FRITZ HOLLINGS

It has become so expensive for a member of Congress to conduct a campaign, for many members, raising money is their number one priority. To make matters worse, more and more members are being challenged in primaries for their own party’s nomination. In 2010, John McCain, the Republican Party presidential standard bearer, and veteran Senator was challenged for his party’s Arizona Senate nomination, He had to spend $20 million on his primary campaign in a small “inexpensive” state. Then he had to spend even more in the General election against his Democratic opponent. Almost everyone agrees that it is a terrible burden for the men and women of Congress, but no one quite knows how to solve the problem and still adhere to the First Amendment.

Addressing Federal Trade Commissioner, Michael Pertschuk

Director of the Budget David Stockman is:

Referring to NAFTA and free trade with Mexico:

A leading Japanese official had stated that Americans were lazy and illiterate. The senator visited a plant in his home state.

Addressing Federal Trade Commissioner, Michael Pertschuk

Director of the Budget David Stockman is:

The National Chamber of Commerce claims that the represent American business and indeed many business men and women join their local Chamber of Commerce, never realizing that the National Chamber of Commerce is controlled by partisan political ideologues who mainly represent the largest of corporations. The leaders have extreme egos and spend millions of dollars from the local chambers to put themselves on television with their own TV studios and ignoring the interest of most small businesses. When Hollings made this quotation, he felt that many large companies were moving their manufacturing and packaging to China. This not only exported the jobs of American workers, but hurt small businesses who could no longer sell the large companies packaging material, printing, sub assembly of even supply parts. The nut and bolt manufacturer in Peoria no longer sells the nuts and bolts to an American Manufacturer as the Chinese make their own nuts and bolts. Even small training companies had few workers to train. But the National Chamber of Commerce took the money from small business as they lobbied hard for the expansion of business with China. The National Chamber, never puts its policies to a vote of its member companies or the small companies would out vote the larger ones and the monopolies whom the Chamber national executives mainly serve.

Hollings who was one of the senior experienced senators was offended by the degree to which the George W. Bush Administration and the Republican leadership had turned to lobbyists to draft legislation and amendments to pending legislation. Lobbyists often have specialized information that members of Congress do not have, so there has been in modern times communications between lobbyists and members of Congress and their staffs. However, during the Bush Presidency the practice reached an extreme where lobbyists would even write the legislative language and give it to the members in whom they had invested by giving them large campaign contributions and many perks. K Street is the fanciest street in Washington DC with some of the most expensive office space. A substantial proportion of the lobbyists have K Street offices, hence the metaphor.

It has become so expensive for a member of Congress to conduct a campaign, for many members, raising money is their number one priority. To make matters worse, more and more members are being challenged in primaries for their own party’s nomination. In 2010, John McCain, the Republican Party presidential standard bearer, and veteran Senator was challenged for his party’s Arizona Senate nomination, He had to spend $20 million on his primary campaign in a small “inexpensive” state. Then he had to spend even more in the General election against his Democratic opponent. Almost everyone agrees that it is a terrible burden for the men and women of Congress, but no one quite knows how to solve the problem and still adhere to the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court had ruled that there could be no limits placed on the amount of money that could be spent by a rich company or person to campaign for a candidate. It would deny them their right to freedom of speech. That was the context of Hollings’ remark.