Government positions to the highest bidder? (1 Viewer)

[Eeyore]

Didn't former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich go to jail for this?

Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role in Trump administration uncovered by CBS News

Emails obtained by CBS News show Trump's nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas was asked by the RNC to donate half a million dollars as his confirmation in the Senate hung in the balance

www.cbsnews.com

Maybe I want to be an ambassador but I don't have the money, but I have offers from foreign entities who would like to anonymously sponsor me?

 

[The moose]

I know the cush ambassador jobs are usually kinda paid for with donations but man how do they make it work on the ambassador end?

You have to be able to scam some money out of somebody somewhere for 1.5 million. Nobody is paying 1.5 for a job that pays 100k.

I understand the shakedown on the front end but I would think you would have a scheme to make money on the other end.

Maybe I am having problems figuring it out cuz I am not shady enough.

 

[BobE]

I know the cush ambassador jobs are usually kinda paid for with donations but man how do they make it work on the ambassador end?

You have to be able to scam some money out of somebody somewhere for 1.5 million. Nobody is paying 1.5 for a job that pays 100k.

I understand the shakedown on the front end but I would think you would have a scheme to make money on the other end.

Maybe I am having problems figuring it out cuz I am not shady enough.

Most don't do it for the money but more for the "Prestige" and the title.

 

[Nebaghead]

Most don't do it for the money but more for the "Prestige" and the title.

Basically you get addressed as ambassador the rest of your life.

 

[MT15]

And the “cushier” posts go to the political appointees (who have almost always been big donors). European countries, etc.

You can tell how good a career diplomat is by their posting to the most dangerous posts, such as Ambassador Yovanovitch’s posting to Somalia.

 

[The moose]

I would guess if both countries are working out a trade deal you could make some bucks with that really easy.

It can't be for title.

Come on you ever get a new title at work without more money it just kinda sucks.

 

[BobE]

I would guess if both countries are working out a trade deal you could make some bucks with that really easy.

It can't be for title.

Come on you ever get a new title at work without more money it just kinda sucks.

Is there career Ambassadors? Absolutely yes. Do some do it for the title and prestige? Absolutely yes. Let's take Dan Rooney. He was Owner, Chairman and President of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a NFL hall of famer. I think we'd all agree he didn't need the money. But his ancestors were from Ireland, he does charity work there and he happened to give money to the DNC and Obama. So upon election he was named Ambassador to Ireland. Hell I've seen it at my job. You would shake your head at lengths people would go to be called "Capt."

 

[LA - L.A.]

Most don't do it for the money but more for the "Prestige" and the title.

I think some mostly do it for the perks that come with the "prestige" and the title. A lot of those perks are of monetary and material benefit.

I think the others do it out of a sense of service or self-importance.

Those that spend big money to get appointed are more likely than not doing it for some combination of self-importance and monetary benefit.

 

[LA - L.A.]

Is there career Ambassadors? Absolutely yes. Do some do it for the title and prestige? Absolutely yes. Let's take Dan Rooney. He was Owner, Chairman and President of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a NFL hall of famer. I think we'd all agree he didn't need the money.

Doesn't matter if he needs the money or not, he still wants it.

People with a lot of money have a lot of money because they never stop pursuing more money, regardless of if they need it or not.

 

[st dude]

Didn't former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich go to jail for this?

Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role in Trump administration uncovered by CBS News

Emails obtained by CBS News show Trump's nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas was asked by the RNC to donate half a million dollars as his confirmation in the Senate hung in the balance

www.cbsnews.com

Maybe I want to be an ambassador but I don't have the money, but I have offers from foreign entities who would like to anonymously sponsor me?

This is how it works everywhere. People get rewarded for making political contributions. Almost every single federal judge, ambassador, etc who ever got uappointed either donated money or is connected to someone who did.

I don’t fault Trump for that. Every president in history appoints his friends and supporters to coveted positions. My issue with Trump and his supporters is the whole drain the swamp nonsense where he was going to be different.

Now you can’t outright make it pay for play. It’s a wink nod game. And with most presidents, someone has to have some qualifications for the job. But most all appointed jobs are payback to someone.

 

[J-DONK]

This is a link to something similar under Clinton in regards to access. https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...5b5200-6882-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html

I'm not defending the corruption, but it happens a lot. If you ever wanted to be an ambassador somewhere: 1. Be rich 2. Donate heavily to the winning party.

They are idiots for putting it so plainly in emails. At least half of this board could come up with thinly veiled ways to accomplish the same message with a little deniability.

 

[insidejob]

Didn't Sonland get his EU Ambassadorship for donating $1 million to Trump's campaign?

 

[The moose]

Is there career Ambassadors? Absolutely yes. Do some do it for the title and prestige? Absolutely yes. Let's take Dan Rooney. He was Owner, Chairman and President of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a NFL hall of famer. I think we'd all agree he didn't need the money. But his ancestors were from Ireland, he does charity work there and he happened to give money to the DNC and Obama. So upon election he was named Ambassador to Ireland. Hell I've seen it at my job. You would shake your head at lengths people would go to be called "Capt."

I agree but at least they put a good guy in a spot that has no real work.

Not like putting a hotel guy into a real ambassador job. That was plum stupid unless that wanted a guy that would be a yes guy and not know even remotely how to do his job.

Considering we have dozens vacant ambassador jobs as of right now they could have found a cush job for him.

Heck Turkey, Mexico, or anything but the job he got.

 

[EmBeeFiveOhFour]

Didn't former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich go to jail for this?

Yeah, but Trump has been talking about commuting Blagojevich's sentence for the last couple of years. He may not be consistent in many of his beliefs, but he definitely doesn't think a politician should go to prison for doing something harmless like trying to sell an appointment to a U.S. Senate seat for $300,000. That's just what a smart businessman would do.

On the same day, Trump told Chicago’s WLS-TV that — despite bringing up the possibility of freeing Blagojevich in August and then appearing to back away from the idea — Blagojevich shouldn’t abandon hope of an early release.

“No, he should not at all give up hope, at all,” Trump said. “We are looking at it.”

The White House Thursday declined comment.

Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, has lobbied the Republican president hard on her husband’s behalf. But despite Trump’s impromptu survey this week, there has never been a groundswell of support in Illinois for the ex-governor’s early release.

Trump first publicly mentioned the idea in May 2018, saying Blagojevich was convicted for “being stupid, saying things ... many other politicians say.” After Trump told reporters again three months ago he was thinking about a commutation, all five of Illinois’ Republican congressmen wrote a letter in opposition, saying it was important to “stand against pay-to-play politics.”

Trump has consistently understated the severity of Blagojevich’s crimes. Blagojevich’s most notorious conviction is for trying to sell for campaign money an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat Barack Obama vacated to become president. Jurors also convicted him for trying to extort a Chicago children’s hospital for campaign cash.

Trump said at Monday’s fundraiser he believed Blagojevich’s sentence was too harsh, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican who was there. Bost said he indicated to Trump he shouldn’t free Blagojevich. A trio of GOP congressmen in attendance also opposed the idea.

Trump reacted by saying “we, as Republicans, sometimes are perceived as being cold on these issues,” Bost said.

President Trump surveyed donors on Blagojevich pardon

Trump asked for a show of hands at a fundraiser in Chicago of those who supported clemency for the 62-year-old Democrat.

chicago.suntimes.com

Obviously you don't want Republicans to be perceived as being "cold" on public corruption by jailing people for it. It sends the wrong message to other "smart businessmen" who want to go into politics.

 

[The moose]

This is a link to something similar under Clinton in regards to access. https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...5b5200-6882-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html

I'm not defending the corruption, but it happens a lot. If you ever wanted to be an ambassador somewhere: 1. Be rich 2. Donate heavily to the winning party.

They are idiots for putting it so plainly in emails. At least half of this board could come up with thinly veiled ways to accomplish the same message with a little deniability.

I don't know here is how I look at it.

If you have enough to even donate to a campaign well you get that person's ear. Hold a fundraiser their ear again. Donate fork tons they own you.

The campaign laws need to change.

I am so jealous of England. It is all over and done in 6 weeks not years!

 

[RobF]

I am so jealous of England. It is all over and done in 6 weeks not years!

On the one hand, sure, there's that, but on the other hand, right now we're having our third general election in four and a half years.

Campaign finance is also an issue here too, including paying for positions. Except in our case, it's a remarkably strong correlation between making large donations to the major parties and being appointed to a lifetime peerage in the House of Lords. At least the US doesn't have something quite that archaic!

 

[J-DONK]

I don't know here is how I look at it.

If you have enough to even donate to a campaign well you get that person's ear. Hold a fundraiser their ear again. Donate fork tons they own you.

The campaign laws need to change.

I am so jealous of England. It is all over and done in 6 weeks not years!

This is also why the countries who get these unqualified ambassadors don't complain. That mega-donor has more access then a bureaucrat in most cases.

 

[buzd]

Didn't Sonland get his EU Ambassadorship for donating $1 million to Trump's campaign?

To the inauguration.