Tim Noah blogs today about the use of the term “crony capitalism” on the right. But this is no new theme for Sarah Palin.  Here is what I wrote in my draft paper on lobbying reform (out next year in the Stanford Law Review) about Palin’s views.

When FOX News host Sean Hannity asked Palin if campaign contributions to then-Senator Obama and other Members of Congress caused lax Congressional oversight over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Palin replied that “even more significant [than contributions] is the role that the lobbyists play in an issue like this….”[1]  She explained her views further in a Facebook post, in which she descried “crony capitalism” in negotiations over the financial reform bill: “Does anyone doubt that firms with the most lobbyists and the biggest campaign donations will be the ones who get seats in the lifeboat?”[2] She explained that “the big players who can afford lobbyists work the regulations in their favor, while their smaller competitors are left out in the cold.”[3]