Some 59 million Americans decided to vote for Donald Trump either because of his racism, sexism, and bigotry, or in spite of it. Morally, there’s not a lick of difference, but at least politically we have to assume that the “in spite of” crowd heard something in Trump’s promises they liked.
Well, they should hope it wasn't this.
President-elect Donald J. Trump, who campaigned against the corrupt power of special interests, is filling his transition team with some of the very sort of people who he has complained have too much clout in Washington: corporate consultants and lobbyists. …
Mr. Trump was swept to power in large part by white working-class voters who responded to his vow to restore the voices of forgotten people, ones drowned out by big business and Wall Street. But in his transition to power, some of the most prominent voices will be those of advisers who come from the same industries for which they are being asked to help set the regulatory groundwork.
Donald Trump may have promised to “drain the swamp,” in his campaign, but now that he’s safely on the other side of the election, he’s bringing all the same old gators back to town.
The president-elect’s spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, declined a request for comment, as did nearly a dozen corporate executives, consultants and lobbyists serving on his transition team, which was outlined in a list distributed widely in Washington on Thursday.
“Declined a request for comment” is about the best that the New York Times or any publication not Breitbart certified can hope for over the next four years.
Meanwhile, Trump isn’t just stocking up on lobbyists, he’s also making a healthy investment in Wall Street.
Donald Trump’s successful insurgent bid for the White House promised to upend a global power structure that benefited large corporations. Now, several Wall Street financiers and other successful business leaders could be in line to run top posts in his presidential administration.
Campaign was then, this is now. In the now, Trump is filling the shelves of his cabinet with exactly the kind of men who caused the 2008 financial crisis, and lining up the lobbyists to make it easier to get a direct pipeline to what gifts he can give to industry.
Speaking of pipelines.
The leader of the company behind the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline is “100 percent” confident President-elect Donald Trump will help the project get finished.
He really should be. The company poured over $100,000 into Trump’s campaign and gifted Trump with as much as $2 million in company stock.
I’m sure the lobbyists Trump is installing in his administration will get back to you on this. Say, in four years. Sooner, if they can work out loopholes!