Re: Microsoft Increased Lobbying in '98

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

On Wed, 30 Dec 1998 01:41:56 -0500, Mitch Stone wrote:

>>I basically agree with you.  Donations to the political process may not pass
>>the smell test, but they are part of business/politics as usual and this
>>applies to Microsoft's competitors as well.  As I said before, the person who
>>may face some consequences is the SC Atty Gen. who might some day be called
>>upon to explain to the voters why he changed the state's legal position in a
>>lawsuit after receiving a campaing contribution from a party to that lawsuit.
>
>Sure. We trod over this same ground a few months ago, and I believe the 
>question at the time was, "can the prosecution of Microsoft be 
>characterized as anything but a political act?" If you answer "no" to 
>this question, then following the money becomes of singular importance -- 
>and perhaps all justice can be said to be bought and paid for on the open 
>market (Simon's thinking?). 
>
>But others present argued that the DoJ's Antitrust Division had been 
>thoroughly defanged during the Reagan administration, and was only now 
>beginning to recover its wits and make some effort to enforce the laws. 
>While it's certainly no accident that this occurred after a Democrat was 
>elected to the White House, I think it would be a mistake to presume that 
>law enforcement is little more than a political act, even though _how_ 
>the law is enforced can have definite political consequences.


     I believe it's both.  Although I believe the case MUST have merits
to succeed, absent the 'political will' it would have never been
pursued in the first place.  IMO it would be naive to believe these
kinds of cases occur within a political vacuum, but for the most part
that means that those cases actually pursued really need to pass a
stronger 'smell test'.  A purely political act is much more likely to
be one of omission (because the public is much less likely to see it
for what it is).  It's much easier to quash a good case than it is to
pursue a weak one (not that it never happens), the latter comes with a
much higher degree of political liability.

--
 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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