Working Assets Puts Harry Reid on Notice

by: Matt Stoller

Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 20:25

It's been all over the news that in 2007, executives at Verizon and AT&T donated over $42,000 to Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Prior to 2007, Rockefeller wasn't getting any significant contributions from telecomm executives. But of course, prior to 2007, Rockefeller wasn't pushing his committee to grant retroactive immunity to phone companies that helped the NSA with its secret, warrantless surveillance on America's telephone calls.

There are so many reasons to be enraged by this.

As CEO of Working Assets, the socially responsible mobile and long distance company, I have watched for 15 years while big telecomm "bought" monopoly power from Congress, from the White House and from the FCC. This is how they do business. Instead of building the best phone company, they buy politicians.

Harry Reid has definitely been put on notice.  And Dodd is on Meet the Press this Sunday.  I imagine that the Senate Democrats aren't very happy with Chris Dodd right now.  But then, the American people aren't very happy with the Senate.

I should note that I was a fellow at Working Assets about a year and a half ago, and I learned more from Michael and Becky about progressive politics than I have from any two people I know.