Obama softens ban on hiring lobbyists
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama, who vowed during his campaign that lobbyists "won't find a job in my White House," said through a spokesman yesterday that he would allow lobbyists on his transition team as long as they work on issues unrelated to their earlier jobs.
Obama's transition chief laid out ethics rules - which also bar transition staff from lobbying the administration for one year if they become lobbyists later - and portrayed them as the strictest ever for a transfer of presidential power.
But independent analysts said yesterday that the move is less than the wholesale removal of lobbyists that he suggested during the campaign - and shows how difficult it will be to lessen the pervasive influence of more than 40,000 registered lobbyists.
Yeah, and it also shows just how full of shit Obama was when he claimed he was going to "change" how things were done in Washington. He's going back on campaign promises before he even takes the oath of office. Well, I guess that is some sort of change. I still cannot believe people bought the snake oil he was selling - business as usual, just in a new wrapper.
Well, maybe I can believe it - especially living in MA with Deval "Together We Can" Patrick...
That is all.
6 comments:
Also, and I know this is common sense, but what good is having a lobbyist around who's not allowed to work in his/her area of expertize?
This is how it will work: Joe will get a job but not in his area of knowledge. Frank will get that position. Frank will be confronted with an issue he knows nothing about and will say, "Hey, Joe knows about this". Frank will go to Joe for a backdoor discussion. Therefore, Joe, who is not working in Frank's area will influence the issue anyway.
They think you are stupid and really believe that a lobbyist will stay out of his area of interest because the Big O says so.
And plenty of folks ARE stupid enough to believe that. Hell, they were dumb enough to vote for the guy.
Saves me the trouble of posting it :-) They are also 'changing' the change website, since there were some things that apparently got some people going!
Yep, we're getting change alright...
mike w,
No kidding. It's like the uproar when Bush/Cheney held the energy hearings and invited the oil company execs.
Um, who else would you want present at an energy hearing? The head of Ben & Jerry's?
Peripatetic Engineer,
Surely you jest! That sort of backdoor shenanigans never goes in Washington!
Gentlemen, no fighting in the war room!
;)
old nfo,
Sadly, we're getting exactly the kind of change we deserve... :(
(We in the broad sense, not us in particular. We're just along for the bumpy ride...)
I'm still somewhat surprised that people who are notionally not stupid blame "lobbyists" for any sort of political problem.
(Even beyond the useful points about what kind of lobbyists one wants!)
Lobbyists are the people's voices, grouped; the AARP are lobbyists. So's the NRA. So's the industry group for your employer (for those that have that kind of employer). So're the unions, and so're the environmentalist groups.
It's only "the bad guy lobbyists" that people ever complain about - and it's stupid.
(If people really want to remove "influence" from politics, it's comparatively easy - just remove power from politicians.
No power means nothing to be gained means no influence used to gain favors.)
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