This diary is about how Barack Obama, unlike Hillary Clinton and most other Democrats, voted for the odius Republican law called the "Class Action Fairness Act."
I am a plaintiffs’ class action lawyer. My job each day is to enforce discrimination laws, antitrust laws, and consumer fraud laws against big corporations on behalf of individuals and small businesses.
Barack Obama voted for the so-called "Class Action Fairness Act" or "CAFA." This law gravely harmed small businesses and middle class consumers. Zero members of the Democratic coalition favored it and most members vociferously opposed it. Unions, civil rights and consumer groups, and public employees opposed it. CAFA, by contrast, was supported by George Bush, McCain, Santorum, George Allen, Frist, Lieberman, Conrad Burns, Grover Norquist, Mel Martinez, the credit card industry, the oil companies, and the big insurance companies. Barack Obama took their side, not ours.
Opposing CAFA in the Senate were Harry Reid and Obama’s fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durban, plus the core of the Democratic Caucus, including Kennedy, Byrd, Harkin, Clinton, Feingold, Boxer, Mikulski, Kerry, Biden, Pryor, Sarbanes, Corzine, Bill Nelson, Baucus, Stabenow, Levin, Dorgan, Wyden, Murray, Lautenberg, Akaka, and Leahy.
Opposing CAFA from outside of the Senate were Bill Clinton and John Edwards. President Clinton vetoed similar legislation in 1995.
At this point we should rule out a possible excuse for Obama’s sell-out that sometimes applies when a Democrat casts a questionable vote. At the time Obama was not facing reelection for two full cycles and in an ultra-safe seat. He did not cave to right-wing business interests in order to survive in a conservative state, an excuse that might be reasonable coming from a defender of Ben Nelson of Nebraska or Tim Johnson of South Dakota. Obama sold us out because he wanted to.
My law firm is a very progressive one. We are the single largest source of contributions to progressive and pro-union candidates in our community. We only support liberal Democrats, and this includes against conservative Democrat incumbents.
We represent labor unions as well as consumers and small businesses. Everyday we fight against some of the biggest multinationals like Citibank, Enron, MBNA, Bank of America, Time Warner, and all the other companies where ripping off the public is just another day at the office. Needless to say, we are always outgunned, but we fight on, sending 2 lawyers to hearings where the big corporations send 12 lawyers.
Obama’s vote for "Class Action Fairness," the Orwellian terms chosen by its Republican sponsors, was a huge victory for these companies, and a blow to us, our clients, and all middle-class consumers. You know why credit card companies can get away with hitting you with outragious fees? Because Republicans and sell-outs like Obama shower legal protections on them like CAFA.
Most of us are John Edwards supporters, but I would be quite happy voting for Sen. Clinton, who unlike Barack Obama did not sell consumers out to the big credit card and insurance companies, and voted against CAFA.