GULLING THE ZILLIONAIRE RUBES

I can't tell if the lobbying/opposition research proposal outlined in this story is the work of idiots or of people who realize their clients are idiots. Hard to tell -- a couple of the lobbyists worked for John Boehner -- but on the other hand, they're pitching this project to a bunch of bankers, who'll spend money on pretty much anything they think will add a few extra zeroes to their bottom line, knowing full well that any outlay that doesn't pay off will be reimbursed by the taxpayer. And the amount in question is pocket change for the bankers anyway. So why not?

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program "Up w/ Chris Hayes."

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC's clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC's memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct "opposition research" on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct "negative narratives" about the protests and allied politicians....
Two of the memo's authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.../

Aren't the bankers already obtaining this service from Rupert Murdoch without an $850K outlay?

CLGC is either extremely naive or very smart but playing on the extreme naivete of the bankers:

According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, "This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street...."

Democrats? Embrace OWS? Stop, you're killing me.

"... (T)he bigger concern," the memo says, "should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies."

BWAHAHAHAHA! Wow, these guys are real comedians.

... The CLGC memo raises another issue that it says should be of concern to the financial industry -- that OWS might find common cause with the Tea Party. "Well-known Wall Street companies stand at the nexus of where OWS protestors and the Tea Party overlap on angered populism," the memo says. "...This combination has the potential to be explosive later in the year when media reports cover the next round of bonuses and contrast it with stories of millions of Americans making do with less this holiday season."

Teabaggers deciding to make common cause with Occupy? Where do they get these cockamamie ideas?

Want to offer the bankers real value for their money? Put together a campaign to lobby America's police forces with a "don't pepper spray immobile protesters" campaign. That's what the bankers really have to worry about. That's their biggest vulnerability.

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UPDATE: TBogg seems to have already said most of what I just wrote. Oops.