December 18, 2017--A Corker
What did it take to get Senator Corker to switch his vote on the so-called tax reform bill?
Not much.
Fending off criticism that he flipped from opposing it to supporting it for mercenary reasons, he claimed he did so in part because John McCain's illness is preventing him from participating in the final vote. Corker suggested he became a supporter to, in effect, offer his vote in place of McCain's. A supporter, in McCain's case, largely because of huge tax advantages it offers to the Arizona senator himself and his family. Specifically his heiress wife.
Then Corker, to defend himself, expressed outrage that he had anything to do with provisions added to the bill that would be of significant financial benefit to him--a technical addition that provides a "carve out" that will allow certain kinds of real estate investments to become part of the pass-through provision of the bill and thus make them more valuable to large investors.
Large investors such as Corker, with a net worth of more than $50 million. Much of it in real estate.
He claims he knew nothing about this and it wasn't part of a deal to get him to flip. As a congressional insider for 11 years he certainly would know how these kinds of deals work. Here's how it worked in his case, something I know about as I used to do this sort of thing with Congress--
To provide Corker and his ilk plausible deniability staffers search around in a major bill to find things they could expand and, without having to be asked or prompted, slip into a bill to please someone whose vote they are looking to secure.
This is clearly what happened in Corker's case. He didn't need to wink or ask for the bill to be sweetened for him and, in spite of the fact that he hates Donald Trump, who has publicly humiliated him, he is going along with the bill because it is just too bountiful a deal for him and his family. It is so good that, deficit hawk though he is, because of this covert process, he could pretend his vote did not contradict his alleged passionate concern that the GOP bill will add at least $1.5 trillion to the national debt.
Cash is cash and his vote is for sale.
Not much.
Fending off criticism that he flipped from opposing it to supporting it for mercenary reasons, he claimed he did so in part because John McCain's illness is preventing him from participating in the final vote. Corker suggested he became a supporter to, in effect, offer his vote in place of McCain's. A supporter, in McCain's case, largely because of huge tax advantages it offers to the Arizona senator himself and his family. Specifically his heiress wife.
Then Corker, to defend himself, expressed outrage that he had anything to do with provisions added to the bill that would be of significant financial benefit to him--a technical addition that provides a "carve out" that will allow certain kinds of real estate investments to become part of the pass-through provision of the bill and thus make them more valuable to large investors.
Large investors such as Corker, with a net worth of more than $50 million. Much of it in real estate.
He claims he knew nothing about this and it wasn't part of a deal to get him to flip. As a congressional insider for 11 years he certainly would know how these kinds of deals work. Here's how it worked in his case, something I know about as I used to do this sort of thing with Congress--
To provide Corker and his ilk plausible deniability staffers search around in a major bill to find things they could expand and, without having to be asked or prompted, slip into a bill to please someone whose vote they are looking to secure.
This is clearly what happened in Corker's case. He didn't need to wink or ask for the bill to be sweetened for him and, in spite of the fact that he hates Donald Trump, who has publicly humiliated him, he is going along with the bill because it is just too bountiful a deal for him and his family. It is so good that, deficit hawk though he is, because of this covert process, he could pretend his vote did not contradict his alleged passionate concern that the GOP bill will add at least $1.5 trillion to the national debt.
Cash is cash and his vote is for sale.
Labels: John McCain, Senate, Senator Corker, Tax Bill
posted by Steven Zwerling at
1:18 PM
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