The Note: Despite Rhetoric Dean relies on "Washington Insiders" [View All]

[DJcairo]

Roll Call 's Chris Cillizza reports that despite bashing his opponents as "Washington insiders," Howard Dean is "relying on a group of seasoned lobbyists and other Washington political operatives to help guide his own inside-the-Beltway efforts."

Roll Call 's Chris Cillizza reports that despite bashing his opponents as "Washington insiders," Howard Dean is "relying on a group of seasoned lobbyists and other Washington political operatives to help guide his own inside-the-Beltway efforts."
"The group, which meets every two to three weeks, was organized by former Clinton administration official Maria Echaveste and Nikki Heidepriem, a former staffer to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). It includes roughly 25 people who assemble in an informal gathering of Capitol Hill staffers, lobbyists, lawyers, and employees of nonprofit and advocacy organizations."

"Among those who regularly attend the meetings are former Rep. Toby Moffett (D-Conn.), now a lobbyist affiliated with the Livingston Group; former" DNC vice chair "Lynn Cutler of Holland & Knight; and Christine Varney, a Hogan & Hartsen attorney who served as the general counsel on the first Clinton presidential bid and as a Federal Trade Commissioner from 1995 to 1997."

"Terry Lierman, a former Hill staffer, lobbyist and House candidate who now serves as Dean's national finance co-chair, is also a regular participant."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote.html