WSJ- Obama has a lobbyist problem just like McCain [View All]

[underpants]

:eyes:

http://online.wsj.com/article/potomac_watch.html


POTOMAC WATCH
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

The Lobbyist Wars
June 13, 2008; Page A13
Enough with the differences between John McCain and Barack Obama. Let's talk about what they have in common. And let's start with their unique ability to create problems where none ought to exist. In this case, the Lobbyist Wars.


Foreign policy, health care, taxes, who cares? What's any of that compared with the riveting question of who employs what lobbyist, in what capacity, and just how heinous was that lobbyist's crime? The nominees devoted their first full general-election week to trading accusations over who retained a worse breed of humanity. Mr. McCain's vice-presidential vetter is a former lobbyist! The co-chairman for the Democrats' presidential convention is a current lobbyist! The Arizonan senator's campaign manager is a lobbyist on leave! The Illinois senator's chief strategist is as good as a lobbyist!

Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama criticized "dirty" money in elections. Both pledged fealty to convoluted campaign finance laws. And both, when actually faced with winning an election, realized that money is useful in a democracy. They've therefore spent most of their campaigns bending campaign finance rules and attempting to explain away their heresies. They both should've learned a lesson.


*this is where it gets good... and weird :silly: *

Instead, Mr. Obama decided to up the stakes by also swearing off dirty lobbyist money; he's since instructed the Democratic National Committee to do the same. But these fig-leaf rules have only led to cries of hypocrisy, since his campaign still takes money from companies that employ lobbyists, and since Hill Democrats still take lobby dollars, regardless of the DNC ban. All this was an invitation for the press to dig into Mr. Obama's lobbying connections, forcing the campaign to devise inventive explanations for why the particular lobbyists it employs don't undermine Mr. Obama's message.

*---Jeesh talk about stretching it. So I guess anyone who ever logged onto his website or bought a bumpersticker has ever shared an elevator with someone who once met a lobbyist (how many are there in DC again?) then clearly Obama is a hypocrite and is in bed with them just like McCain, it's only a matter of degree. -----*


Mr. McCain, to his credit, hasn't instituted a lobby-money ban. But always keen to grab the holier-than-thou label, he too has railed against the "iron triangle of money, lobbyists and legislation." The ensuing press scrutiny has resulted in the McCain camp cutting ties with at least five employees. Instead of building up an organization, it's been busy revetting all its employees and ensuring they comply with a complex new lobby policy.

*--- so getting caught red handed with lobbyist for the Myanmar Junta as your pick to run the RNC convention and have to slowly (as caught) purge lobbyists from your inner circle is now "cutting ties" mmmmmokay ---*

Most frustrating is that the lobbyist wars obscure more serious issues. The head of Mr. Obama's VP vetting team, Jim Johnson, wasn't under fire because he was a lobbyist. He resigned because of sweetheart mortgage deals with Countrywide Financial. This is serious stuff, and Mr. Obama ought to take heat for the connection. Instead he was able to claim Mr. Johnson was part of the bigger "insider" debate and claim Mr. McCain, who also employs "insiders," was in no position to judge.

*-- wow they found ONE in the Obama camp. ONE, not FIVE but ONE so it is all equal ---*