Isn't it wonderful to see one of our Beltway Villager "journalists" pretend to ask a Republican candidate a serious question about the people who are funding their campaign, only to see them punt and let that candidate get away with a ridiculous
September 25, 2010

Isn't it wonderful to see one of our Beltway Villager "journalists" pretend to ask a Republican candidate a serious question about the people who are funding their campaign, only to see them punt and let that candidate get away with a ridiculous explanation to that question unchallenged? That's exactly what John King did here with Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in California and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

King asks Fiorina about that Koch Brothers money that's been coming her way and allows her to punt without being challenged and say that there's money from special interests coming in on all sides and to pretend that she's some "newcomer" to politics. I guess King forgot that she was an adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign, so she can hardly claim to be a political "newcomer".

King of course didn't challenge her on that fact. And apparently Fiorina thinks that former CEO's who make their golden parachutes by outsourcing jobs from the United States are better suited than those evil "career politicians" with helping our country get out of this economic ditch we're in.

Barbara Boxer has been pretty decent with representing progressive issues even if she did fall by the wayside with supporting Joe Lieberman's reelection which I'll always have a sore spot with her for her doing so. That said, she's a mile better than miss-outsourcing queen Fiorina. The Koch brothers are funding Fiorina for a reason, and it's not because they're looking out for the average citizen out there. They're looking out for their own interests and figuring Fiorina will be on the side of big business like all of the Republicans.

Transcript below the fold.

KING: But let's start on that point, the fundraising point. It is an incredibly expensive state. Among those sponsoring a fundraiser you had here today is the Koch Industries PAC and the Koch brothers have become bogeymen to the Democrats this year because of the millions they have given to some of these private groups that are funding money into the campaigns. As you know the Democrats you know they call that an outrage. They think there needs to be new legislation. Does it worry you at all, all the corporate money going into campaigns like this?

FIORINA: Well I think money has been going into political campaigns for a very long time. And with all due respect the Democrats have a lot of bogeymen this election cycle. I think what's fascinating is how many people are playing in politics who maybe haven't played before.

And whether those are big contributions in terms of 527's or independent expenditures, and there are plenty on both sides of the aisle, or whether it's people who are getting engaged for the first time at five or 10 or $200. I think this year there's many stories this year. But I think the biggest story to me is all of the newcomers to politics and that of course includes me. I've never run for political office before.

KING: Is there any downside to it when you have newcomers who don't have experience in politics, who maybe are more my way or the highway, or more ideological and don't understand that sometimes in that building that you see out there behind me you do -- sometimes you do have to compromise.

FIORINA: Well you know I think what the voters certainly in California are saying, and I think we're seeing this all across this country. People have decided that career politicians may be part of the problem, not part of the solution. You know ours was intended to be a citizen government.

It's what (INAUDIBLE) the people means, so no I don't see a downside. Look, any political movement you're going to get extremes on both ends of the spectrum. But fundamentally, I think it is always a good thing when people are engaged in the process. And when new people are brought and engaged in the process. President Obama managed to get a lot of new people engaged in the process and that was positive. And I think the Tea Party engagement is positive as well.

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