Quote:
Originally Posted by darryl
I wonder if Amazon is as competent at lobbying as they seem to be at everything else they do. Also, I doubt the connection with the Washington Post will do any harm either.
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So far he seems to be getting good press
from it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b0d8cc1098aefc
More, being based in Seattle he is doubtlessly aware of the price Microsoft paid for *not* having a lobbying machine in place, 20 years ago. Microsoft now has one of the biggest, best... greased... lobbying operations in DC. Nobody hears of it because that is how corporate lobbying is supposed to be: discrete, gentile, out of sight of the masses who are now more than ever ready to lynch anybody associated with ripping off the masses.
Amazon? Best guess is they have one of the better lobbying groups: look at how they killed the internet sales tax movement. They announced their support for a single, uniform tax for the entire country, at the federal level, and got a slew of Senators (not as cheap to buy as Congressmen and some even have a shred of conscience--just a shred, but still...) to support their proposal, safe in the knowledge it would never fly but it preempted all the state level efforts. When was the last time any big US retailer whined about Amazon not collecting sales tax? 2014? 2013?
Again, no politician wants to be seen supporting giant multinationals in their effort to raise prices on consumers. (NY's Schumer quickly kneejerked in favor of the Manhattan Mafia when the DOJ filed their antitrust case but quickly ran back under his rock when the evidence of price hikes was presented.)
At most, these regular stunts by the gold-plated gang might serve as cover for some politician in a safe seat to make an ominous speech or two but as long as Amazon doesn't do anything seriously stupid (and fails to delete emails) this whole zombie meme isn't going any further than the usual tradpub apologist circles.