec 22, 2022

"Chaos, crisis. Confusion and craziness. Versus Democrats who deliver ... for the American people.” -- hakeem

making him as big a liar as george santos. nice of you not to point that out...


and the last paragraph is hilarious. you would just as well ask him to cure cancer. he is against everything else in the list. he might not be against curing cancer.


nobody is going to do "merrick garland" to limit the amounts of money they can rake nor from whom (*). Well, except the UAW who were forced to rake a lot less by your hero obamanation to help big corporations at the expense of their workers.

apparently all democrap voters forgot about that too... immediately afterward.


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