Barack Obama’s convenient Wall Street hypocrisy.

I just had it forwarded to me that Barack Obama is doing a 2 million dollar fundraiser today with Tony James, who is the head of the Blackstone financial services group. So… why should you care?  Well, two reasons:  first off, in February of this year Tony James criticized anti-Romney ads that attempted to demagogue Romney’s relationship with Bain Capital.  James felt that they were generally attacking the private equity industry itself, which they generally were… and which also makes one wonder what James plans to do when this becomes the entirety of Barack Obama’s message in September:

Then again, Tony James isn’t too worried: if Obama wins, he gets to enjoy the benefits of class collaboration that comes when one voluntarily brings one’s particular syndicate into full alignment/cooperation with the wishes of the Leaders of the corporative State.  And if Romney wins, well, Republicans have never been big on proscription lists*.

Second, it’s an excuse to revisit this American Future Fund ad, which is apparently being run again today.

Now, I personally don’t actually have an issue with Wall Street donating money to candidates.  But Barack Obama does – or at least that he said that he did, only that turned out to be a lie.  In other words, it’s all about the hypocrisy: if you don’t think that campaign contributions from unpopular corporations are a form of communication, and you campaign on that, then do not take campaign contributions from those unpopular corporations. Or at least don’t get huffy when people point out that you aren’t practicing what you’re preaching.

I know, I know: ever the optimist, I am.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

*You may want to look up some of those terms in order to get the full effect.