. . . Item One: In an article posted to this list yesterday, it is revealed that in this Y2K campaign fund-raising cycle, the Dems are attracting as much big biz soft money donations as are the Repubs. . . .
[mbs] This would happen w/ or without an ideological shift because the Dems look to win both the WH and House of Reps this year. The business boyz are hedging their bets. Of course, the Clinton-Gore line helps raise business dough. I don't see a similar shift in the House. Gephardt has always been 'flexible' on these issues. The real lions are people like Bonior and Louise Slaughter. Another reason for Gephardt's stance is that divisions among Dems are bad for this Fall. There's an incentive to paper over differences until the elections are over.
Traficant is of no significance whatsoever.
. . . Item Four: Hard-line conservative Congressman Rohrbacher of Orange County CA (also former speechwriter for Reagan) was also on C-Span last night, blasting Clinton/Gore for coddling "butchers of Beijing," . . .
This is garden variety anti-communism, is all. Some on the right trying to milk the trade issue, at the same time leaching the economic content out of it. Not that there aren't butchers in Beijing, but Rohrbacher is obviously selective about who he attacks.
I think elites are split re: Gore vs. Bush. It would be interesting to see if there was some pattern to how business types chose sides.
mbs