McCain's staff with most Lobbyists of any 08 Candidate; Hillary tops for the Dems...Obama with none

[TeamJordan23]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/06/23/huffpost-exclusive-more-_n_53456.html

HuffPost Exclusive: More Lobbyists On McCain Staff Than Any Other 08 Candidate

John McCain, who made his name attacking special interests, has more lobbyists working on his staff or as advisers than any of his competitors, Republican or Democrat.

A Huffington Post examination of the campaigns of the top three presidential candidates in each party shows that lobbyists are playing key roles in both Democratic and Republican bids --although they are far more prevalent on the GOP side. But, all the campaigns pale in comparison to McCain's, whose rhetoric stands in sharp contrast to his conduct.

"Too often the special interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when issues of public policy are being decided," McCain asserts on his web site, declaring that he "has fought the 'revolving door' by which lawmakers and other influential officials leave their posts and become lobbyists for the special interests they have aided."

In actual practice, at least two of McCain's top advisers fit precisely the class of former elected officials he criticizes so sharply. On March 7, 2007, McCain named ex-Texas Representative Tom Loeffler, who has one of the most lucrative and influential practices in the nation's capital, as his campaign co-chair. In the same month, McCain named former Washington Sen. Slade Gorton, now a heavyweight lobbyist, as his honorary chairman for Washington state.

On the other side of the aisle, Democratic campaigns have fewer ties with lobbyists.

Of the leading Democratic candidates, Barack Obama is the least entangled with K Street. His campaign has no lobbyists on the payroll or serving as key advisers.

Obama is followed by John Edwards. Nick Baldick, a senior Edwards adviser, is not a registered lobbyist, but he is the founder of Hilltop Public Solutions. Hilltop "manages its national network of state affiliates to build support for our clients' public policy goals," boasting of victories for "the nation's largest financial services firm, one of the nation's largest airlines, a major fast food retailer, the world's largest healthcare provider, and numerous additional industry leaders."

The Edwards campaign political director, David Medina, was a lobbyist for the AFL-CIO from 1998 to 2003.

While falling short of McCain's ties to lobbying networks, Hillary Clinton has made the most use, among Democrats, of the special interest community.

[SaveElmer]

1. Distinction without a difference...Obama uses state lobbyists...

One of his head honchos in New Hampshire was a lobbyist for the gambling industry...

[draft_mario_cuomo]

3. self delete nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

4. Another myth bites the dust

Will the OP change his post's heading in order to reflect the facts?

[TeamJordan23]

6. Why don't you send an email to the HuffPost. I do not have power to change the facts of the article,

I only reported the article. And I will take the HuffPost's word over a DUer such as yourself; no offense.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

8. So you missed the controversy over Obama hiring a state lobbyist? nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

2. Will BO fans call this a "smear" against HRC and protest?

I doubt it. Once again, if it makes HRC or anyone other than the Great Leader look bad it is kosher while questioning the Great Leader is an evil smear. :rofl:

[Kagemusha]

5. Questioning Bush is an evil smear?...

Show some respect, sir.

[WCGreen]

7. You know that BO is relatively new to DC so he probably hasn't had the

time to develop a large number of friends who are lobbyists.

Having said that, see how many people are advising the candidates who are lobbyists but not being on the Payroll...

[draft_mario_cuomo]

9. Obama’s K Street network is a stealthy operation to protect his image

==Mike Williams, the director of government relations at Credit Suisse Securities, said of the network of lobbyists supporting Obama: “I would imagine that it’s as large as the Clinton list,” in reference to rival presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who is an entrenched favorite of the Washington Democratic establishment.==

==Williams is actively building support for Obama among lobbyists and the corporate clients they represent. While other Obama supporters have described him as a leading activist, Williams demurs: “I wouldn’t want to put my position as a spearhead.” He acknowledges that the gains Obama is making among Washington’s Democratic establishment are hard to see because Obama’s K Street supporters have kept a low profile. As a result, Obama’s K Street network is a stealthy operation.==

==Other K Street players working to build momentum for Obama are former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), a consultant for Alston & Bird; Broderick Johnson, president of Bryan Cave Strategies LLC; Mark Keam, the lead Democratic lobbyist at Verizon; Jimmy Williams, vice president of government affairs for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America; Thomas Walls, vice president of federal public affairs at McGuireWoods Consulting; and Francis Grab, senior manager at Washington Council Ernst & Young.==

==Some of Obama’s K Street boosters keep their support a secret to uphold Obama’s image as a Washington outsider untainted by D.C.’s influence business.==

Here is an example of how BO skirts his lobbyist rule. The "he" is an Obama campaign fundraiser:

“I was quite taken aback,” he said. “He was very direct in saying that you’re a lobbyist and we don’t want contributions from lobbyists. But your wife can contribute and we like your network.”==

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-k-street-project-2007-03-28.html

[EffieBlack]

10. Yes - it would be so much better for them to staff their campaigns with people who

don't know squat about Washington or politics.

The reality is that many Democrats who wish to stay involved (and, therefore, viable) in the political game while their party is not in power (and therefore cannot offer a significant number of government or political jobs) work as lobbyists. Most of them don't lobby full time, but if they do any lobbying, they have to register as a lobbyist. It doesn't mean they're crooked or untrustworthy.

Why should candidates shoot themselves in the foot by refusing to hire someone just because they're a lobbyist - especially since this would mean not availing themselves of some of the best political talent on the scene today?