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There was an old dude in Nantucket.
His campaign going to hell in a bucket.
When some protesters tore
Into him for the war,
He and Jill tried their best just to duck it. — Anonymous
President Biden spent much of the Thanksgiving holiday on Nantucket staying at the estate of David Rubenstein, the billionaire co-founder of the Carlyle Group private equity firm.
Carlyle's executives include former secretary of defense and CIA deputy director Frank Carlucci, former secretary of state James Baker III, former President George Bush, former UK Prime Minister John Major, and former chairman of the SEC Arthur Levitt. Osama Bin Laden's estranged family was personally invested in the group until recently.
In The Iron Triangle, journalist Dan Briody examines a company at the nexus of big business, government, and defense that, according to some sources, epitomizes corporate cronyism, conflicts of interest, and war profiteering.
The current “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza and the release of hostages by both Hamas and Israel are seen as feathers in Biden’s cap at a time when his poll numbers are in the toilet.
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Rubenstein, a history buff, believes in “patriotic philanthropy” which apparently translates into personally owning and then loaning out as much American heritage as he can buy in exchange for big tax breaks.
In 2007, he spent $21.3 million on a 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta. He loaned it to the National Archives and, four years later, financed the construction of a new, $13.5 million gallery to house the document. He has bought two copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, and loaned one to President Obama, who displayed it for a time in the Oval Office.
[A tip from me to Rubenstein: I hear the US Constitution and even the Supreme Court are up for sale to the highest bidder.]
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CONNECTIONS…
Carlyle’s tentacles reach all the way into Chicago. Carlyle’s founder, William E. "Bill" Conway Jr. serves as Co-Executive Chairman of the Board. His right-wing son Bill, former investment banker at J.P. Morgan, is the alderman of the 34th Ward. Using daddy’s money, Conway previously ran a racist campaign against Kim Foxx for State’s Attorney in 2020 but was handily defeated.
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One of the Nantucket protesters was Sarah Nabulsi, a 34-year-old who grew up on the island and whose father is Palestinian. She said she realized that Biden has spent much of his political career bolstering a pro-Israeli record but felt in this moment they needed to be heard.
“We wanted to confront him,” she said. “We don’t think its appropriate for an elected official to hide here on this island when he’s responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians — directly responsible.”
Really disgusting, thanks for calling him out. Genocide Joe!
Mike--This is a jaw-dropping exposé. Thank you for doing the heavy lifting. The Carlyle Group? And Biden hanging out with David Rubenstein? DISGUSTING! I'm already upset that Biden has paid only the smallest jot of lip service to the Palestinians. I cannot bear to think of 45's return. I can't. I just can't. But Biden is becoming less and less palatable.