Back in 2010, we dubbed Mr. Obama “The Commander in Chief of MSNBC.” A new report at the Washington Times notes that the president likes the network so much, “The Labor Department paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal stimulus funds to a public relations firm to run more than 100 commercials touting the Obama administration’s ‘green training’ job efforts on two MSNBC cable shows, records show:”
The commercials ran on MSNBC on shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann in 2009, but the contract didn’t report any jobs created, according to records reviewed recently by The Washington Times.
Spending reports under the federal Recovery Act show $495,000 paid to McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, which the Labor Department hired to raise awareness “among employers and influencers about the [Job Corps] program’s existing and new training initiatives in high growth and environmentally friendly career areas” as well as spreading the word to prospective Job Corps enrollees.
The firm ultimately negotiated ad buys for “two approved spots” airing 14 times per week for two months on “Countdown With Keith Olbermann” and “The Rachel Maddow Show,” according to a project report, which listed the number zero under a section of the report asking how many jobs had been created through the stimulus contract.
David Williams, president of the nonprofit watchdog Taxpayers Protection Alliance, called the contract “questionable” because it created no jobs and because of the placement of the ads on shows viewed as friendly to the administration’s policies.
While Obama is greasing palms at the GE-owned network, whose CEO is Obama “jobs” “czar”Jeffrey Immelt, GE is happy to send a few bucks over to Government Motors, to keep things all in the Corleone Obama family, as Doug Ross spotted back in February:
General Motors and General Electric are two companies that have been in the political crosshairs lately. GM stands accused of “crony capitalism,” while GE is under fire for paying no Federal income taxes in 2010. The two companies share more than that though, with GE placing an order for 12,000 Chevy Volts and other hybrid vehicles.
A memo leaked to Green Car Reports lays out GE’s plans for their new fleet of Volts, and as expected, it has some people crying foul.
Doug described it as “a crony capitalism trifecta;” and that was months before this latest example of Mr. Obama’s cronyism at work.
Related: Shortly after taking office, Obama threatened Wall Street by blustering, “My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” Now we know it was just kabuki from President Goldman-Sachs, as “Wall Street prosecutions under Obama: Zilch.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Free Beacon questions the timing:
Two key Obama allies are staking their financial future in the fortunes of British soccer powerhouse Manchester United.
Liberal billionaire George Soros bought a $40 million stake in British soccer powerhouse Manchester United less than one month after General Motors entered into a $600 million endorsement deal.
Plus this: “White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett’s real-estate investment jumped in value between 2010 and 2011, documents show:”
Senior White House adviser and long-time Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett’s role in a number of controversial Chicago housing developments has garnered her investments worth millions of dollars while highlighting the administration’s extensive business ties to presidential donors.
Why, a cynical man might think that all of that hopeychangey healing the planet, lowing the rise of the oceans stuff in 2008 was merely a mask for cronyism, featherbedding and profit-taking. Good thing there’s nothing cynical about this administration.
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