Crony capitalism: New GOP issue?

[boneyard bill]

Republicans have actually been divided between those who are pro-business and those who are pro-free market. Until now, the pro-business side has tended to prevail, but now it appears that the free marketers are gaining ground.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has proposed to kill the insurer bailouts included in Obamacare. The 2010 health care law included a “risk corridor” provision, effectively taxing insurers for excess profits and subsidizing them if their profits were too low. For 2014, this could amount to bailouts to health insurers. Rubio's bill would prevent that.

Obamacare is unpopular. Insurers are unpopular. Corporate bailouts are unpopular. And the Democrats are pinned against the wall — they have to defend these bailouts. This is an easy win for Republicans — if they’re willing to buck the business lobby.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has proposed a bill, with Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., to abolish Obama's favorite export agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Ex-Im finances U.S. exports at taxpayer risk. It’s mostly a subsidy to a handful of big manufacturers like Boeing and Caterpillar, their foreign customers and the banks who get to offload their risk to U.S. taxpayers.

The author goes on to point out numerous other bills by other Republican Congressmen that would cut subsidies to corporations including the ethanol subsidy.

This is a perfect issue for Republicans willing to buck corporate contributors. They'll just have to raise money from corporations that don't get subsidies.

But it also has the advantage of unmasking the Democrats lying campaigns bashing the rich while voting to give them more money.

It also happens to be a debate that is long overdue.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/mike-...ctions-about-crony-capitalism/article/2548297

 

[laughing dog]

Yes, because as we all know, Republicans do not accept vote for subsidies for industries.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

The free marketers may be gaining ground, but the corporatists will remain dominant in the GOP. The GOP is not a libertarian party, never was, and never will be.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Why should it be a new issue? It's always been a main plank.

 

[funinspace]

Why should it be a new issue? It's always been a main plank.

Maybe a new coat of varnish on an existing faux plank?

 

[funinspace]

Republicans have actually been divided between those who are pro-business and those who are pro-free market. Until now, the pro-business side has tended to prevail, but now it appears that the free marketers are gaining ground.

Obamacare is unpopular. Insurers are unpopular. Corporate bailouts are unpopular. And the Democrats are pinned against the wall — they have to defend these bailouts. This is an easy win for Republicans — if they’re willing to buck the business lobby.

Obamacare politics is hardly about corporate welfare, it is atypical party warfare. Sure medical insurance companies are unpopular…

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has proposed a bill, with Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., to abolish Obama's favorite export agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Ex-Im finances U.S. exports at taxpayer risk. It’s mostly a subsidy to a handful of big manufacturers like Boeing and Caterpillar, their foreign customers and the banks who get to offload their risk to U.S. taxpayers.

LOL…yeah, this writer isn’t a big partisan…I got a kick out of “Obama's favorite export agency”. In what way is this minor agency somehow Obama’s favorite? This minor agency actually sent the Treasury dept. $1.0 billion in FY13 from their profits. The only cost to the govt. this agency has, is the ‘potential’ risk of losses, which I haven’t heard of in recent years at all….

The author goes on to point out numerous other bills by other Republican Congressmen that would cut subsidies to corporations including the ethanol subsidy.

Ethanol subsidies died over a year ago, by Congress doing nothing, so we don’t get a head count of just how many Repugs versus Dums were working to protect the tax break. Though Federal mandates for ethanol blending still exist.

This is a perfect issue for Republicans willing to buck corporate contributors. They'll just have to raise money from corporations that don't get subsidies.

The 3 biggest subsidies I can think of are:
1. The military-complex, costly roughly double (~$300 billion) what it should if it were about protecting our interests/country. This is one of the few jobs programs both parties can agree to.
2. Farmer welfare costing roughly $25 billion a year, with 70-80% of the dollars going to well to do farmers. And as I showed you recently, the Repugs in larger percentages voted for last year’s pork laden farm bill.
3. WS, bailed out, backed up, by a cabble of our various government agencies. The actual cost to the nation is harder to quantify. The Repugs are generally just a supportive if not more so than the Dums. In fact, WS had typically lavished their millions fairly equitably until recently. Now it seems they think they can get more favors from future Repugs:

 

[AthenaAwakened]

The free marketers may be gaining ground, but the corporatists will remain dominant in the GOP. The GOP is not a libertarian party, never was, and never will be.

Jason is right.

But all is not necessarily lost. libertarians within and without the party could still influence policy. People are not happy with big business and it wouldn't take much for freemarketeers to take the moral high ground.