Lobbies Adopt Tone of Accord With President

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WASHINGTON — Top lobbyists for the banking industry were gathered in a war council. The Obama administration had proposed big changes in financial industry oversight, including a consumer protection commission and regulation of some executives’ paychecks. The lobbyists listened to presentations from big Washington public affairs firms ready to deploy arsenals including television commercials and direct-mail campaigns.

But at the end of the meeting, the lobbyists publicly opted to emphasize, if with caveats, their industry’s backing of President Obama’s broader call for reform.

Steve Bartlett, president of the Financial Services Roundtable and a participant in the discussion, said in an interview, “This administration has reminded us of the lesson our mother taught us: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

And so it goes the length of K Street. Industry groups and lobbyists typically hostile to intrusive government programs have been professing solidarity with Mr. Obama and his agenda on matters like health care, energy and financial regulation. Industry has calculated that it stands a better chance of achieving its ends by negotiating with the White House than by fighting it — at least publicly, and at least until the various proposals get down to the final details.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/politics/21lobby.html?th&emc=th