McCain Quietly Reaches out to Lobbyists
EmailAfter a fervent round of anti-lobbyist posturing by John McCain provoked public grumbling from the K Street crowd, his presidential campaign quietly reached out to soothe their ruffled feathers, Roll Call newspaper reported Thursday morning.
On Monday afternoon, campaign official Susan Nelson held a call with lobbyists who support McCain "to assuage their bruised egos and pass along positive polling data," according to the paper’s account.
Sen. McCain, the likely GOP presidential nominee, has long portrayed himself as a political reformer with a uniquely stiff ethical backbone.
Recently, however, reporters have drummed out a tattoo of stories creating an impression that lobbyists with conflict-of-interest problems had all but infested McCain’s campaign, prompting a number of McCain’s lobbyist supporters to resign from the campaign or take leaves of absence from their firms. Eventually, McCain’s campaign announced a new conflict-of-interest policy for aides, volunteers and consultants, insisting it would not be tainted by the presence of the Gucci Gulch crowd.
The grumbling from K Street began almost immediately.
"Lobbyists: This is our thanks?" blared the headline from the D.C. paper Politico Wednesday morning.
"I find it a little offensive," said one nameless influence-peddler who had contributed heavily to McCain’s campaign. "It was good enough to get my $2,300 donation. If we’re not good enough, then send my check back. It pisses me off."
"McCain’s self-righteous [expletive] has caught up with him," said anonymous lobbyist who volunteered for McCain, adding that McCain needed to change the subject to something other than lobbyists or risk losing their support.
Not to worry, reports Roll Call. The campaign wants lobbyists to have warm fuzzies about McCain again. They also want their checkbooks open: two fundraisers are scheduled for Washington, D.C., in June, including a major event right by Capitol Hill.
They must be good enough, after all.
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Politicians are bought and paid for my influence peddling lobbyists and special interest groups. Politicians owe their souls to these slugs. Yet, the American electorate continually sends the same money-grabbing politicians back to their cushy “jobs” in Washington (state and local politicians are just as bad). Every last one of these elected representative needs to be sent home! They stopped believing in government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” long ago. They are only interested in personal power and keeping the money rolling into their coffers, and their pockets.
Posted by: OpusRooster | May 22, 2008, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
They run his campaign and are his sources of “extracurricular activity”… He’s not “reaching out” to them, he’s incorporasting them into his campaign, duh!
Posted by: patriot | May 22, 2008, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
Although it’s always open season on bashing lobbyists, they serve an important purpose – they represent the interests of particular groups. Time and again, the role of special interests has been affirmed (we’re all against everybody else’s lobbies, not our own).
What we all want (in general) is less government waste and spending and the perception is that lobbyists contribute to the problem. So limiting access is fine, but it’s foolish to mislead ourselves into thinking that these folks are not necessary.
Posted by: MIguy | May 22, 2008, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm
How is it that your last name is McCain or Clinton and you can look yourself in the mirror and think you’re best for this country.
You vile people make me sick!
Posted by: DAVID NH | May 22, 2008, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm
I’d rather have a president who goes to fundraisers given by lobbyists, than one who goes to ones given & hosted by terrorists (Bill Ayers).
Posted by: No'bama | May 22, 2008, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
Flip Flop Doubletalk and New Policy.
If Mr McCain wanted to implement lobbyist reform I would have thought that he would be smart enough to have his own campaign clean before it came to us via national media.
Posted by: Patrick | May 22, 2008, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
I like the open corruption america loves to tout as legitimate influence within the democratic procedure. Here in India, the largest democracy in the world.. you can bribe someone, but not anymore. The right to information act all but detroys a public servants’ career if they would ever call for compensation for influence. I like India alot more now because of their actual fight against rampant corruption and open democracy. If only america adopted some procedure to give power to the people not just its representatives we could have such effcient government.
Posted by: adam | May 22, 2008, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
get a life
Posted by: Dan | May 23, 2008, 2:36 pm 2:36 pm
the very act of Running For Office should be an automatic disqualifier! No one with brains or ethics would ever be interested, we would have to draft them.
Posted by: Kitty | May 29, 2008, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
Mr. Ayers,
It’s so sad to here the reactionary comments like you made. It’s sad and laughable at the same time. Terrorists??? REally??? I suppose the suicide bombers must have been on their coffee break.
Posted by: Ben | June 3, 2008, 9:55 am 9:55 am