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Okay this is weird...but why? Because Katrina is attacking herself...a registered lobbyist who took money from Wall St. fat cats... you are entering the no schvitz zone.
When I was a kid I couldn't watch Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez because I was embarrassed at the self deprecation. Somehow this feels similar. Your thoughts ?
For years, there's been an express train between Capitol Hill and K Street.
We have former employees of big corporations ending up in the agencies that are supposed to regulate them. We have former public servants securing high-paid jobs in the businesses they used to oversee.
That may be good for K Street, but it's bad for the American people.
Today I am announcing my plan to end the revolving door in Washington between public officials and corporate lobbyists.
Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director, wrote on the White House blog that
Let's be clear: Sen. Shelby is preventing qualified nominees who will help protect the American people from being confirmed. He's not alone, though. This is just the latest example of this kind opposition for opposition's sake that the President talked about earlier this week.
Which is accurate, as far as it goes, but really just a symptom of a bigger problem.
There are many Democratic candidates for federal office. We know Carol Shea-Porter is committed to keeping private health industry money out of her campaign.
What about the others? Anyone know? That information would be appreciated.
The national right-wing radioheads (you know, the real GOP bosses) are finally figuring out what's going on here in New Hampshire:
Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham showered praise on atty Ovide Lamontagne (R) on her show Weds, giving the conservative more ammunition as he seeks to define himself as the right-wing alternative in the race.
Lamontagne "is the only true conservative in a very important race," Ingraham said, introducing her guest this morning. "I am very impressed so far in what I'm seeing about your views. We're interested in true conservatism."
Ingraham blasted GOP senators, naming Min. Leader Mitch McConnell and NRSC chair John Cornyn, for hosting a fundraiser for ex-AG Kelly Ayotte (R), the leading contender in the GOP field.
Well timed, Ovide, given the fact that Kelly Ayotte cannot tear herself away from DC lobbyist attention:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte is back in Washington at this hour as the guest of honor at a fundraiser sponsored by a big telecommunications political action committee and a lobbyist for wireless communications companies.
Patrons are paying $1,000 per individual and $2,000 per PAC for the luncheon.
For the really very reasonable price range of $25,000 to $250,000 Blue Hampshire can provide exclusive access to its opinion-maker administrators and front-page writers.
(Hey, if it's good enough for the Very Serious Newspaper that employs the Very Serious Dana Milbank, then it's good enough for us.)
Of course, to be serious for a moment, no one batted an eye when Lauren Dorgan reported that WMUR's news anchor was working for the gambling lobby, so c'est la vie I guess. Oops. This is what I get for not owning a TeeVee. Mr. Spradling was not employed at WMUR at the time. Apologies to him.
Remember Bog Clegg, who, had it not been for Concord-area spoiler Jim Steiner, would have been the GOP nominee for CD2?
Former Hudson Sen. Robert Clegg, now a casino resort lobbyist, said his years in the Legislature convinced him the only way to get expanded gaming legal would be to combine forces.
"We can all come together and have a chance to succeed or do what we've always done before, which is to go our own separate ways and lose year after year,'' said Clegg, who represents the owners of Green Meadow Golf Club, who have their own plan for a casino in Hudson.
John McCain is in the pocket of oil companies.
John McCain is in the pocket of insurance companies.
John McCain is in the pocket of pharmaceutical companies.
John McCain in the pocket of the mortgage companies.
John McCain in the pocket of the banking industry.
Here is a list of lobbyists and employees of major companies working in major positions in the McCain campaign. It will answer any questions you might have about the people who are advising and influencing him.
http://mccainsource.com/corrup...
Darn those pesky foreign conflicts. They have a way of bringing up news GOPers would prefer not be so:
John McCain's top foreign policy adviser, Randall Scheunemann, lobbied for the nation of Georgia for four years, including for about a year after he joined the Republican senator's presidential campaign staff in early 2007.
Georgia has paid Scheunemann's firm, Orion Strategies, LLC, nearly $900,000 since 2004, including $200,000 for an eight-month contract that began on May 1, two weeks after McCain issued a strong statement criticizing Russia and supporting Georgia.
And look out, Ted Stevens. You're not the only Sununu mentor in town:
The briefings picked up in the summer of 2006, when Scheunemann briefed McCain and his aides several times before McCain took another trip to Georgia, this time with Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mel Martinez of Florida, Richard Burr of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire. Scheunemann joined them in Georgia, where they met with Saakashvili.
Saakashvili has been criticized for authoritarian tendencies following a crackdown on demonstrators last year, but McCain has been a staunch ally, sternly criticizing Moscow for its backing of pro-Russian, separatists.
"Frontrunner" Jennifer Horn attacking Bob Clegg on his support from lobbyists:
"People are tired of the backroom politicking of lawyers and professional politicians who feel more accountable to lobbyists than to their neighbors at home. We need to send someone who will represent the people over the lobbyist.''
And:
...we are calling on State Senator Clegg to return all money received from lobbyists. Special interests are no way to fill your campaign coffers."
Powerful stuff, huh? Well, here's an interesting tidbit from anti-lobbyist crusader Horn's FEC filing: two contributions to Jennifer Horn for Congress totalling 4,600 dollars from a Mark Ustin of Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips (there's also a second $4600 from another Ustin at the same address, occupation: "homemaker").
Who is Mark Ustin? A registered lobbyist in New York serving clients in the health care industry. And how deeply has Ustin's employer, Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips lobbied for companies? This deeply.
Since Horn had the hubris to claim that her "nearly $72,000" raised made her, without polls of any kind, the frontrunner "in only 10 weeks!", it's only fair to present them in this new light of her lobbyist contributions.
Let's see: "nearly $72,000" minus the 15 grand that she has loaned her own campaign brings her down to 56K and change. Subtract the 40.7 grand or so that the campaign has already blown through (a pretty high burn rate, imho), and you are down to 30,671.90 in cash-on-hand, to use the FEC filing's precise figure. (And then there's the matter of that loan to pay back.)
If you factor in the $4600 in lobbyist contributions, you can then conclude that just about 15% of her available money comes courtesy of the "special interests." And that's, out of fairness, not including the $4,600 from the other Ustin at the same address, though it's well known that it's a neat trick of the special interests to use a spouse's account to double the spending limit. That would make it almost 30%, or 3 out of every 10 dollars, of her total CoH.
Now that is "no way to fill your campaign coffers."
p.s. Kind of intriguing: what does it mean in light of Mark Ustin's health care industry lobbying, if anything, that a partner, and chair of the health care division of his employer Manatt, Phelps & Phillips recently wrote an article titled "Federal District Court Rules that New Hampshire's Broad Prohibition on Transfer and Use of Physician Prescribing Data Violates the First Amendment"? I'm not a lobbyist, but to me that sounds like fancy talk for Of course insurers should be able to run over state law and have access to your private medical data the better to deny you coverage!
Ive kicked the habit
Shed my skin
This is the new stuff
I go dancing in, we go dancing in
Oh wont you show for me
And I will show for you
Show for me, I will show for you
Yea, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do mean you
Only you
Youve been coming through
Going to build that power
Build, build up that power, hey
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Going to feel that power, build in you
Come on, come on, help me do
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Ive been feeding the rhythm
Its what were doing, doing
All day and night
Cross-posted from Daily Kos
In last night's debate, honey-tongued Barack Obama eloquently made his case for 'change.' Obama wants to form a coalition of willing Democrats, independents, and yes -- even Republicans -- to shake up Washington. Before Mr. Obama does to Washington, the first term Senator may want to consider shaking up his own campaign: His New Hampshire co-chair Jim Demers is a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry.
Hillary Clinton informed the Senator that a lobbyist was running his campaign during a sharp exchange about health care. Obama righteously denied the charge, but unfortunately for Obama, it was
proven true by Time's Mark Halperin. Obama was either grossly misinformed or worse. More after the Flip.
Who thinks we need to ameliorate the effect of money on the electoral process?
Everybody! Great!
Everybody who voted yes can do something about it today, now! You can take the pledge, sponsored by John Edwards, to refuse to vote for or caucus for a Democratic presidential candidate that accepts campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.
http://www.americabelongstous2...
Taking this pledge could eliminate this kind of money from the process if enough people take action. Taking this pledge does not hurt any campaign. It levels the playing field.
After taking this pledge, visit http://www.johnedwards.com/ and make a donation.
He could use it.
When you tell the truth about how these lobbyists are influencing our elected officials, those very same lobbyists are forced to make a business decision. Should we give money to a candidate who wants to shut us down?
It isn't surprising that John Edwards is not getting a dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACS.
Today John Edwards launched another initiative to change the way politics is practiced in this country. Maybe this effort won't change the world, but it is a start and it does highlight another key characteristic of our next president, courage. Today John Edwards launched
http://www.AmericaBelongsToUs2...
From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller
Today, the Edwards campaign launched americabelongstous2008.com, where voters can pledge to not support a Democratic presidential candidate who "accepts campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs." The campaign hopes to sign up 1 million "voices" by Feb. 5, 2008, the day the primary process hits critical mass as more than 20 states hold their primaries.
In a morning conference call with reporters, senior adviser Joe Trippi, deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince, and communications director Chris Kofinis insisted that the new campaign is intended as an effort to change the system, not just to elect Edwards. "Clearly, anybody who signs the pledge -- the push or what we'll be talking to them about as we get more isn't about John Edwards," Trippi said. "This is about changing the system. Obviously, one of the other things we will do is communicate to them about why John Edwards has been leading that fight."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com...
Lobbyists have taken control in Washington and America's hard-working families pay the price. They've stopped universal health care. They've secured unfair and unsafe trade deals that have cost America good middle-class jobs. They've left our children at risk from unsafe toys. They've sabotaged clean energy legislation that would address global warming. And they've squashed efforts for cheaper generic prescription drugs. Enough is enough. America belongs to us.
John Edwards has gotten many laughs with the cutting line about Industry Lobbyists: "If you give them a seat at the Table -- they'll eat all the food!"
Lobbyists are the "Bogey Man" that's everyone loves to hate -- but are they really that big of a Deal?
It's just Business right? Corporations are People too. They deserve to have their Voices heard in DC, too, Right? I thought I read that somewhere in the Constitution, Didn't I? .... Hmmmm ....
This weekend during John Edwards' trip to New Hampshire he spoke with voters and answered questions on a wide range of topics - everything from the recent vote on Iran to his detailed plans on how to overhaul No Child Left Behind.
There was one topic, however, that really stood out. With the threat of President Bush's veto of the recently passed S-CHIP legislation hanging in the air, health care was a hot topic. Over and over again voters asked the question: Why, do we, the richest country in the world, not have the universal health care we need? This weekend at New Hampshire town halls and house parties across the state John addressed this issue and explained exactly why so many American's are still without health care - because Bush and his GOP cronies sold Americans' health care to drug company and health insurance lobbyists.
Since 1998, drug company lobbyists have spent over $1.2 billion on lobbying. In 2004, Bush and the Republican leaders of the Medicare Part D Prescription drug plan took over $14 million from drug company lobbyists. The drug companies and the health care industry spent this money because they expected something in return. They knew what they were doing. Thanks to the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan insurance companies got a new funding formula that causes taxpayers to overpay private HMOs to deliver benefits that the government could do for 12% cheaper. If we maintain this funding formula the government will overpay private HMOs $149 billion over the next decade. This legislation was tailored for the big pharmaceutical insurance companies - rather than the people who should have mattered most - the Americans in need of affordable health care.
Is it just me, or does John Edwards sometimes remind anyone else of your typical superhero? You know, fighting for the little guy, saving democracy, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Well, OK, maybe not that last one, but the man is inspiring.
Today, John gave a speech in New Hampshire that was all about saving democracy. After years of having politicians tell us that the best we can expect is incremental change within our broken system, it is quite astounding to hear someone actually tell the truth about what is wrong with our system, and propose major reforms to fix it. To me, having the courage to confront our big problems and offer real solutions makes John a real hero, despite the conspicuous lack of spandex in his wardrobe.
No one seems to want to deny that this particular lunch with lobbyists and federal contractors was unseemly. anyone care to challenge Chris Matthews charges?
Not much need to add any description...
do people care about this stuff or do they just think this is how washington DC works? Any chance voters will see a difference between the "republican" culture of corruption and this type of behavior?
