dagblog - Comments for "Michael Cohen and AT&T"

love getting your input on my

artappraiser — Mon, 14 May 2018 01:16:56 +0000

In reply to Yeah, this is all such a big

love getting your input on my intuitions as I know you understand the whole scene on a much deeper level than I do!

Yeah, this is all such a big

Michael Maiello — Sun, 13 May 2018 22:01:23 +0000

In reply to Totally agree with your whole

Yeah, this is all such a big part of the Trump grift — he says things that scare big business and that wins him support of the little people. But then he mostly does what big business wants but never says that’s what he’s doing. He can also pursue some personal feuds in the process and it all serves his pitch. He’s not “against” the AT&T-Time Warner merger for any antitrust reason. He is just making it difficult for the deal to happen in an attempt to punish Time Warner for owning CNN. If he blocks the deal and Time Warner is set adrift and management doesn’t get its payday, people at CNN wil likely suffer for it. The whole thing looks anti big business but it’s really just a personal feud, played out for theatrical and political effect.

Your pharma example is totally apt. The pharma indexes soared when his “drug price” plan came out. It’s everything Pfizer ever wanted to hear. As you say, they can’t come out and say that. It’s probably better for all concerned if they don’t and they know that. There’s an adversarial pose here that serves everybody’s interests.

But....the patriotic Real

NCD — Sun, 13 May 2018 14:23:25 +0000

In reply to Actually they're cheaper

But....the patriotic Real American loving freedom defending Bible thumping hypocrites and blasphemers and their stooges on the Supreme court say money is $peech, it's in the Constitution..!

The warped dream being not just that money is speech, but speech is money, measured in dollars not words.

Actually they're cheaper

PeraclesPlease — Sun, 13 May 2018 07:50:45 +0000

In reply to A million or two is chump

Actually they're cheaper whores than that - $40k's a lot of money in congressional payola terms. I'm waiting to find out how wide this money spread - Cohen was a Finance deputy for the RNC - I'm guessing this was a shakedown operation going on for some time, with bunches of beneficiaries across the Republican spectrum. But what were the mechanics of laundering the money? Whose names should we list the indictments under?

A million or two is chump

NCD — Sun, 13 May 2018 05:44:07 +0000

In reply to Michael Cohen and AT&T

A million or two is chump change for ATT, yet that's all it often takes to buy off our unprincipled Republi-con politicians.

The President has "more power" because Congress under Republicans, does jackshit but play politics and pass the buck on accountability.

The GOP cuts taxes on plutocrat donors to ensure they get campaign $$ to run BS ads at election time. The mission is dividing the country with lies and racism, and obstructing anything that might show jaded low information white voters government can be (or already is in many ways) a positive force in their life.

I don't understand - Trump

PeraclesPlease — Sun, 13 May 2018 04:38:46 +0000

In reply to Totally agree with your whole

I don't understand - Trump scares the hell out of his mark, shakes them down while they're trembling, then does largely nothing. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Totally agree with your whole

artappraiser — Sun, 13 May 2018 02:59:47 +0000

In reply to Michael Cohen and AT&T

Totally agree with your whole point on not ceding any more domestic powers to the office of the president. You can even take Trump out of the picture, pretend he never happened, and I really don't like the idea of the president having even a tiny bit more power, especially in this manipulation-of-info day and age. He/she already has massive power of bully pulpit over the national mood and discourse that the founders never envisioned.

I just ran across a weird dichotomy in the story of Cohen seller of self as secret lobbyist to the king. It doesn't have anything to do with mergers, but I'll throw it out there. First I see that everyone in the pharma industry and Wall St. was ascared to death of Trump's pharma plans, then they figured out what was actually in it and found it was good for them. BUT BUT oh the shame of having been found to be allied with Trump in any way shape or form. They take the policy but oh my goodness he is bad P.R.? As in: please, we are not an idiot company, do not think us an idiot company, it was a mistake, scientists please don't quit in shame...etc.