San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, April 24, 2008, buried on page A17:
Sen. Barack Obama continued accepting donations from oil company executives and employees in March even as he aired ads in which he stated he took no oil company money, campaign finance reports show.
Obama has taken at least $263,000 from oil company executives, family members and employees since entering the presidential race last year. At least $140,000 has come in chunks of between $1,000 and $2,3000, the maximum permitted under federal law.
Texas oil executive Robert Cavnar of Milagro Exploration and his wife, Gracie, have helped the Illinois Democrat raise at least another $50,000 by co-hosting a fundraiser.
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, Obama aired a campaign spot in Indiana and Pennsylvania that sought to reinforce his theme that he would change the Washington culture, while also tapping into voter distress about the high price of gasoline. In the ad, he called for a windfall profits tax.
"Since the gas lines of the '70s, Democrats and Republicans have talked about energy independence but nothing's changed--except now Exxon's making $40 billion a year and we're paying $3.50 for gas. I'm Barack Obama. I don't take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists, and I won't let them block change anymore," says the spot, which aired as recently as April 8."
Fast backwards to early last February. Ralph Nadar's Public Citizen released a report that made me doubt the integrity of Mr. Obama and wonder if "change," "hope," and "taking a chance on my own aspirations" might just be the latest Axelrod ad campaign. But lies about lobbyists didn't get any play since the media was already in the tank for Bama. Not since the media foisted that empty suit Bu$h versus Gore on a naive electorate has their been such a push for the corporate-owned media to elect the next President, one that wouldn't be capable of effecting any real change.
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 released a report detailing ten bundlers for Sen. Obama who have registered as federal lobbyists.
Sen. Obama has also taken money from former lobbyists, partners of lobbyists, people who hire lobbyists, lobbyists' spouses, and state lobbyists.
Until he started running for president, Sen. Obama took money from federal lobbyists and, as a state senator, directly from corporations.
http://www.caclean.org/problem/latimes_2007-04-22.php
An Asterisk To Obama's Policy On Donations
A presidential hopeful's refusal of lobbyist money has its limits
By Dan Morgan L.A. Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON. While pledging to turn down donations from lobbyists themselves, Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $1 million in the first three months of his presidential campaign from law firms and companies that have major lobbying operations in the nation's capital.
Portraying himself as a new-style politician determined to reform Washington, Obama makes his policy clear in fundraising invitations, stating that he takes no donations from "federal lobbyists." His aides announced last week he was returning $43,000 to lobbyists who donated to his campaign.
But the Illinois Democrat's policy of shunning money from lobbyists registered to do business on Capitol Hill does not extend to lawyers whose partners lobby there.
Nor does the ban apply to corporations that have major lobbying operations in Washington. And the prohibition does not extend to lobbyists who ply their trade in such state capitals as Springfield, Ill.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Sacramento, though some deal with national clients and issues.
"Clearly, the distinction is not that significant," said Stephen Weissman of the Campaign Finance Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on campaign issues.
"He gets an asterisk that says he is trying to be different," Weissman said. "But overall, the same wealthy interests are funding his campaign as are funding other candidates, whether or not they are lobbyists."
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