Sen. Cantwell helped lobbyist's clients

[TechBear_Seattle]

Sen. Cantwell helped lobbyist's clients
By MATTHEW DALY and JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON - Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell helped arrange more than $11 million in federal money in the past year for projects benefiting clients of a lobbyist who is advising her re-election campaign and still owes her money from a personal loan.

...

Since last fall, Cantwell has helped persuade Senate appropriators to set aside $9.6 million — known as "earmarks" in congressional parlance — for a dam project benefiting two clients of Dotzauer's firm and $2 million more for the biotechnology company Inologic also represented by his firm.

...

"It is clear that this financial relationship web between the senator and the lobbyist creates a huge conflict of interest," said Ellen Miller, head of the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, which is working to highlight how lawmakers use earmarks to reward special interests.

"At the end of the day, there is a private lobbyist who is making a lot of money off her public actions. And it certainly appears, with the loan, to give her a stake in his financial success," she said.

The article continues at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060908/ap_on_go_co/senator_cantwell_lobbyist

Added Feh! I got the link wrong. It's been corrected

[Donnachaidh]

1. link?

[LA lady]

5. How close is this race?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060908/ap_on_go_co/senator_cantwell_lobbyist

[Mass]

7. Very close at this point, and the GOP is feeling desperate

She made a personal loan to somebody and disclosed it. She helped get funds for a project for her state.

What is the big deal here?

They do not know what to invent.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. The big deal is...

That the person who made the loan to her is directly profiting from the projects she is getting for the state. Would you be so tolerant if the Senator were, say, former Washington senator Slade Gorton? Or soon to be former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman?

[Mass]

18. He is indebted to her, not the opposite.

[TechBear_Seattle]

20. Huh?

Cantwell borrowed money from Dotzauer. She (the senator) still owes him (the lobbyist) a lot of money. How does that make him indebted to her? Because she has steered millions of dollars worth of federal projects to the company he owns? That takes the issue far beyond mere accusations of conflict of interest, you realize.

[Mass]

21. No, it is the opposite, From the article you referred to

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell helped arrange more than $11 million in federal money in the past year for projects benefiting clients of a lobbyist who is advising her re-election campaign and still owes her money from a personal loan.

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. I doubt Maria needs to borrow money very often. n/t

[Jax]

26. Agree

she certainly has enough to buy off her primary opponents.

I wish Hong Tran would kick her war loving butt...I was happy to donate to Hong Tran's campaign.

[brentspeak]

22. Did you even bother to read your own posted article?

The article says that Dotzauer borrowed money from Cantwell, not the other way around.

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Oops, sorry.

I hit return before I was finished writing :blush:

[Judi Lynn]

23. That happens occassionally here with people who only post articles

they believe will hurt Democrats.

DU'ers are used to seeing it.

[NVMojo]

2. ummm, no link????

[Mass]

3. Compared to Halliburton and Bechtel, it is chump change

[Sammy Pepys]

4. Just another day....

Why single out Cantwell? Pretty much every member of Congress does this.

[Ignacio Upton]

6. Another smear pice designed to help McGavick

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Senator_Cantwell_Lobbyist.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

11. So pointing out conflicts of interest is a "smear piece"?

Crimeny, you sound like a neo-con reacting to criticism of the President.

[Ignacio Upton]

12. It's not illegal

This article is about as relevent as that AP's smear pieces on Reid. BTW, you should realize that this is a close race. The knee-jerk anti-Cantwell movement is enabling that asshole McGavick.

You should also realize that we have as many as FOUR of our own Senate seats vulnerable. NJ, MD, WA, MN, and possibly MI are all considered competitive is slightly. I don't want to aid McGavick, Kean Jr., Steele, Kennedy, or Bouchard.

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. I said nothing about illegal, did I? Neither did the article.

The issue is the blatant appearance of of conflict-of-interest, which is most definitely relevant and information that voters should have.

Or is reporting facts about candidates only good and wholesome when it is someone other than your own?

[SquireJons]

31. Isn't this the same thing Harris is accused of doing?

And she's gets villified (righly) for being a tool. Why should it be any different with Cantwell?

[pnwmom]

35. What same thing?

[SquireJons]

39. Similar conflicts of interest

Harris is caught up in an investigation about a quid pro quo scheme involving earmarks benefiting a defense contractor who then made illegal donations to her campaign (which is different than loans, I realize). But passing earmarks for persons who you have close financial dealings with is improper at best.

[pnwmom]

40. This is not similar at all to what Harris is accused of.

Read LumberJack Jeff's post below, #27, for the details.

There is nothing improper about Cantwell working for an appropriation that will benefit an important state electric utility, even if that utility is one of many customers of some lobbyist who Cantwell lent money to years ago, before he even was a lobbyist.

How a Democrat could compare Cantwell's situation to Harris's is beyond me . . . are you a third party person?

[SquireJons]

50. I don't support conflict of interest

I don't care whether it's Democrat or Republican in nature. I think you're giving Cantwell too much of a break. She has the obligation to avoid situations like this. She may not have done anything wrong, but appearances do matter. When someone in congress specifically earmarks 11 million dollars for someone who owes her money, then that is a conflict of interest. It's pretty simple and not dependent on political parties. I vote democrat, but I will not support corruption.

[pnwmom]

52. She didn't earmark the appropriation for someone who owes her money.

She voted for an appropriation for an important state electric utility, that happens to be one of many customers of a state lobbyist, to whom she lent money. The lobbyist won't be making any extra money off of this, and neither will she. There's no conflict.

Your comparing her to Harris shows your real take on this. You're just throwing mud here for the Rethugs.

[SquireJons]

57. Not even close to being true

I'm not trying to undermine Democrats nor am I a mole. If I wanted to throw mud for the pugs, I wouldn't do it here. In fact I actually sort of like Cantwell for the most part. But I disagree with your assessment of the saturation. First of all, she didn't just vote on the appropriation, she was responsible for it. That's the definition of conflict of interest. And second, while the connection is complex, that's part of her job... to avoid these situations. You're just making excuses for her. My guess is that if she were a republican, you would not be so accommodating of her behavior. From what I have read, the only difference between what Cantwell did and what Harris did is the illegal campaign contribution part. The conflict of interest is still there.

[pnwmom]

59. The illegal campaign contribution is a huge difference.

She has no conflict of interest, because she had nothing personally to gain. She is only doing her job representing the interest of the state electric utility.

Which is completely different from Harris's situation.

[SquireJons]

60. How can you say that?

I don't argue that the illegal campaign contributions make the two cases different, but both absolutely involve conflict of interest.

Here's the definition: "A conflict of interest is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, a politician, or an executive or director of a corporation, has competing professional or personal interests. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfill his or her duties impartially. Even if there is no evidence of improper actions, a conflict of interest can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the ability of that person to act properly in his/her position" - Wikipedia

Because Cantwell had financial ties to someone who received large amounts of federal spending, because the earmarks were specifically introduced by Cantwell, and because she has a professional obligation to avoid such situations, it is an obvious conflict of interest... even if no laws were broken. It is for this reason that judges must recuse themselves from cases where they have a connection, no matter how small.

I'm not trying to compare Cantwell and Harris ethically. They don't compare. One is a souless shrew and the other is a successful business woman with a strong sense of public service. But the two cases do intersect on the issue of conflict of interest, and Cantwell must know better than to get involved with stuff like this. There are other, better ways to serve your constituents.

[pnwmom]

61. The LOBBYIST isn't receiving federal spending. The public utility is.

[SquireJons]

62. So, I guess he works Pro Bono?

right... you're just making excuses.

[pnwmom]

63. His salary isn't affected by the appropriation.

He's not taking kickbacks.

[pnwmom]

53. Does appearance matter more than truth?

There's no conflict of interest. If some people want to SEE conflict where there is none, that's their problem -- or maybe they're just slinging mud for the Rethugs.

It is one of her jobs as Senator to try to get appropriations for important state interests, such as electric utilities. What she did was in the routine course of her job.

So she lent the lobbyist money years ago. Big deal. She isn't going to make money off of this deal, but it will benefit the state and all the utility ratepayers.

[Mass]

13. What conflict of interest? I cannot see it.

[TechBear_Seattle]

15. From the article and the OP

"It is clear that this financial relationship web between the senator and the lobbyist creates a huge conflict of interest," said Ellen Miller, head of the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, which is working to highlight how lawmakers use earmarks to reward special interests.

"At the end of the day, there is a private lobbyist who is making a lot of money off her public actions. And it certainly appears, with the loan, to give her a stake in his financial success," she said.

[Mass]

17. This is so farstretched. I could understand if SHE owned him money,

but, in this direction, this is such a minor problem.

[pnwmom]

33. You can't blame Cantwell for the lobbyist system that we have.

All lobbyists work for LOTS of clients, and they lobby all the Senators. It would be almost impossible for a Senator to bring in appropriations for her state and NOT have some client of some lobbyist benefited.

[pnwmom]

32. And a distraction from the McGavick ethical issue.

The money he took from the people who are currently under investigation in Alaska.

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. I don't like Maria much, but I'd like a link too.

The linkage seems sorta remote, frankly.

"helped arrange" "projects benefitting clients of a lobbyist... who owes her money"

Is this like some kind of permutation of the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" game? (granted it's only five degrees)

[Ignacio Upton]

9. She didn't even do anything illegal

n/t

[LynneSin]

24. I was about to say the same thing

How does this differ from just about any other Senator in DC.

[acmejack]

19. This is horseshit, pure and unadulterated.

That drinking water and salmon habit is bad, right up there with bridges to nowhere...

[Rowdyboy]

58. Horseshit, bullshit, its all a wad of crap....

And we're all smart enough to recognize it when we see it here.

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. Sooo....

It's a conflict of interest to promote a dam project in your district if someone who owes you money is also a vendor of services to an electric utility which will purchase the power from that dam?

This is reaching.

I fail to see the conflict of interest. At worst, the increased business among the debtor's clients might reduce the risk on the six-year-old preexisting personal loan.

The article is misleading too, Cantwell (before she was a Senator) loaned money to her campaign manager who subsequently became a lobbyist. The Senator didn't loan money to a lobbyist.

There are actual fish to fry in this country.

I hear our government's torturing people. Perhaps we should look into that.

[pnwmom]

36. You needed a better subject line for that very informative post.

Thank you!

[snowbear]

28. Her opponent is in trouble right now (FBI Investigation) in Anchorage...

..so it's not surprising r-THUGS are trying to make her the corrupt candidate.

He was involved with the group that called themselves the "Corrupt Bastards Club"

Do a Google search on McGavick + Veco + Anchorage (or try the Corrupt Bastards Club)

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/9/7/141822/3245
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/veco/story/8166722p-8056281c.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/283995_joel06.html

Lots more articles than the above. The guy is non-stop news here.. The FBI are still hot & heavy into the investigation, so they'll be a lot more info coming out.

[Generic Other]

38. This is pretty ugly and makes McGavrick look really bad

Accepting dirty Alaskan money to use against Cantwell because they don't like her environmental positions. I hope the FBI raids McGavrick's office next.

That would make Cantwell's little problem seem rather minor in comparison.

[CollegeDUer]

29. Oh, these are the wonderful Dems that will win us back America!!

I think we need a few more primary battles, don't you?

[BeautifulLoser]

30. Bingo!

She's more concerned about helping her friends than average Washington citizens

[Evergreen Emerald]

51. What do you think of McGavik, BeautifulLoser?

[pnwmom]

54. This is going to benefit the rate payers of the electric utility.

She was doing her job to represent Washington citizens by working for an appropriation for an important state interest. We'd be faulting her if she didn't work for Washington!

[pnwmom]

34. Her primary opponent would have zero chance of beating the

extremely well financed, well connected Republican.

What good is a very progressive primary winner if that person has no chance of winning in the general election? Cantwell is a Senator of a closely divided state. Seattle is very liberal, but eastern Washington is anything but. It's her job to keep satisfy people across a very large spectrum and that isn't easy.

I think a lot of Cantwell opponents don't really understand the politics of Washington state. Beyond Seattle, there's an awful lot of red country.

[CollegeDUer]

47. I don't think the "reds' will ever vote Dem to begin with

nt

[pnwmom]

56. Washington state usually has about 1/3 independent.

Sometimes they vote blue, sometimes red.

They're key to every election we have.

[Zhade]

48. All other issues aside - you cannot possibly know that.

To suggest you KNOW the primary opponent would have ZERO chance is dishonest - you can't see the future of possibilities that haven't even materialized.

[pnwmom]

55. All right. Zero realistic chance.

Her primary opponent is a virtual unknown with very few resources. She'd be killed by McGavick, who has a name and heavy financial backing.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

37. Why?

Why would a lobbyist give money to a Senator who's in the minority party? Everybody knows that we can't do jack shit as far as a legislative agenda goes. Something ain't right.

[pnwmom]

42. He didn't give her money. She lent money to the lobbyist before he

became a lobbyist. He used to work for her.

See LumberJack Jeff's post #27.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

44. Read it just now -- it makes even less sense...

nt

[pnwmom]

46. That's because it's just her political enemies trying to make hay.

We could abolish all lobbying, and maybe that's the goal of the organization. But there's nothing Cantwell's done that's out of the ordinary. It's part of her job to bring in appropriations for the state. We'd fault her if she didn't.

[raysr]

41. Washington can never be allowed to turn

blue, Cantwell or not. The pukes are salivating to get their hooks into my great state.

[pnwmom]

43. They've always had their hooks in here. We're a closely divided state.

We've had plenty of Republican Governors, as well as Senators and Representatives. That's a big reason Cantwell can't be the pristine progressive a lot of people around here seem to want. She's representing a very diverse state.

[David Zephyr]

45. They are doing this to Senator Menendez in New Jersey now, too.

What orchestrated crap.

What is going on in New Jersey is amazing!

[sarcasmo]

49. Eliminate Lobbyists you Eliminate most of the Corruption.