You are here: Home » News »

Student Loan Overhaul Taking Filibuster-Proof Route To Overcome Corporate Opposition

03/12/2010 5:03 pm 0 comments

Source: Dan Froomkin/The Huffington Post

Having finally decided to use the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process to push health-care reform over the finish line, Democratic leaders have tentatively agreed to attach a long-sought overhaul of college financial aid to the measure.

That’s because health care and federal financial aid have something very significant in common: Hugely powerful corporate interests devoted to preserving the status quo — and willing to spend vast amounts of money on campaign donations, lobbying and PR to fight change.

When corporate interests are threatened, the Republican Party can often be counted on to fall into lockstep opposition — but so can handfuls of skittish or pro-business Democrats in both chambers. As a result, when a well-funded ox is in danger of getting gored, good luck getting 60 votes in the Senate. Heck, even 50 can be a challenge.

The financial aid measure provides a case study in the susceptibility of elected officials, especially during campaign season, to pressure from moneyed interests.

To read this article in its entirety visit The Huffington Post.

Sphere: Related Content

Students Allegedly Showed Up Drunk For First Day Of School

Source: The Huffington Post After a number of students showed up appearing to be intoxicated at the first day of school ...

Texas A&M System To Pay Professors Based On Performance

Source: The Huffington Post The Texas A&M University System plans to determine professor payment based on cost-benefit analysis of their work. The ...

Obama Warns Of ‘Massive Layoffs Of Teachers, Police, And Firefighters’

Source: AP / The Huffington Post Washington - If Chuck Lacasse had gotten his pink slip four days earlier, Uncle ...

Wall Street Reform: Progressive Dems Glimpse Victory

Source: Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post For the first time since the Great Depression, Congress has Wall Street on ...

Arizona Ethnic Studies Classes Banned, Teachers With Accents Can No Longer Teach English

Source: The Huffington Post Arizona's new immigration law is just about crime, its supporters say, but given that the state's new ...

Day Of Action: At March 4 Protests Rowdy CA Students, Reportedly Armed, Block Campus

Rowdy protesters blocked major gates at two California universities and smashed the windows of a car Thursday amid campus protests ...

Day Of Action Dawns With Excitement; Protests Underway

Students, professors, teachers and unions around the country will organize today to protest America's imperiled education system with more than ...

California readies for Student Day of Action

University of California students are gearing up for Thursday, Mar. 4, the state's designated Student Day of Action to protest ...

Shutdown Averted Again: Congress Passes Temporary Government Funding Bill

Source: AP / The Huffington Post The House voted to fund the government for an additional six weeks on Tuesday, giving ...

7-Year-Old Girl Gets Alcohol Poisoning From Drinking Hand Sanitizer (VIDEO)

Virginia Girl Gets Alcohol Poisoning After Ingesting Hand Sanitizer at School: MyFoxDC.com Source: The Huffington Post An angry father wonders why his ...

Students Allegedly Showed Up Drunk For First Day

Texas A&M System To Pay Professors Based On

Obama Warns Of ‘Massive Layoffs Of Teachers, Police,

Wall Street Reform: Progressive Dems Glimpse Victory

Arizona Ethnic Studies Classes Banned, Teachers With Accents

Day Of Action: At March 4 Protests Rowdy

Day Of Action Dawns With Excitement; Protests Underway

California readies for Student Day of Action

Shutdown Averted Again: Congress Passes Temporary Government Funding

7-Year-Old Girl Gets Alcohol Poisoning From Drinking Hand

More from the Roland S. Martin Blog

Politics Washington Watch
Rep. Clyburn Pushes The Clyburn Amendment To Help The Poorest Of The Poor (VIDEO)

Rep. James Clyburn joined Roland Martin on the set of Washington Watch to discuss the Clyburn Amendment. This amendment was created to help the poorest of the poor across the United States. MR. MARTIN: Is there anything specific the President and Congress can do to target African-Americans when it comes to this high unemployment number? REP. CLYBURN: Yes, there is, and we – you’ll find it in the rule development part of the so-called “stimulus bill.” I- — was – [...]
Read more →
News
WASHINGTON WATCH: Rep. James Clyburn On Feb. Job Numbers, African-American Unemployment, Bipartisan Jobs Bill (VIDEO)

New employment numbers came out Friday showing the economy continues to recover and continues to add jobs at a pretty healthy pace. There were 233,000 private-sector jobs created in February. That’s two, solid years of private-sector job growth. The unemployment rate was steady at 8.3 percent. Black unemployment was 14.1 percent, up half a percentage point from last month. Big job gains came in healthcare, business and professional services, as well as restaurants. The jobs problem and the upcoming election [...]
Read more →
Commentary Sports
ROLAND S. MARTIN: Props To NCAA For Banning Connecticut From March Madness

By Roland S. Martin Editor-in-Chief RolandMartinReports.com March Madness is usually a wild and crazy time on the campuses of the nation’s big-time college basketball programs as fans wait in line for days for tickets to see their favorite collegiate do battle in the NCAA postseason tournament. But if you’re a Connecticut Huskie fan, you’d better hope your team can have a magical run in the Big East tourney and qualify for an automatic bid because when it’s time for [...]
Read more →
Media Politics Roland Martin On CNN Video
Getting To The Polls: Is There An Enthusiasm Gap Amongst Republican And Democratic Voters?

Donna Brazile, Roland Martin, Ari Fleischer, Erick Erickson, Jessica Yellen and Anderson Cooper analyze voter turn out and if there is an enthusiasm gap amongst the GOP and Democrats. Sphere: Related Content
Read more →
Media Politics Roland Martin On CNN Video
Gingrich Has Problems With Women Voters, They Don’t Trust Him (VIDEO)

Roland Martin, Erick Erickson, Donna Brazile, Ari Fleischer and Anderson Cooper discuss Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, their wives and Gingrich’s problems with women voters.
Read more →
Commentary Sports
ROLAND S. MARTIN: Football Power In Texas Has Shifted To Houston

By Roland S. Martin Editor-in-Chief RolandMartinReports.com I hate the Dallas Cowboys. No, I don’t dislike them. I flat out cannot stand anything about the Dallas Cowboys. The year they went 1-15, I was ticked they won that one game. When they played in those three Super Bowls in the ’90s, I rooted hard for the opposition. Hell, I hate them more than the Ku Klux Klan! That’s why I take great pleasure in seeing the transfer of power in the [...]
Read more →
Politics
Herman Cain Tops Mitt Romney In Latest CBS/NYT Poll

Source: Corbett B. Daly / CBS News CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. Businessman Herman Cain is now atop the field of Republican White House hopefuls, squeaking past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. Cain garnered 25 percent support of Republican primary voters in the poll released on Tuesday, compared to Romney’s 21 percent. To read this article in its entirety [...]
Read more →
Politics
Rick Perry: Obama Birth Certificate ‘A Good Issue To Keep Alive’

Source: Luke Johnson / The Huffington Post Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the birther issue was worth “keeping alive” in a CNBC interview Tuesday morning. “It’s a good issue to keep alive. It’s fun to poke at him,” said Perry, according to host John Harwood. Perry also spoke evasively about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate in an interview with Parademagazine published over the weekend. When asked if he believed the president was born in the United States, he said, “I have no reason to think [...]
Read more →
Video
What Did You Think Of The GOP Debate? (VIDEO)

CNN’s T.J. Holmes caught up with some folks just after the Las Vegas GOP debate ended. WATCH: Sphere: Related Content
Read more →
Video
Poverty Rises For Blacks In Omaha (VIDEO)

CNN’s Thelma Gutierrez reports on the disproportionate rate of poverty among African-Americans in Omaha, Nebraska. WATCH: Sphere: Related Content
Read more →

← previous next →

Trending On RolandSMartin.com

More from the Roland S. Martin Blog