Fact Check: Obama and Lobbyists

[BootinUp]

Fact Check: Sen. Obama and Lobbyists
2/6/2008 9:44:30 AM

During his speech last night, Sen. Obama continued his negative attacks on Hillary. Among them:

It's a choice between a candidate who's taken more money from Washington lobbyists than either Republican in this race and a campaign that has not taken a dime of their money.
Sen. Obama's comments come on the same week Public Citizen detailing ten bundlers for Sen. Obama who have registered as federal lobbyists.

Sen. Obama has also from former lobbyists, partners of lobbyists, people who hire lobbyists, lobbyists' spouses, and state lobbyists.

Until he started running for president, Sen. Obama from federal lobbyists and, as a state senator, directly from corporations.

[rinsd]

1. Facts don't matter.

[AndyA]

2. So...this would make Barack a hypocrite, would it not?

Why does this remind me of the "do as I say, not as I do" Bush Administration? :shrug:

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

10. Sure looks bad against his campaign theme!

[candice]

3. Obama's national co-chair is a registered federal lobbyist

Then there is the question about public health and Exelon money:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/us/politics/03exelon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

When residents in Illinois voiced outrage two years ago upon learning that the Exelon Corporation had not disclosed radioactive leaks at one of its nuclear plants, the state’s freshman senator, Barack Obama, took up their cause.

Mr. Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was “the only nuclear legislation that I’ve passed.”

The history of the bill shows Mr. Obama navigating a home-state controversy that pitted two important constituencies against each other and tested his skills as a legislative infighter. On one side were neighbors of several nuclear plants upset that low-level radioactive leaks had gone unreported for years; on the other was Exelon, the country’s largest nuclear plant operator and one of Mr. Obama’s largest sources of campaign money.

Since 2003, executives and employees of Exelon, which is based in Illinois, have contributed at least $227,000 to Mr. Obama’s campaigns for the United States Senate and for president. Two top Exelon officials, Frank M. Clark, executive vice president, and John W. Rogers Jr., a director, are among his largest fund-raisers.

Another Obama donor, John W. Rowe, chairman of Exelon, is also chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear power industry’s lobbying group, based in Washington. Exelon’s support for Mr. Obama far exceeds its support for any other presidential candidate.

[tabatha]

4. Fact Check: Obama and lobbyists

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January 22, 2008

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—Hillary Rodham Clinton says lobbyists are leading Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama's South Carolina campaign.
more stories like this

At a debate Monday, Clinton tried to blunt John Edwards' criticism about lobbyists influencing presidential politics. "But, you know, Barack has a lot of lobbyists who are leading his campaign here in South Carolina," Clinton said.

THE SPIN:

Influence-peddling and lobbying money are recurring themes in the run-up to Saturday's Democrat primary in the state. Edwards is running South Carolina ads noting that Clinton and Obama have taken lobbyist money, while he does not.

THE FACTS:

Obama's campaign announced this month that former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges had become a national co-chairman. Hodges' lobbying and consulting firm is registered to lobby for Hillenbrand Partners, a Chicago-based company that does business with the Federal Home Loan Bank in Atlanta.

Two other South Carolina leaders in Obama's campaign have lobbied in South Carolina. Senior adviser Rick Wade said he last lobbied in 1996. Anton Gunn, Obama's state political director, was a registered lobbyist between 2001 and 2004, according to state Ethics Commission records.

Obama adviser Steve Hildebrand said the campaign has no problem with lobbyists volunteering to work, but no federal lobbyists are on the campaign's payroll and they cannot donate money or collect it from others. "We're not going to prevent people from being volunteers on this campaign," he said. For instance, Hildebrand said he gave up federal lobbying work for an environmental group as a condition of taking his paid staff position.

When he was an Illinois state senator, about 40 percent of Obama's campaign cash came from political action committees, corporations and unions. He has since sworn off taking money from Washington lobbyists and PACs. "We've never walked away from that. He's said it's time to change that," Hildebrand said.

------

By Jim Davenport.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/22/fact_check_obama_and_lobbyists/

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

5. Walmart, Lockheed and other corporate lobbyists work on his campaign! Link below!

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lobbyists-on-obamas-08-payroll-2007-12-20.html

[tabatha]

13. There is a difference between working for nothing

and providing money.

[Donnachaidh]

22. and you have proof they work for nothing?

Promises of jobs later on usually isn't mentioned when people say they are working for *nothing*. :sarcasm:

[BootinUp]

20. Thanks for posting that. nt

[leftofthedial]

6. ATTENTION DU'ERS!!

Anytime either campaign, issues a "Fact Check," you had better check *THEIR* facts.

[BootinUp]

8. lol, agreed. but there are links included of course.

[leftofthedial]

12. pot, meet kettle

over and over and over again


What is this "change" they keep talking about? They keep saying "change," but they never seem to get around to defining what it is that will change (other than their own address).

[ElsewheresDaughter]

7. who believed him?

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

9. Not me!

[emilyg]

18. Not Me. K&R

[Cameron27]

11. Not me, but the media will never

call him on it.

[tabatha]

14. Obama’s K Street project

By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 03/28/07 07:42 PM
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is benefiting from the support of well-connected Washington lobbyists even though he has prohibited his campaign from accepting contributions from them and political action committees (PACs).

While Obama has decried the influence of special interests in Washington, the reality is that many of the most talented and experienced political operatives in his party are lobbyists, and he needs their help.

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.

He said that while lobbyists cannot give money to Obama, they can give “policy” and “campaign support.” Indeed, K Street denizens have rare policy and national campaign expertise.


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

[tabatha]

15. No Ban on Lobbyists as Advisers for Obama

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/07/sc_obama_backer_is_also_a_lobb_1.html

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the candidate does not disqualify Washington lobbyists from from endorsing or advising him. "The way we address this issue is we don't take money from federal lobbyists," Burton said. "It's not a perfect symbol but it's his best effort to show the sort of administration he is going to have."

[BootinUp]

16. kick

[BootinUp]

17. kick

[citizen snips]

19. what a disappointment.

[bigtree]

21. "Until he started running for president . . ."

Sen. Obama took money from federal lobbyists and, as a state senator, directly from corporations.