Obama Taps Gambling Lobbyist to Co-Chair New Hampshire Effort

[wyldwolf]

Barack Obama has backhandedly slapped Hillary Rodham Clinton for accepting contributions from lobbyists and PACs, eschewing cash from both groups because he doesn’t want to be beholden to special interests. So it was with great interest that we read in the Boston Globe that BHO has enlisted New Hampshire lobbyist Jim Demers (who represents trial lawyers, firefighters and a major video poker/slot machine vendor, according to his firm’s Website) to be one of his New Hamsphire co-chairs.

In April, Obama refunded about $50,000 in lobbyist contributions. It’s not clear if Demers’ $2,300 was among the refunds. (His name isn’t on Obama’s refunds list because the campaign is only rejecting cash from federal lobbyists -- an interesting ethical hair-split).

Even if he refunded Demers’ check – and we have no reason to believe Demers has anything but the purest motives for joining the campaign -- the hiring raises questions. What good is returning a few grand from a lobbyist if that lobbyist is going to have unfettered access to the candidate as a volunteer?

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2007/05/antilobbyist_obama_enlists_nh.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Gee, news to me that money has so little value

You can just volunteer for a candidate and get for free what you would've otherwise had to pay for. Financial contributions mean nothing. Nothing at all. Not compared to the power of Free Stuff.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. Big news...yawn.

[wyldwolf]

3. you're right, it isn't big news that Obama is a hypocrite.

[Missy M]

4. It sure becomes big news when it applies to the other...

candidates.

[Alamom]

8. Yes, it does....eom

[MannyGoldstein]

5. How's That Marc Rich Cash-For Pardon Money Doing?

Being put to good use?

[wyldwolf]

6. As far as I can tell, the Clinton's aren't wagging their fingers at other people. Obama? Well...

"I won't take (federal) lobbyist money like evil Sen Clinton. But I will take state lobbyist money..oh, and I'll hire lobbyist to work on my campaign!"

[Crazy Dave]

11. Any politician

The first word out of their mouth is a lie....the second is an even bigger lie, etc.

There was a show one time on NPR about how many top democratic politicians own tons of Halliburton stock, etc.

[Ethelk2044]

18. Are you saying the Clinton's had something to do with a Lobbist?

and her supporters are trying to point fingers.

:rofl:

[BeyondGeography]

7. Sorry, Clinton supporters really shouldn't be playing the ethical challenge game

Obama is probably the biggest money prude in politics; you can't even buy the guy lunch. Nice try, though.

Oh, and I know you're supposedly a Richardson supporter. Still looking for that pro-Richardson thread you're going to start one of these days.

[wyldwolf]

9. If you've been paying attention, it is the Obama camp that shouldn't do that.

They deny they do it... but then they do it.

[Egnever]

37. Wyld you arent new to this game.

Does this stuff really shock and outrage you ? Or are you just pretending to be upset cause obama isnt your guy?

[Forkboy]

40. Everyone on DU knows the answer to that one.

[JNelson6563]

10. heh

Good points. :-)

Julie

[Missy M]

16. Sure he is.....

that's why he raised so much money. I hardly call that being a money prude. You can't buy him lunch but you can go to one of his $2300.00 a plate fund raiser dinners.

[BeyondGeography]

22. Yeah, call off the fundraisers

Thanks for the non-response.

Obama tries to operate cleanly in the ethical sewer that is Washington. He might fly in someone else's jet, but he pays the full cost, not just the equivalent first-class fare which is much lower and which is all that is required. This is a provision in the stalled ethics bill, which the GOP undermined with a line-item veto provision, but he lives up to it anyway.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060121/ai_n16024675

More on the ethics bill and Obama's role:

"The Senate adopted a measure that, for the first time, would require registered lobbyists to disclose not only the limited money they can donate to candidates personally but also the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars they raise from clients and friends and deliver as sheaves of checks -- a tradition known as bundling...the disclosure idea's lead sponsor, Senator Barack Obama... 'has not been the most popular person in our caucus in the last couple of weeks,' said a Democratic aide involved in deliberations over the bill."

-New York Times, January 20, 2007

"The final package is the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet...Mr. Reid, along with Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), deserves credit for assembling and passing this package."

-Washington Post, Editorial , January 20, 2007

[rinsd]

19. Image vs reality.

You can't pound your chest about how clean you are by virtue of appearance and then do thing contrary to that.

Not accepting certain lobbyist(federal, he has accepted from state lobbyists) cash was a political move. Why? Because the amount of lobbyist donation amount to a drop in the bucket. Hillary collected the most lobbyist dollar of all Democrats and it add3ed up to a whooping 1-2% of her total haul.

I could care less if Obama took lobbyist dollars or has a lobbyist as a campaign co-chair.

But his campaign decided to make his "cleanliness" a major selling point and its my opinion this was a stupid move on the campaign's part much like the parsing between federal and state lobbyist.

[BeyondGeography]

23. Write back when Hillary submits her complete tax return

Then again, she seems to have a problem with forms:

<Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton have operated a family charity since 2001, but she failed to list it on annual Senate financial disclosure reports on five occasions.

The Ethics in Government Act requires members of Congress to disclose positions they hold with any outside entity, including nonprofit foundations. Hillary Clinton has served her family foundation as treasurer and secretary since it was established in December 2001, but none of her ethics reports since then have disclosed that fact.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) at a recent book-signing. The charitable foundation she operates with former president Bill Clinton has enabled the couple to write off $5 million from their taxable income since 2001. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton have operated a family charity since 2001, but she failed to list it on annual Senate financial disclosure reports on five occasions.>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022601542.html

[rinsd]

24. Live by the lobbyist sword, die by the lobbyist sword.

Pointing fingers at other candidates' supposed dirty laundry is what got the campaign in this position in the first place.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Link on the finger-pointing bit?

[rinsd]

29. What? you're going to pretend that Obama doesn't tout his stance on lobbying as setting him apart?

Its been his fucking bread and butter. Hope and reform.

That the whole "why havent Edwards or Clinton released their tax returns" articles that popped up weren't perhaps encouraged by the Obama campaign?

And when I say "encouraged" I don't mean the tinfoiler DU who imagines strongarm/buy off tactics. More like press contacts in conjunction with a speech or two.

[BeyondGeography]

31. I guess the answer is "no link"

It's one thing to point out what you're doing, quite another to "finger point," which is not Obama's style.

[rinsd]

33. Ok its an argument of semantics.

Perhaps finger point was the incorrect word here.

I just don't think it was a bright move on the campaign's part. When you run "clean" it has to be squeaky unless you want to undo that good feeling that running clean establishes.

[BeyondGeography]

35. Fair enough

[rocktivity]

12. BACKHANDED slaps? ETHICAL hair-splitting?

Looking for a real scandal, reporter? Get thee to the Gone-zalez!

:headbang:
rocknation

[wyldwolf]

13. just out of curiosity, rocknation

Threads of this nature about Clinton far outnumbers those about Obama. Do you post in anti-Clinton threads your message of goodwill or just anti-Obama threads?

[rocktivity]

14. I don't don't like it when reporters create stories

when they should be actually be reporting them.

:headbang:
rocknation

[wyldwolf]

15. well, you didn't at all address what I asked you, but your reply raises another question...

...are you saying this blogger CREATED this story?

[rocktivity]

41. I'm saying this blogger is trying to create a scandal

and I'd say that regardless of who the candidate was. I mean, a GAMBLING lobbyist? It shouldn't matter WHAT kind of lobbyist he is!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Colobo]

17. I don't give a damn about lobbyists

[rinsd]

21. I don't either. But the campaign decided to make it a selling point.

This was a boneheaded move on their part.

[Egnever]

34. Why is that ? it seems to be working out quite well.

I have yet to see anything that makes me think he is not keeping to his pledge in fact just the oposit.

Aside from your shrill cries of course. Except so far all i see from you is acusations nothing to back it up.

Personally I like the fact that he doesnt take that money and if as someone in an earlier post said it doesnt ammount to that much money then why dont they all refuse to take it. I think the money involved in campaigning is a large part of what is wrong with our democrazy at the moment and any candidate that tries to do the right thing no matter how insignificant you deem it to be is better in my eyes than the candidate that does nothing at all.

[rinsd]

39. The pledge itself is a bit disenguous

His pledge is not to accept federal lobbyist money.

But he will accept money from those no longer resgistered as federal lobbyists, state lobbyists and and the spouses of federal lobbyists.

It was a calculated move to capitalize on peoples' disgust with lobbyists.

The amount of lobbyist money does tend to be small percentage of a candidate's haul so the campaign decided they could withstand the loss of funds for the publicity and goodwill the position (soundbited to Obama doesn't take lobbyist money) could generate.


"Aside from your shrill cries of course."

Shrill? I called it a dumb move on the campaign's part.

"Except so far all i see from you is acusations nothing to back it up."

Oh really? Which accusations have nothing to back them up?

[CTLawGuy]

43. are people

no longer registered as lobbyists, or who are state lobbyists, going to be on Capitol Hill pressuring him to toe their line????

[rinsd]

44. I don't think there's anything to prevent one from re-registering as a lobbyist

Which really isn;t the point. At least the point I am trying to make.

I don't see these lobbyists as undue influence on Obama.

I see it as a dumb campaign move to not accept only certain lobbyist dollars and have one as co-chair when the candidate is making a big deal about NOT taking lobbyist or PAC donations.

[CTLawGuy]

45. the point of not taking lobbyist donations

is to tell people you won't be unduly influenced by lobbyists. Anyone could theoretically later register as a lobbyist. Unless the person is a lobbyist registered to lobby the body you are going to be a part of, they aren't going to have too much influence are they?

[Egnever]

32. You dont?

You dont see a problem with these guys having such a large influence on the legislation being writen in this country?


You should.

[CTLawGuy]

20. so we are going to scrutinize the occupations of the candidate's

volunteers now...

lemme see if I can find another straw that you can grasp at...

[SoxFan]

25. The whole story

Obama also has the support of most reform-minded Democratic activists in New Hampshire. Former congressional candidate and campaign finance reform advocate Mary Rauh, Cheshire County Commissioner Jack Pratt, and State Rep. Paul McEachern all have impeccable reform credentials, and all are backing Obama.

I might also add that I sponsored tough lobbyist disclosure legislation that made me public enemy number one in the Concord lobbyist community.

If the Clinton supporters want to get into a pissing contest about which candidate has the greatest number of hacks and wheeler-dealers on board, then by all means, bring it on.

[rinsd]

26. Its not about greatest number of hacks & wheeler dealers

When you campaign runs on the perception that you won't accept lobbyist money or help and then you do exactly that, you look like a jackass.

You have run for office. You should know that.

[Egnever]

36. It doesnt apear to be about anything.

Hes not taking money from them one guy is working for him.

I dont see what your problem with that is exactly. You should be cheering him for taking it as far as he has unless of course you think all that pac money and lobyist money is good for the country??? If so I can certainly understand your ardent support of Hillary.

[rinsd]

38. Sigh

Obama takes state lobbyist money, money from people who are not longer registered as lobbyists but were so within a year or two and the money of lobbyist spouses.

He has sought to engender an image that he doesn;t take lobbyist money when he actually does. The hiring of a lobbyist is another step in the same silly direction.

When you run clean and build a campaign around that admirable quality, you better do it squeaky clean. Otherwise you just destroyed your cred as the clean candidate AND hand your opponents a weapon.

[Ethelk2044]

30. Good Post

:spank:

[ripple]

27. When did Obama single Hillary out?

And when did he say that he wouldn't allow lobbyists to volunteer in his campaign? The writer implies that Obama meant something he didn't say. That certainly isn't Obama's fault.

[tammywammy]

42. "have you ever been or worked for a lobbyist"

Yes? Then we don't need your help, thank you, now move on please?


I wouldn't mind if a former lobbyist was working for Hillary or Edwards. I don't understand the stink about this. :shrug: