Homeless stand in for lobbyists on Capitol Hill

[Starbucks Anarchist]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/13/line.standers/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Once he roamed the streets, moving from shelter to shelter. Now, Oliver Gomes rubs shoulders with Washington's elite.

Squatting next to a white wall outside a Senate hearing room recently with a cell phone glued to his ear, Gomes is being paid to hold a place in line for a lobbyist at a hearing on the climate-change bill.

Gomes -- 6 feet tall, with long curly hair pulled back, wearing a polo shirt and shorts -- is one of the contracted men and women holding places in line for this hearing. Many have been waiting since midnight to ensure their clients a seat.

By 9 a.m., more than 100 people are lined up for the hearing. Only 10 seats are available to the public, and the first 10 spots are held by line-standers. The rest are shut out.

(more at link)

[MercutioATC]

1. Adopt "Best Buy Rules"...the person in line is the person that gets through the doors.

It'd be interesting to see homeless people lobbying Congresssmen.

[vadawg]

2. yeah but is the homeless dude gonna stand there if hes not getting paid

and the lobbyist isnt going to pay unless hes the one who gets into the hearing, still think its a good way the dude has come up with making some cash.

[lindisfarne]

3. Thread on this just a few down

Discussion started Sat Jul-18-09 10:09 PM by Liberal_in_LA