Whatever Happened To Obama’s Lobbyist-Free Administration?
Throughout the campaign, then-Sen. Obama railed against lobbyist-filled administrations. That tough talk continued through the transition. Unfortunately, President Obama’s actions haven’t matched his tough talk:
So to sum up: Lobbyists use their insider knowledge and connections to make money from special interests and because they do so directly (call their former colleagues, for example), they must register as lobbyists. Tom Daschle used his insider status and knowledge and connections to make money from special interests but because he did not directly lobby (rather than calling a former colleague, he would tell the special interest who to call), he did not have to register as a lobbyist. And so he can work in the Obama administration.
This isn’t about Tom Daschle—he was a very good senator, and will undoubtedly be a good and conscientious secretary of Health and Human Services, if confirmed.
But it does illustrate, again, the problems with sweeping rhetoric and lobbyist ban that President Obama has employed. By painting all lobbyists as evil influence peddlers and loudly proclaiming that they would have no place in his administration, he opened himself up to ridicule whenever he did (inevitably) bring lobbyists and quasi-lobbyists into his administration.
Ed has a more biting post up here. Let’s start with the editorial Ed references:
It is easy to project yourself as a clean politician after making your debut in South Side Chicago with buddies like Rahm Emanuel. US president Obama has appointed more than 17 lobbyists after talking big on anti-lobbyist Governance and rooting corruption out of the American Government.
Dreams are dreams. Facts are facts. President Obama is surrounded by corrupt lobbyists ready to sell America cheap.
Take the example of the newest exposure of doubletalk from Obama! After calling for clean Governance, he appoints a Treasury Secretary who “forgot” to pay for his ‘business tax’ for years! Tom Daschle, a top lobbyist in Washington, who has amended his U.S. tax forms to pay back taxes with interest, is now Obama’s best choice for America’s chief health official.
Would you believe, Obama had to issue 17 waivers on his own rule in less than two weeks for allowing lobbyist enter his Administration and control Governance of America!
Thinking that a Chicago Machine politician is a corruption-fighter is pure foolishness. That President Obama has waived his no-lobbyist rule 17 times in less than two weeks in office says everything that needs to be said about his commitment to reforming Washington.
Put differently, it’s pure fiction and hype. It isn’t reality.
This post wouldn’t be complete without including Ed’s observation:
But Obama appointing lobbyist after lobbyist to government positions, with enforcement power, despite his promise not to do that at all? Crickets chirp among the American media. I guess they’ve outsourced their Truth-to-Power divisions to India.
That’s spot on observation on Ed’s behalf, which is what we expect from him.
Technorati Tags: Lobbyists, Tom Daschle, Special Interests, President Obama, Outsourcing, Rahm Emanuel, Machine Politics, Chicago, Corruption
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog