Obama and Lobbyists: In bed together, contrary to claims otherwise

[DemVet]

Senator Obama is not telling the truth when he states he is not accepting money from PACs, lobbyists, and special interest groups. Through a series of “bundlers” and contributions from individuals and family members of people working either for lobbyists or from those that work for industries themselves, Senator Obama is indeed accepting money from these lobbyists. This has made the news continually since Mr. Obama decided to run for President, but people still swallow the story that he isn’t beholden to these groups. While some of the sources below stretch back to last summer, it just shows how long some Obama supporters have believed, and continue to believe, that Senator Obama is not beholden to PACs, Lobbyists, and corporate special interests. It's simply not true.

Read:

The word “lobbyist” seems to have a particular meaning in Obama’s campaign vocabulary. His stump speeches imply that he is not taking money from people who want things from the government and push for them. The reality is that he has.
- SNIP -
Contributions made by the various industry sectors tell the real story in a presidential race. And Opensecrets.org shows that Obama is picking up gobs of money put on the table by these special interests—including those involved in health care, which will surely have a lot riding on the outcome of the election and will expect to be heard after the election is over.
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/obamas_lobbyist_line.php

As can be shown from Senator Obama’s top corporate contributors are as follows:

BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
Goldman Sachs $523,478
University of California $339,168
UBS AG $327,302
JPMorgan Chase & Co $317,142
Lehman Brothers $302,697
Citigroup Inc $301,146
National Amusements Inc $293,022
Sidley Austin LLP $271,857
Harvard University $268,491
Google Inc $259,010
Skadden, Arps et al $248,743
Exelon Corp $227,661
Morgan Stanley $225,976
Time Warner $221,878
Jones Day $212,525
Wilmerhale Llp $194,688
Latham & Watkins $187,208
University of Chicago $183,147
Kirkland & Ellis $182,176
Citadel Investment Group $175,900
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008

Senator Obama is also stretching the truth when he says he doesn’t take money from Big Oil. Yeah, no kidding Barack, neither does any other candidate. He does, however, accept huge sums from those individuals and family members who work for large oil companies.
Read:

It's true that Obama doesn't take money directly from oil companies, but then, no presidential, House or Senate candidate does. They can't: Corporations have been prohibited from contributing directly to federal candidates since the Tillman Act became law in 1907.

Obama has, however, accepted more than $213,000 in contributions from individuals who work for, or whose spouses work for, companies in the oil and gas industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's not as much as Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has received more than $306,000 in donations from people tied to the industry, but it's still a substantial amount.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_oil_spill.html

Even as far back as August of last year Senator Obama was claiming he wasn’t taking money from PACs and lobbyists. Sorry…it simply isn’t true. As per the Boston Globe:

But behind Obama's campaign rhetoric about taking on special interests lies a more complicated truth. A Globe review of Obama's campaign finance records shows that he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists and PACs as a state legislator in Illinois, a US senator, and a presidential aspirant.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/09/pacs_and_lobbyists_aided_obamas_rise/

Senator Obama has been taking money from lobbyist operations as far back as his days in the Illinois Senate:

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.”
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/22/681/

Senator Obama is also guilty of pushing the interests of various industries doing business in his home state of Illinois:

But last year, at the request of a hired representative for an Australian-owned chemical corporation Nufarm, Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting the company from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. Nufarm's U.S. subsidiary is based in Illinois.
Nufarm wasn't the only beneficiary of Obama's efforts to reduce customs fees and duties. In early May of 2006, two Washington lobbyists registered to work on behalf of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese-owned drug company which also has offices in Illinois.
-snip-
While legal, Obama's bills on behalf of Nufarm and other companies are part of the special treatment machine Washington rolls out for special interests, say good-government watchdogs.
-snip-
While legal, Obama's bills on behalf of Nufarm and other companies are part of the special treatment machine Washington rolls out for special interests, say good-government watchdogs.
"If you have a company...there's a whole factory set up to help you get these suspensions," said Steve Ellis, president of the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. "It's a pay-to-play system you have to rev up and work." Hire the right lobbyist, pay the right fee, and you can save millions, he explained.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/despite-rhetori.html

While I think Senator Obama is making progress in cutting ties to PACs, lobbyists, and special interest groups, maybe even more than any other politician, he’s not completely there yet, contrary to his claims.

[Double T]

1. Add it to the LIST of BO falsehoods.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Double T]

6. BO is a 100% pure political fraud. He is what he is, eh?

I'd be an IDIOT if I supported a politician like BO.

[DerekJ]

8. Yep, It's that damn parallel universe you're living in.

[Double T]

10. Thankfully the 'parallel universe' isn't filled with denial.

[DerekJ]

13. Who is living in denial?!! The GOP-lite corrupted DLC Candidate supporters, or me?!!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

25. Bill and Hillary - NOT in bed together

:)

[Celebration]

24. Until Obama Takes Zero Donations from Anybody

That is the only thing that would satisfy you--no campaign donations, and no campaign. People who work for a living have to get money from somewhere, and uh, that would be EMPLOYERS!

Get a grip. He has to have money. He cannot exclude donations of people who are employed or he would not be able to put together a campaign.

[thunder rising]

2. Corporations cannot GIVE money to a candidate. Employees can. I'm an employee and I have donated

Large corporations have many employees; hence, this ignorant nonsense posting.

[DerekJ]

3. YESSSSSSSS WE ALL KNOW THAT. He took money from them for his senate run. He didn't take a penny(well

$250 bucks) for his Presidential run. Read the breakdown for the FEC reports.

How dumb could you be?

[DemVet]

5. Evidently...

...not as stupid (that's the word you were looking for) as you.

Read it again...maybe you'll understand it this time.

[DerekJ]

9. No the word I'm looking for is "Conspicuously unintelligent".

Re-read your own thread. Money from lobbyists and PACs are included in the FEC reports, if he took money from lobbyists or a PAC it will be in the report.

Let me repeat this again:
MONEY FROM LOBBYISTS AND PACS = TRACE IN FEC REPORTS

He took money for his senate run; he didn’t take a penny for his presidential. You can’t prove otherwise.

[Mezzo]

12. damn..is that what it takes to get you through the day? you're a mess.

[DerekJ]

14. Bravo!! did you write that counter-argument yourself, or did you get someone to write for you?!

I’ve never seen one intelligent post from you. Not one.

[DemVet]

15. Nor I from you.

But you're a Canuck, so I forgive you.

Why is it that you hang out on an AMERICAN political board.

You people have enough of your own mess to clean up.

[DerekJ]

19. I swear to God, It's a trend, every time a fool loses an argument to me, he brings up the colors of

my flag.

I'll give you couple of clues:



The body of Pte. Terry Street, the latest Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, returned home to Canada on Tuesday evening.




NO COMMENT

[DemVet]

34. Comical: "every time a fool loses an argument to me"....not hardly, Canuck.

[SparkyMac]

7. Looks like Obama has assumed the Missionary Position n/t

[leftofcool]

11. Obambi is a liar and a fraud

[JoFerret]

28. But no more so than others

but there is a gap between reality and rhetoric/ belief that is astonishing.

[Freida5]

16. Good post. thanks

[hokies4ever]

17. Nice to see one of Hillary's little minions

digging through trash again. You learned the wrong lesson my dear. The wrong lesson indeed.

[DemVet]

18. What lesson is that?

That the past counts?

We should investigate our candidates before supporting them? (This thread)

That character counts? (Rev Wright issue)

Which one?

[uponit7771]

20. Lesson 1.) Lying works less these days because of the internets, 2.) If you're going to lie tell one

...that can't be proven false, 3.) The more you lie the more you have to link and qoute.

Being immoral is hard work

[mwb970]

21. Boy, am I tired of these threads!

Once Obama is nominated, will you stop? Or will you continue posting like this until McCain wins the GE?

Jeez. With Dems like you, who needs Republicans?

[INdemo]

22. You forgot the footnote at the bottom..paid for by Hillary Clinton for President

This is BS..When Democrats start acting like Republicans its really a sad day for the (what used to be) Democratic Party

[DemVet]

36. Yeah, and I'm sure you say that to all the anti-Hillary threads, also, huh?

[INdemo]

45. No,Actually I might vote for Hillary,'havent decided yet..

[mtnsnake]

23. I guess this explains why so many Republicans go for Obama

K&R!

[nicknyc]

27. bad countries

Where is the list of # of anti-american terrorist/communist countries cheering/wishing for him.

For start:

Iran
Somalia
Kenya
Cuba
Venezuela
Iraq
North Korea

build the list...

[Warren Stupidity]

26. No money from PACs or registered lobbiests: fact.

Guilty of promoting Illinois business interests? Isn't that what your senator is supposed to do for your state?

[dogday]

29. He is a Politician, and therefore like all the others in my book...

None of them talk the straight talk, or walk the straight walk.. They do and say everything phony, like they are on the TV all the time... No wonder I don't have a candidate... However, I will support the Dem nominee, whoever that might be....

[uponit7771]

31. the op is misleading

[dogday]

33. How so? eom

[uponit7771]

38. Because he's NOT taking any lobbyist are PAC money in this election. Most of the counters to this

...claim site people who are RELATED to a lobbyist or bundelers who could be the nieghborhood girl scouts who bundle money for a candidate.

He's ran this thing the most clean when it comes to money and they know it.

[frickaline]

30. good post, ty

[uponit7771]

32. google "obama wouldn't take my money" and read the letterS of people sent refunds who are...

...affiliated with PACs and lobbyist firms

[DemVet]

37. Google...

...Obama "bundlers" and prepare to be stunned.

[uponit7771]

39. I'm a bundler for Obama, your point? Thx in advance (BTW: in NO way am I affiliated with a lobbyist)

[OzarkDem]

35. They also work for his campaign

and have developed much of his issues platform. One can only assume they will do the same if he wins the WH.

Some may be ok with that, but I prefer not to have important national decisions determined by corporate lobbyists. We've had 7.5 yrs of that already.

[uponit7771]

41. WOW, so you guys are down to couting bundlers which could be the nieghborhood girl scout leader....

...for all we know technically.

I see also you guys fail to state even the bundlers contributers can NOT be lobbyist or PACs.

The level of deceit here is telling that people of power or sKeered, 96$ average donation and 40 million a month

[Honeycombe8]

40. This is pathetic. Is this what Hillbots are reduced to, now? Sigh. Example:

in your post you state that it is true that Obama doesn't take contributions from big oil cos., but that is only because it is illegal for corporations to contribute to federal politicians. But in a prior section of your post, you have a list of Obama's biggest contributors for this federal campaign.....and they are all corporations.

Sigh. Pathetic. Because if it were true, the indictments for the corporate CEOs and Obama would be typed up by now.

Either your gal can win on her own merits, or she can't. Don't you have the confidence in her qualifications w/o mudslinging your party's other candidate? Are you that embarrassed by your candidate's taking of contributions from lobbyists that you feel compelled to create the impression that others are doing the same thing? Like that would somehow make it okay that YOUR candidate is?

Finally...I see no evidence in your post that Obama is, in fact, taking contributions from any lobbyist. So your subject of your post is misleading.

If you are referring to the fact that someone knows someone who knows someone else who contributed to Obama....well, I have no doubt that every person in the country is connected by "six degrees of separation" to some lobbyist somewhere. Even me, a "nobody" in terms of political importance or lobbying efforts.

Pathetic. You should stick to positive posts about your candidate...if you find anything about her positive, that is.

[The Stranger]

42. Is this a professional smear job?

Someone who works for a group, organization, corporation that lobbies or has lobbyists working for it is not necessarily a lobbyist.

[uponit7771]

44. They're down to pointing to someones former roomate

[dana_b]

43. OMG You are so FOS!!! Read this:

From the OpenSecrets.org site:
"HOW TO READ THIS CHART: This chart lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2008 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates"

So the money came from individuals, employess, etc., NOT from the organizations. I am a nurse at the University of California in San Francisco. I have given $$ to Barack Obama. So I am included in that $339,368. Are you calling me a lobbyist, PAC, special interest group?? LOL Your argument fails.