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Subscribe to RSSThe New York Times writes how Washington lobbyists are raising money for Dave Camp, Republican congressman who would assume the powerful Ways and Means Committee if Republicans take back the House. “Across Washington, lobbyists have been working behind the scenes now for months to prepare for this possible power shift. Former aides to Mr. Camp, who now work as lobbyists, are checking in with their onetime boss, chatting with him and his aides about staff appointments he might make when he takes over the Ways and Means Committee, and what tax or health care issues will be at the top of his agenda. Other lobbyists have gone to his staff to try to get to the head of the line in presenting proposed tax changes that will benefit their clients.”
White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer blogs, “This should come as no surprise given the track record of Congressional Republicans over the past two years. Rather than listen to the American people, Congressional Republicans have repeatedly shown their loyalty to these special interests by retreating behind closed doors to strategize with their lobbyists on the most critical issues for the American people.”
The Washington Post runs a front-page profile of the man who might be the next House speaker. John Boehner’s “rise is partly the result of a tireless fundraising operation that has poured money into fellow Republicans' campaigns, and partly a reward for his willingness to fashion himself into the uncompromising leader of the opposition to President Obama... Yet he insists he will be a very different kind of politician if the GOP wins Congress and he is elected speaker. He'll help bring the animosity between the two sides under control, he says, by allowing Democrats greater freedom to have their say on the floor of the House and letting them bring their proposals to a vote.”
Who needs 2010? "Leading GOP candidates for president are getting an early start on 2012 in the last days of the 2010 campaign season," The Hill writes. "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), for instance, plans campaign stops this week on behalf of Republican candidates in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which just happen to host the first three contests for nominating a Republican presidential candidate. But the perceived GOP front-runner for 2012 is hardly alone. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, will all make stops this week in Iowa, which hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses in January 2012."
Today, Barbour, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Source watch: Former Rep. Susan Molinari has left Bracewell Giuliani to start her own lobbying firm.
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Every day I read these comments, I become more and more disheartened that there is any hope for our country to come together. Our system was designed by the founders for compromise not polarization. It is no wonder bullying is rampant within schools and colleges. The kids are just acting like their elders do on these comment boards. Try to grow up and discuss issues without nasty personal attacks.
I sincerely hope that all the candidates that are pledging to do better this time if elected really mean it. But, I won't hold my breath.
jael:
Your fear is justified. Politicians, to be successful in the past, were skilled in "the art of compromise." Compromise now is seen as treason. And it's about to get worse.
As for the lobbyists moving in on the new perceived power brokers, well, it would have been more newsworthy if it turned out they weren't doing so.
Can we still consider this a democracy? I don't know. Voters and politicians have become commodities that can be bought and sold, on a relatively open market, no less. We're becoming a corporate enterprise.
Lobbyists have been there for decades..They used to be honest brokers now they are just corporate wh07es many from previous elected offices..
The roberts activist republican court have given them more space and shadowy money to play with at the American voters expense...
Lets look at what has been accomplished in 21 months!
http://obamaachievements.org/list#top
Jael, I wouldn't worry too much about it. First Read commenters aren't very representative of the country as a whole. Neither are the extreme rally goers that are constantly in the media.
People commenting on First Read, myself very much included, enjoy a heated debate and are WAY more aware and passionate about politics than 99% of Americans. (I can't back up that made up statistic with a link)
I was watching The Daily Show last night. They had taken regular Americans of different political views and put them on the bus and tried to get them to get angry at each other. They wouldn't do it. It made me realize that most Americans are probably like that and that is why after an election we all come back together as Americans.
The lobbyist create the problem buying everyone off with bribes ...i mean donations ...wink wink ....Take the money out of politics totally and you get a congress /senate that work for the people !
Charles Rangel former Ways and Means Chairman has 13 ethics charges currently pending charges against him. "From 2005 to 2007, Rangel used his official letterhead to solicit donations for the Charles B. Rangel Center from organizations that had business before the House Ways and Means Committee, according to the charges. Rangel chaired the committee until he stepped down in March. " Nancy when are you going to start draining the swamp?
Dan, it is the White house that has not listened to the American people. You crammed the health care reform bill down our throat and it is now being contested in 20 states. The two programs currently in place, Medicare and Medicaid, collectively generate $64 billion a year in fraudulent claims. There will be fraudulent claims but $64 billion?!
If you get a chance let me know when the American public will be able to witness the "transparency"in our government Obama touted during the election.
D - your post only mentions the hideous actions of (D)'s and your expectation that the current President should fix it all. The problem is that both sides of the aisle are guilty of following the $$ rather than working for the people who elected them.
Until the vast amounts of $$ are removed from elections AND legislative agendas, you and I will never be represented.
Can't we all agree on this? Instead of pointing fingers can't we agree that the $$ must go?
As the electorate, if we join forces and demand this, couldn't we accomplish the house cleaning we all wish for and return to the days of representation and true legislation?
And your texas buddy is on trial dallas..Mr. DeLay!..Now....
There should be no doubt by anyone that currently there are deceptive concerted efforts to manipulate people’s thinking and to sway the pubic’s voting. We saw it at work in 2000 and in 2004 with the aggressive attacks on McCain, Gore and Kerry and with the creative cultivation of the Christian block, all of which had a significant impact on those elections. Now, with the recent ruling by the supreme court allowing unlimited funds to be channelled through shadow organizations and into politics the flood gates have been literally opened ... with the result being that there are now substantial focused efforts to saturate and control the public’s minds, paid for by these unlimited funds. Karl Rove, the ‘fat cats’ and ‘big money’ have been identified as pouring in extremely large amounts, with estimates of individual donations over $1m and totals exceeding $250M, to support Republican and Tea Party candidates. Their intent to use their wealth, positions and power to effect outcomes and to control results in order to insure they again get what they want, is obvious and totally scary.
We saw the results and suffered the consequences in 2000 and 2004, this time around would be even worse. Whether poor, middle-class or upper middle-class they offer only subterfuge and aggressive, deceptive manipulation with the intent to gain results that greatly benefit only them. When remembering the Bush-Cheney years and recognizing the current Republican focus it should be easy to identify the ‘puppet’ performances that those ‘pulling the strings’ demand and the costs and apathy that fall to the majority. Their manipulative, self-serving efforts alone should be insulting enough but what should really anger everyone is to understand that what they want is to return to ‘more of the same’ that cost us so much and then, if they get away with it, they will be emboldened and be even more aggressive. The costs of allowing them to have what they want is far greater than having to accept and pressure the Democrats to do better; we have actually seen that when with the economy always being better under the Democrats and with everyone, including all of the middle-class, losing as only the few continually gain under the Republicans. What is needed now is for the voters to ignore all that is said, rejecting all efforts to deceive and manipulate, and to vote rationally and objectively denying them control. Special Interests and the very wealthy few are trying to buy a government again for their own purposes. When we see the saturation of advertisements favoring their ‘puppets’ we need to become very cynical. We need to literally close our ears to the resounding noise aimed to confuse, deceive, control and manipulate and just have them waste their money on deaf ears.
Seems to me this speaks for itself and makes it quite obvious who the Republicans stand with. There has not even been an election and the lobbyists are all over the place. How can Republicans say they stand with the American people. What a bold-faced lie - it is right there out in the open. Lobbyists are already on Capital Hill. What a shame. That and Mitch McConnell's statement that the Republicans main goal is to ensure President Obama is a one-term president. Guess jobs and the economy don't matter. Folks - welcome to clusterville.
VOTE!!!!!!