Taking the cake
by digby
I can hardly believe that gazillionaire Mayor Bloomberg would have the nerve to host an exclusive dinner for the financial, corporate and political elite to persuade them to slash the social safety net. It's almost beyond belief. But he did.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will host an intimate dinner at Gracie Mansion on Sunday night that brings together a bipartisan group of senators, Xerox chief executive Ursula Burns and other business and labor leaders to discuss how to pave the way for the Super Committee to "go big" and cut $4 trillion in federal spending, according to a source familiar with the dinner.
The Washington contingent includes Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Warner and Republican Sens. Bob Corker, and Saxby Chambliss, among others. The meeting will be a much smaller, more strategic affair -- 10 to 20 people -- than a similar dinner Warner threw at his home in September, which had a guest list of 60.
Sunday's dinner is another in a series of conversations that lawmakers, policy makers and business and labor leaders have been having since last summer to make a business case for big cuts in spending. A number of senators and business groups, including the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, having been urging the Super Committee to cut more than the $1.5 trillion it is charged with finding.
It's mind-boggling I know. But they really don't seem to have the vaguest clue what's going on.
There were some people there to greet them, via Harry Waisbren:
While we rallied outside, New York City's exceedingly out of touch Mayor for the 1% was hosting an intimate dinner party for Senators and corporate executives to urge the SuperCommittee to "go big" and cut $4 trillion in federal spending.
This would mean that much more dire straights for the 99%, given their desire to slash Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and everything else essential to our survival. It is also that much more ludicrous considering that if they really wanted to eliminate the budget deficit, they could simply tax the top 1% through a Millionaires Tax and a Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street speculation and that would be that.
So, since we weren't invited, we thought we would show up to let them know just how far removed from the people they really are. Fortunately, Marie Antoinette and Louis the XVI were able to join in the festivities, and they brought along plenty of cake to serve to us peasants!
A great time was had amongst the hundred or so participants at large, and we clearly got to the Mayor, if only considering the excessive police presence. They even shut down the public part next door to the mansion, much to the chagrin of the would-be dog walkers in the park. One thing I think even the least political amongst us know: dog-lovers are a constituency not to be trifled with!
You can check out our full Flickr set of photos and videos here, and a hearty thank you to Democracy for New York City, Yvonne Fitzner of Stop Fox and her cadre of 99ers, not to mention the Occupy Wall Street movement at large, for all of the support!
And a big hat tip to our Marie Antoinette, Job Party star supporter Rosemary Topar, for absolutely nailing the role! We had only heard about Bloomberg's special plans on Friday, so this kind of event was only possible due to unflappable activists like herself stepping up (and then some) last minute.
Plus, Marie clearly had the line of the night, as when she was being rained down upon with chants of "off with her head!!", she responded in an inquisitive French accent: "but I thought this was a non-violent movement?!"
If only Mayor Bloomberg and all the other social-safety-net-slashing 1%-ers could see the irony.
They're so far beyond irony --- or even normal perception --- that if this takes on a more serious cast I'm afraid they really will be as clueless as darling Marie was in real life. That didn't end well.
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