Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Cui bono?

I know, I've used this title before. It's often the most useful question to ask, though. I asked it in comments, downstream, on the P&O ports question.

Now, the New York Sun has an interesting insight on that question.

Somehow, it doesn't add up. Senators Menendez, Clinton, Lautenberg, Schumer, Dodd, and Boxer are up in arms over the Bush administration's decision to allow Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, to take over operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami, and Philadelphia. So are Reps. Vito Fossella and Peter King. One has to wonder, what makes this group, not particularly known for its hawkishness - in some cases known for abject dovishness - suddenly more hawkish than President Bush? It turns out their objections look to be less and less about American national security and more about plain old politics and political money and a labor union notorious for its ties to organized crime on the waterfront. ....

So what, one wonders, accounts for the sudden turnabout and interest of all these politicians in the UAE as a potential terrorist threat? The answer got a lot clearer yesterday afternoon when the International Longshoremen's Association, the AFL-CIO-affiliated union that represents workers at the six ports that would be affected by the Dubai deal, issued a statement praising the politicians complaining about the deal. The union's statement expressed "great concern" about the transaction. From there, it's easy to just follow the money - documented by The New York Sun's examination of Federal Election Commission records - from the political action committee of the International Longshoremen's Association into the pockets of the protesting politicians.

Mr. Schumer, the first to raise the alarm about the deal? He's collected $4,500 in campaign contributions from the trough of the Longshoremen. Rep. Peter King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who was one of the first big-name Republicans to break ranks with the administration over the deal? The Longshoremen's political committee donated $5,500 to the King campaign. It turns out that nearly every politician who has been at the forefront of the opposition to the Dubai deal is on the receiving end of some Longshoreman largesse.

18 comments:

chuck said...

Well, maybe,

But the dollar amounts don't look that large. I expect that what the politicians gain in this case is political capital, not monetary capital.

chuck said...

This is going to end badly for the politicians who jumped aboard this train.

I think it will be a close run thing at best, the advantage seems to be with the anti's right now. Ecclesiastes might be a better guide to the rewards of virtue than the mere presence of Schumer on the other side. Demagogues *do* know what they are doing.

Rick Ballard said...

It isn't as if this is hidden.

Delve folks - the answer is out there

Click "about" to achieve an understanding.

Nice famiy business - is there anyone in particular that I have to kill to get a piece?

Whom would one think "owns" the stevedores?

Rick Ballard said...

Knuck,

He's digging in his heels because it's the right thing to do*.

That's why we hired him.

* as interpreted by Bushcultist 3rd degree.

chuck said...

...outbidding the world's two biggest container port operators.

I suppose I could protest the transaction on the grounds that government owned corporations are a bad thing: they get a competitive advantage due to government funding. How much oil money flows into DPW? How much government money flows into Airbus? There is an anti-competitive aspect here. It looks to me like DP may be attempting to acquire a monopoly.

flenser said...

It's not hard to see what the D's get out of this. At best they get an increase in their own private tax base, aka union workers. At a minimum they get to pose as tougher on security than Bush.

It's what is motivating the R's that has me baffled. But they don't call them the stupid party for nothing.

Eric said...

The motivation for many on the right is simply knee-jerk bigotry. It also shows just how little a great many know about any of the countries in the middle East. (Especially those small Emirates, that are effectively client states of the US.).

Charlie Martin said...

Don't forget that unions can offer significant help in ways that don't show up as dollars contributed, eg, union members who "volunteer" to walk the precincts. Not to mention the number of union people who otherwise know where the bodies are buried (which, with this union, may not be a metaphor.)

Unknown said...

Myabe it is just me but I always worried about the unions and security. I think most of the rank and file are good people, but hey we have all the stories about organized crime. And I have never been impressed with the integrity of the Mafia.

I feel like I am missing something also. What was Bush supposed to do? P&O have a right to sell their company to the highest bidder if they damn well feel like it and unless we can come up with some real facts concerning Dubai's lack of trustworhtiness...on what grounds do we nix the deal? It would seem to me that unless we want to change the law and make it illegal for foreigners to do this then we can not very well complain when they sell to a {gasp} raghead. That is it isn't it?

I doubt if it makes the folks running UAE popular in their own neighborhood to be so close to the US, but they do it. That might change if we stiff them.

It is as if some guy wanted to sell his house to a black family and all the "decent" folks got up in arms about it.

Charlie Martin said...

Well, Terrye, that would certainly tell you what the "decent" folks really think, wouldn't it?

Unknown said...

seneca:

Yes, I guess it would.

Unknown said...

knucklehead:

I think you and I are the practical types. We wonder, yeah, but who would do the work?

You know I heard that they won this deal in a bidding war with Singapore. Would these folks be more happy with them?

chuck said...

Daniel Drezner has a good rundown on the controversy and lots of good links.

Syl said...

Something's bugging me and that's Instapundit mad at Bush because he should have foreseen this would blow up as a big hoopla.

I don't get it. I mean it's not as if Bush was signing the contract himself. There must be hundreds of these types of things going on every day. Why should Bush even know about it?

DHS surely does and they obviously didn't flag it in any special way.

And it's not as if it happened yesterday either.

But, heh. I question the timing. I thought this week was supposed to be Cheney bashing week. ;0

chuck said...

Dennis the Peasant comes through big time.

Syl said...

from Chuck's link (a quote from someone at the council of foreign relations):

"Calls from lawmakers to reconsider the approval have come after the thirty-day period to raise objections had expired."

Heh.

Syl said...

This is going to end badly for the politicians who jumped aboard this train.

Well the least I'd like to see is the MSM handed it's ass for the stupid initial reporting.

'Port Security' my left foot.

Unknown said...

Syl:

I wondered the same thing re Bush. I hear it all the time. Everytime the Demcorats or the media shows their asses Bush should have seen this coming. Like he does not have anything else to think about except what hissy fit Malkin and Clinton might be getting ready to throw.

I have really been disgusted with the knee jerk reaction of some conservative bloggers on this.