Oh woes! Lobbyists are joining those other poor souls, Wall Street bankers, on the list of the persecuted.
>From Roll Call - The Newspaper of Capitol Hill Since 1955: Irate over the demonization of their profession, lobbyists say they will push back against a new White House directive aimed at limiting lobbyists' influence on how the government doles out $787 billion in stimulus funds. The Obama administration memo released Friday says lobbyists cannot meet or speak with executive branch officials regarding specific stimulus projects or applications. Instead, lobbyists are relegated to submitting written comments about stimulus funding, which will be posted publicly within three business days. Lobbyists may talk with administration officials as long as the conversation is about "general Recovery Act policy issues," according to the memo. However, executive branch and agency staff must still document the date of those meetings, who was at the meetings and what was discussed for the public to review within three business days. Several lobbyists e-mailed back and forth furiously over the weekend, expressing their outrage over the new rules and the possibility that the Obama administration might expand the provisions beyond the stimulus package. "It's setting up a behavior of discrimination of law-abiding citizens," American League of Lobbyists President David Wenhold said about the new rules. Wenhold, who has been fielding e-mails and calls from upset members, said ALL is in discussions with its board over what action it should take. While the ALL board has made no decisions yet, Wenhold said it is keeping all options open, including litigation. "This smacks of segregation, discrimination, and I honestly feel it is unconstitutional," Wenhold said. Some lobbyists, such as Golin Harris' Michael Fulton, said the new policy is not only upsetting but will also end up hurting Obama's goal of jump-starting the economy. "I am personally offended, and so are many of our clients," Fulton said. "The White House and the president need to understand that the lobbying community is part of the solution, not the problem." == == == How dare the Obama Administration limit the ability of lobbyists to use insider connections to purchase and cajole favors and legislation and make all contacts with administration officials part of the public record? It's unconstitutional! It's too bad the link is subscription only, because the whining of these lobbyists is almost shocking and must be read to be believed. One whines that making their contacts public is "needing to go through all these hoops", another cries that the rules make them "second-class citizens" (as if any regular citizen can get an appointment with administration officials to garner billions in stimulus dollars). And of course, there's the quote about "segregation", since lobbyists are fighting for the exact same rights that Martin Luther King fought for. I am particularly struck how these lobbyists, like Wall Street bankers, think they are entitled to the trappings of privilege. But while Wall Street feels entitled to their wealth, these guys feel entitled to their access to power. What seems like common sense restrictions on their access to government -- access no regular citizen enjoys -- to them is a personal affront. Let those lobbyists push back. In fact, I hope they do. They haven't seen demonization the likes we'd dish out if they really try to push these arguments into the public or legal realms. Times are tough, and the last thing America wants to hear is a bunch of spoiled assholes whining about how their corrupting powers are being curtailed. They can truly go fuck themselves. If only Congress would enact similar rules, we'd be that much closer to an ethical congress, not bought and paid for by shadowy interests. ~~ Markos Moulitsas http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/3/24/712350/-Those-poor,-demonized-lobbyists http://snipurl.com/egv7x
