Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Reshma Laxmi Saujani: Third Bumper Quarter In A Row

Reshma Saujani has had three bumper quarters in a row. During Q4 of 2009 she raised twice as much as Maloney. Reshma has been raising money like she were an incumbent. The powers that be will have you believe she has raised her $1.2 million so far from maybe four or five Wall Street PACs. That is the lie that is being circulated over and over again. She has not taken a dime in PAC money, either from Wall Street or from any other industry. Maloney on the other hand has taken a ton of Wall Street PAC money, including through some fundraisers that might have been ethics violations. All of Reshma's money has come from individual contributions. Some people working on Wall Street might have given the legal max, and their spouses might have given the legal max, but mostly Reshma has been riding on the strength of small donors spread across the district.

(Laxmi, by the way, would be the Hindu goddess for wealth.)

She did work on Wall Street. But she did not invent it. I wish she had. We would not have had the meltdown we just had. Maloney, on the other hand, was in Congress when Congress passed all those deregulatory laws that brought about the meltdown. Maloney is responsible for the Great Recession.

Reshma has been for Wall Street reform from day one. She has stood with Barack Obama on this one. Carolyn Maloney voted for the Iraq War and the Patriot Act. She used to be a Bush Democrat. Now suddenly I am to think she has become an Obama Democrat? I have my suspicions. I was one of Obama's earliest supporters in New York City. I know an Obama Democrat when I see one. Maloney is not one.

Carolyn Maloney has not been for Wall Street reform. She might have voted with the herd, but she has been responsible for some of the watering down of the reform efforts that has been going on behind the scenes.

To reform Wall Street, you have to understand how it works. Maloney does not understand how it works. Reshma does.

What Reshma has been opposed to is a wholescale demonization of Wall Street. That she has opposed. That she opposes. Carolyn Maloney on the other hand has exhibited multiple personalities on the issue. She has participated in a wholescale demonization of the bread and butter industry of the city she claims to represent, she has claimed she has been in some kind of a leadership role for Wall Street reform, she has worked behind the scenes to water down the reform efforts in exchange for campaign cash from Wall Street PACs. These conflicting tendencies come from political dishonesty, desperation in the face of a serious political challenge, and a fundamental lack of knowledge of an industry she does not really know what to make of. Heck, I don't know a whole lot about nano tech either. It's not just her.

Politico.com: Maggie Haberman On New York: Saujani's Quarter Haul
raised nearly $400,000 in the last quarter, for the third straight period. ..... $373,333 is money for the primary, which is the strongest quarter she's had so far in terms of money for the pre-general matchup. She raised $394,000 overall this quarter, and $1.2 million for the race. ....... 7,250 signatures ..... only 25 percent of her donors are affiliated with the banking industry. ...... Sixty-eight percent of donations this quarter were $250 or less. .....the first time in 18 years that Maloney will have a challenger on the primary ballot, and Saujani did it with volunteers, and no political clubs. .... Saujani's cash-on-hand is $426,000
Washington Post Video: Reshma Saujani On Bloomberg TV
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