Are Senators Retiring To Cash Out In Private Sector?

[JImmy4336]

Dorgan was one of the few who fought against the repeal of Glass-Steigal. that makes him OK in my book. 

[xadam2dudex]

HELL yeah.. they do it all the time.. they take money from corporations all the time..since 2006 EVERY member of congress has at least doubled their personal wealth

[slumlord2007]

OR...they all know that they broke the system good and there is no fixing it. Like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

[mkhomero]

My thoughts exactly. The corporate politicians have sewn the wind and are reaping the whirlwind to their peril.

[DillonX]

Kick the CORPORATE WHORES out of Congress!

[micsc50]

Obama is at the helm and the democRAT bastards are jumping ship.

[11111110]

For the record, six Senate Republicans are retiring. And now with Bayh, only five Senate Democrats are retiring. Five is less than six. And on the House side, 14 Republicans are done, and only 10 Democrats.

[MadBadVoodo]

Obama SUCKS!!

[playfyte]

So does your mother. But no ones complaining about her.

[BrimHawk]

The rats are fleeing the ship!

[TrollBuster9090]

Indeed, the rats are fleeing the ship.

Only thing is, the ship isn't sinking.

In Bayh's case, specifically, it's only the ability to block corporate regulatory laws in the Senate while your wife rakes in two million dollars a year by sitting on the boards of a dozen of the companies that those laws would have regulated that's about to sink.

Bayh's gravy boat is about to hit an iceberg. I don't blame him for jumping in the lifeboat.

[MrDustandechoes]

Just based on all the democrats who are retiring fromt he senate, I wonder if they will retain the house through 2012? I haven't done any research just wondering.

[TrollBuster9090]

@MrDustandechoes

Five Democrat and SIX Republican Senators are retiring. Of course you never hear about all the Republicans that are retiring because it doesn't fit in with the ratings-grabbing news narrative that the Democratic party is falling apart at the seams, and all the rats are leaving the sinking ship.

[MikeRoch6969]

why is it that everything in america must be motivated by money? what ever happened to doing things for the greater good or because its the right thing?

[mamothzoe1]

Maybe they know just how much trouble our country is in. Forty cents out of every dollar we spend is borrowed from other countries like China. Who is selling our debt off ar record rates.

Is it possible they just don't want to be around for what is to come?

Is it possible that our reign as the economic center of the world has come to an end?

No couldn't be anything like that, could it?

[fu3ar25]

why would Democrat's retire after 8 years of sitting back now they have the" majority" < :p and there retiring...doesn't make any sense

[EsotericDesi]

Greed's destroyed the very basic respect for each other in the fuckin' society... it's so upsetting...

[gilchris112]

that combined with the fact that Obama has done for Democrats what tBush did for Republicans

[bigcomcast]

Lobbyists are not going anywhere. When mankind is wiped out the only things that will survive will be cockroaches and lobbyists.

[MicoMonstrosity]

I disagree with you.

Vagette obviously got defeated by Goku despite Gohan's interference. I respect you opinion but i just cant sit hear & read you blatantly denounce such a proud standing character from dragon ball Z simply becuz his son was an miscalculated factor in his victory you COMMUNIST! D:< *Shakes fist*

[LazySocialist]

Yea, Bayh is a slimeball. Not a Democrat, just a guy running under the Democratic banner.

[maunaowakea777]

he could use choice b and c and put some of his 13 million dollars into his own private charity.

[1StarForEveryone]

barack obama was just assassinated. look on the news.

[jldurham6]

The last thing anyone needs is for this guy to be a martyr so not real funny. Do you think Biden would be any better!

[jldurham6]

Biden is the Democrats Sara Palin, always has his foot in his mouth.

[BrutusAlbion]

The political system is just a huge theatrical play with all the actors a stage and cashing in on the guests. Sadly the guests had already payed and were stuck with the play for eternity.

[jldurham6]

Well said, Jesse Ventura likened it to wrestling. Putting on a show for their audience, you have the "good" and "bad" guy, the villains and saviors who pummel each other and put on a wonderful show. When behind closed doors they are best friends. Politics is pathetic really, most of them are fake, I'm sure there are some that are genuinely there to DO the peoples work, but that number is probably dwindling rapidly.

[BrutusAlbion]

The only people that should run for office or politics is someone that DOES NOT want to run for any of those positions. That person is garantueed to be independent and only focused on solving the issue as he has no agenda of his own. No desire for power and no desire to waste time lobbying or special interests. Sadly that is the paradox. Those that should be in power desire it not, those that ought not be in power desire it alot.

[Quiltingsando]

I think they are retiring because they have inside information that China is dropping the dollar and our economy is going to drop like a rock. When the SHTF they don't want to be anywhere around. They sold us out to foreign banksters who have an agenda for a New World One Order. Look for a new currency, new world taxes, and foreign peace keeper troops in the US when people realize they have been scammed.

[Vanidecb]

The mainstream media should have a few policies, if they want to reclaim the trust of America: 1. Never take a politician at their word. 2. Follow up on stories like this! The senator won't be mentioned once this leaves the news cycle, allowing him to act as a corporate shill in private.

[willia3r]

That's not gonna happen. The Corporate media's in bed with this government.

[RadarKat73080]

The Senate=overpaid knuckleheads!

[MedievalWerewolf]

Biggest problem. These are career politicians, not the public servants that they should be.  There's not near enough integrity left in this country to run it well.

[xxdonaldqxx]

Well Mr. Turk is right with this one.Why is it that former presidents sometimes get between seventy five or a hundred thousand dollars for a speaking engagement or millions for a book deal ?

[dangerouslytalented]

... like Bush and Bush and Nixon I mean, Clinton has done the whole getting %$75,000 thing, but the Republicans have been cashing in FAR more... How many $75,000 speaking engagements has Carter done?

[stanjz]

Our society pays people like Glen Beck and Cenk Uygur large sums of money to tell us exactly what they want you to hear.

The media are the ones that help keep climate change under the radar. Bill Moyers said it, Olbermann said it, Krugamn said it. They're propagandists themselves, but sometimes they tell the truth

[xxdonaldqxx]

'' but sometimes they tell the truth'',How can we tell when they aren't telling us the truth or when they are telling the truth?

[dangerouslytalented]

The truth that Bleck says is completely buried in smear and bullshit.

[GBTRU]

Glenn Beck makes Millions, Cenk Uyger makes Thousands. Your assumption is way off.

[genie0390]

@GBTRU

Beck knows what he's talking about, and besides BO likes him and he knows Murdoch, which helps, a bit

if clues were food, Cenk would be starving to death

even the idiots at MSNBC won't have him

[GBTRU]

I see your tinfoil hat is securely on your head.

[ChairmanKiel]

Lol. I love it when conspiracy theorists try and sound logical :D

[jldurham6]

some day a conspiracy theorist will be right, lets just hope they are wrong again, especially on this one.

[TrollBuster9090]

Yes, but false equivalence has been the propaganda weapon of choice for corporatist shills for years.

Obama is the same as Bush

Democrats and Republicans are equally paid for by corporations, don't vote for either

Left and right is a false paradigm conceived by the divide and conquer puppet masters

Uygur, Olbermann and Krugman are just as much propaganda artists as Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh...

[Bansheeflyr]

@TrollBuster9090 Id like to let you know, i was so memorized by your comment, i had to copy and paste it. Going to read it and think about it for a while lol.

[TrollBuster9090]

It would have worked even better if you'd been able to see the gold pocket watch I was swinging while I wrote it.

[Bansheeflyr]

lol

[GBTRU]

Cenk for Public option = Universal Health Care for all. A liberal program through and through.

Beck, and Hannity, for no public option = Health Care costs continue to skyrocket, millions with no health care. Conservative idiotic opinion that really does shill for Insurance industry.

Hmmm I guess they are really the same hey? This is one example of two completely different opinions. So trollbuster the propaganda isn't the problem it is the outcome of the argument. Cenk=Life, Beck=US Fail.

[pokeyugi13]

@stanjz cenk's not mainstream he probably gets at most 50k a year

[PhysicsDude55]

While I agree he's not mainstream, this show gets a lot more views than you think. I think they have 100K+ paid listeners to their full internet show, and their youtube videos get more viewers per day than most news shows.

[Vanidecb]

You do realize Cenk Uygar provides links to evidence for the claims he makes, right? You do realize Glen Beck is a raving lunatic, right?

[jldurham6]

Glenn provides proof, books, articles, video clips, audio clips. I've watched plenty of Cenk videos that provide no proof, no mention of the poll data or articles where he got the info, doesn't mean it's false, just sayin.

Facts are like bricks, you can build whatever you want with them. I think Glenn is using the facts to build what he wants just like Cenk and other media commentators do. Conspiracy theorists can take facts and build bogus cases too. Who's right? Maybe NOBODY.

[dangerouslytalented]

@jldurham6 Proof? He provides innuendo, half truths, and smears smears, smears. along with paranoia.

[jldurham6]

Yeah, he's been wrong on a lot of things so far hasn't he. Maybe you should watch and research his topics on your own before taking Keith Olbermann's word for it. They don't report on ANYTHING specific he says, they just call him a nutjob. The NYT and Washington Post are starting to say things he said 2 years ago when he was CRAZY. Whatever, live in your little dreamland where Obama and the democrats makes you feel all warm and fuzzy while the world falls apart around you.

[TheReallitycheck]

Nikkles and dimes Cenk, they've made many more millions during the ride on the way up.

Retiring is a fancy word for Bailing Ship.

The truth is comeing and they are out before the storm hits. Thats all it is!

[guddaysunshine]

This is a point of view I have NEVER heard on main stream media.

They just take the politician's at thier word.

[xxdonaldqxx]

Only a dope would take a politician at their word.However a crook will make believe he takes them at their word so the public gets suckered.

[Paolo7219]

There are probably a number of reasons for the reitrements from Congress. Cenk's explanation are certainly plausible--and true in more cases than not. I think people like Sen. Dorgan really are fed up with the rancor in Washington DC. Sen. Bayh? He retired on short notice imho so the Dems would have to put someone friendly--and beholden--to Evan Bayh in the position. Bayh will get a much better paycheck by being a lobbyist if the Senator who replaced him will "play ball" with Bayh.

[dao3rd123]

All the politicians in Washington and statewide are a bunch of liars and thieves. It has been prove time and time again. "Retire before I get caught" is probably one of the answers. But then again, they are working for the biggest lying president we ever had. It's all a disgrace.

[TheUSMetalhead]

Solution, make lobbying in our politics ILLEGAL. Most politicians come to Washington to establish relations with the corporations, they are obedient to them in office and if a politician decides to leave politics whether by choice of force, they have these corporations waiting for them to offer them employment in return for their services and favors while in congress. Until we eliminate lobbyists, a good rule would be to ban ex-politicians from working for ANY corp that lobbied in DC.

[MassLiberal1]

I'm sick of politicians. With the exception of a few (Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, etc.) they have all sold out. They go to Washington well-intentioned but in order to get re-elected they have to sell out to corporations. The hell w/ Democrats and Republicans! While voting is imporatant (and you should vote third party in most elections) real change comes from grassroots democracy and local communities, not from the ballot box.

[stanjz]

The media is the main tool of the super wealthy folks who own their stock and own the banks. Cenk doesn't get his money from the public. The Republican Supreme Court ruled that corporations could use unlimited amounts of money in elections

[CmdrSloanne]

Those so call Bluedog democrats are not really Democrats but Republicans & the Republicans are now The Nationalist Puritan Party a party for Extremist Religious Fundamentalist & pure white people.

[stanjz]

Cenk talks out of both sides of his mouth. He says politicians are bad because some of them give into special interests. Cenk says not to blame corporations because they are only acting in their best interests. But that's where the problem originates. If people introduce wild animals into society and they kill people. we get rid of the wild animals. We don't make excuses. Cenk: " Blaming the corporations for this is a little silly. It's like blaming a man for breathing or a scorpion for stinging

[truthofevolution]

stanjz- actually Cenk is very clear. He wants corporations to follow certain rules. A corporation's job is to make money. If they make money under certain fair rules then Cenk is happy.

What hes saying is he doesn't blame the corporations for doing what theyre doing, he blames the government for not setting up the proper rules.

[oXGenesisXo]

@stanjz

He has a point though, because if we do introduce wild animals who kill people, whose fault is it ultimately? The animals whose nature it is to kill for food? Or us for releasing them into society?

But you have a point as well. We don't just go "oh its in their nature to kill, so we'll just leave them." No, we should certainly get rid of them.

[IFloridaMotocrossI]

I agree.

[MrWishco]

Thay all know the end is near so there all going to there underground bunkers leaving us to fend for our selves.

[hammer231984]

In 4 years Bayh will begin to run for president for 2016. Count on it.

[NYHeineken]

Vote Progressive / Green or no vote.

[dj4real4546]

we, Americans are now a police state.. Obama thinks he can do it on hime on... senaters are saying ok, go ahead and try

[audadvnc]

Racketeers - How so? Bribery, money laundering, extortion (thru bribes to the other side), securities fraud, obstruction of justice. Plenty of opportunities for some smart, adventurous District Attorney. Go out there and make a name for yourself busting the System!

[Emil246]

maybe they can't fix the problems and don't want to be the blame in the end.

[audadvnc]

Bribery is illegal for local city councilmen. Why are Senators exempt from prosecution? Lobbyists are racketeers - RICO these guys!

[RedGrobo]

You guys are fucked, i bet its cus of internal info about us reaching peak oil y 2015- 2020 at the latest.

Gra the money and get ready before the plebs know whats going on.

[random0815]

well you can always hope, but i doubt that in all this health care mess the administration had time to prepare the grand strike against lobbyism, so id rather say they take the supreme court decision as a dollar-green light :)

[kevincindy]

I'm out of answers! We as Americans are tired of this but what can we do but bitch? I know people say vote them out but who are you voting in? These people have good intentions but as soon as they get in they change!

[freshhug]

Try voting in someone who is not from a elitist rich family. Try voting for another party and maybe capitalism will work.

[kevincindy]

Don't you believe anybody will cave on their beliefs when the money starts rolling in?

[freshhug]

@kevincindy

I don't know, but I rather take my chanses on a guy who is not rich then one who is rich.

The rich grow up with a view on other people as less worth. The chanse for a not rich person to have that view is less.

[hemlock10]

I respect your opion, but I would like to pose the opposing viewpoint. I grew up dirt poor around others that were dirt poor. While I dearly loved some of the people, most of them were deadbeats. I pulled myself up on my own and I look down on people that don't do the same with the same opportunities. So, the "not rich" guy may not have the sympathies that you think that he should have. He certainly isn't going to want to redistribute his own wealth to those that didn't work for it.

[freshhug]

That might be true for you, but again, I rather choose an option where there is a chanse for something then an option where there is no chanse at all.

Rich people wont be able to understand you, a poor person will at least have "the chanse" of understanding and having empathy because he has lived that life.

[IFloridaMotocrossI]

That is 100% true, and it's disgusting.

My own father is a prime example of that. He views people who lack assets and financial security as low-life losers who can't be trusted.

My mother and I, on the other hand, actually do live in an impoverished Demographic, and some of the kindest and honest, hard-working people we've ever met have been dirt poor.

My conclusion: Generally, the rich are scumbags.

[Spentastic]

If people don't do something to bring attention to this issue it will keep on as it is. If they do something like protest it will probably stay the same to. The reason is the power in America is all with the corporations and the people have none. Voting is a waste of time too. Anyone have any good solutions on stopping corruption? Do you think the corporations and their media arms would support an anti corruption party like they supported the anti 'big government and healthcare' teabaggers?

[franksnow79]

The problem with the hosts assertions here is this; why would on retire from the perks and powers that go with a Senate seat for mere money, especially when they get a decent pension for serving even one term? Why did Constantine move the capital from Rome to Byzantine.

[prestonscott73]

Rome was no longer a suitable capital militarily- what does that have to do with retiring senators?

[franksnow79]

You are partially correct. Rome had become so overun with centralized bureaucracy, special interests, lobbyists, and utopianists desiring to use govt power to make things great, rather than merely good enough, that the whole shebang, not just militarily, but food supply, the police and courts, everything, had been rendered ungovernable. The DC school system is a pretty good example of what the Federal government wants to do to education nationwide, along with medicine, and everything else.

[1ebihal]

They "quit while ahead" .

Unlike Edwards :D

[bobbytiger]

Cenk.

Why would they not retire?

Each one of them gets their own "golden parachutes", with great benefits.

And,

regardless of whether or not they work another day in their life,

they are financially set.

[Juntahh]

lol people of the world

i laugh at thee

[BusinessIDBAI]

@Juntahh

Are you a person from Mars?!

[kangax]

the thing is ... that retiring after or during a financial crisis is not the best of decisions ... even if they want to cash in on the private sector...

[SpetznazTheory]

Cenk is absolutely out of his mind. The Democrats are for the PEOPLE. Only the Republicans are corrupt. Obama said he would rid of lobbyist influence and he DID. Cenk, get a clue.

[SmackNcrack01]

are you bein' sarcastic?

[alwan11]

i think you got it wrong spetznaztheory

all republicunts=corrupted psychos

80 percent of dems are just corrupt

[mdey1970]

These retiring senators are definitely doing it for the money. As a senator, they make about $150, 000 a year. As a lobbyist, they make $2 million or more a year. Do the math.

[Dradeeus]

I'd rather have tax payer money go to a retirement fund for these politicians, and set up legislation saying that being a congressman/senator/etc is the last job you take.

No more after-career paydays. I really see no alternative.

[BigErik69]

ALL polititions are SCUMBAGS democrats & republicans. how can anyone vote down party lines both partys are full of EVIL PRICKS

[S81044]

Ding ding ding GIVE THE MAN A PRIZE. Vote them ALL out next time send evil a message.

[MitchofSmeg]

this is why you should ban anyone getting any form of money from sources outside of the government paycheck itself if they are working in government, so they cant be bribed etc.

[S81044]

Maybe if a few more people got mad enough to get up on their own high horses these parasites wouldn't be bleeding us all dry.

[S81044]

What do they know that you don't? Have you looked at a non Mainstream news source lately?

Why is China raising reserve requirements on it's banks? Why are central banks that can afford to suddenly buying gold? Why do these criminals get to keep using the revolving doors that corporate raiders furnish for them? If none of you know perhaps you deserve what's coming. None of it is secret. Unless you are to lazy to look anywhere except TV.

[aznfootwork]

@ S81044: get off your high horse please. k thnx. you aren't contributing anything to the conversation.

[S81044]

Really what would you have me do? Fight over symptoms and ignore the cause? I think all the partisan politics is what's wasting our time.

[S81044]

Hmmm this flame seems to b your only comment. Scratch collective heads and try to figure out how that "adds" to the conversation. I guess if you've got nothing salient to say calling names is next best. Plus you get to feel smug and divert attention from the real issue.

[chingon711]

selfish opportunistic dirtbags know something is happening and are deliberately dishonest with the american public.

[xadam2dudex]

they are retiring to cash in on the lobbyist money ..they get their pay when they retire.. with the corporations now gonna be buying the country outright they wanna get in on that money..these congressmen are born liars and conmen..so many of em use their position to enrich themselves.. since 2006 everyone in congress has had their personal worth double or triple when the lobbyist started pumping money into congress

[S81044]

I mean seriously do you watch Beck all day or do you get paid to blog that crap?

[Numb3r10ck]

Hello

[S81044]

Anyone that believes caribou barbie is going to save the world is brainwashed or part of the system.

[jumar1281]

@ecwaufisxtreme

ecwaufisxtreme IS sarah palin's DICKLESS AND BALLESS man bitch cunty pussy. palin WILL expose ecwaufisxtreme's CIRCUMCISED PUSSY for the entire world to see. palin will the take a SHIT directly into ecwaufisxtreme's OPEN MOUTH, a SHIT ORDAINED BY GOD HERSELF!

[obnoxiousvf]

How OVER THE TOP does ECWAUFISXTREME has to be for you to NOTICE that he is being SATIRICAL? :P

[jumar1281]

ECWAUFISXTREME is not being SATIRICAL. this motherfucker has been making stupid comments exactly like this ever since i've been watching the young turks. Its not a one time thing, every comment is exactly alike and its annoying. i've just made it my personal agenda to flame him and be an irritating dickwad just like he his to everyone else here.

If anybody wants to join me in flaming this dickhead, please reply ridiculous comments to his posts as i did. if enough people do it he may stop

[lstntn]

REALLY .. REALLY .. tired of all these phonies describing themselves as PUBLIC SERVANTS. As if they are just SO Noble. They're not doing this public service at some GREAT sacrifice to themselves! They are PAID, and PAID well. That makes them a PUBLIC employee or government employee.....Not a public servant!

[S81044]

Maybe they see the writing on the wall Cenk. Maybe they see that the people are realizing that there is NO difference between democrats and republicans. I'm sure being some of last rats able to cash out is part of the equation however I hope this indicates that people want real change. I hope this means they realize that they need to kick ALL of the incumbents out of office and vote independent. U can't fool all of the people all of the time and maybe the smartest rats see it's ending now.

[Gulfporter]

Lock these people up. Dispossess them.

[jumar1281]

with every passing day, i HATE politicians more and more. fucking self serving bastards, have no interest in "serving the american people"... the only reason one gets into politics is to somehow use their influence to get themselves and their buddies rich. and we the proletariat keep voting them in hoping for change

[blugreenblu]

could it have something to do with peak oil? it's just a thought but am i the only one that made that connection?

[bgcorporation]

Sounds like people are trying to get as much money as possible, then leave the American people. Maybe something's bad is gonna happen.

[apot082]

Serve the american people

Ya.. Serve them up a big fat platter of FUCK YOU

[strappedup24]

I personally think your right al large part is do to the so called retirment check this guys will receive

[jaba987]

or we are going into another false flag followed by a lock down.

[Lobos222]

I though the lobbies rules just recently went the opposite way. Its easier now for lobbies.

[Asymmatrix]

As soon as you hear 'The American People' you know it's 100% bullshit.