Obama Discovers Lobbyists Are Challenging to Overcome
Lobbying is really constitutionally protected activity and lobbyists are getting to be an unchangeable part of the Washington D.C. policy function.
The Washington Post had a story a short time ago, which is delivering some Internet buzz, detailing how often qualified lobbyists go to the Obama administration. It shows both the intractability of the system as well the limits of system rhetoric. Maurice Aguirre
Regarding to the piece, by T.W. Farnham: The White House visitor records make it clear that Obama's senior officials are granting that availability to a couple of K Street's most key associates. In many cases, all those lobbyists have long-standing associations to the president or his aides. Republican lobbyists coming to visit are rare, while Democratic lobbyists are frequent, whether or not they are representing corporation clients or liberal causes.
Maurice Aguirre - This is certainly imperative considering, as Farnham publishes: Greater than any president before him, Obama pledged to adjust the political culture that has sustained the influence of lobbyists. He barred recent lobbyists from joining his administration and banned them from advisory boards throughout the executive branch. The president had gone so far as to forbid what had been staples of political discussion - federal employees could no longer accept no-cost entry to receptions and also meetings provided by lobbying associations.
One particular contextual matter which would be of help to answer but is tough to: So how exactly does that rate as compared to past administrations? We're not likely to get a solid number with that any time soon simply because Obama's is the first management to disclose its visitor logs. I suppose past administrations' logs must certanly be on report at the respective presidential libraries, but the information is not downloadable.
Of course there's only so much Obama could do in this regard. Lobbying is, in the end, a constitutionally defended procedure. And it is also true that for better or worse lobbyists became as permanent a part of the Washington policy process as chosen officials and unelected bureaucrats. They seem to have specialized knowledge or access to it, and know how Washington works. "The president and the administration lost a great deal not being able to talk to people of both parties and of every persuasion that knew something about the industries and the questions and what was going on on the Hill," Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue told reporters this morning at a press breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. Donohue called the administration's original restrictions on meetings with lobbyists "Mickey Mouse." Maurice Aguirre
To be certain Donohue and the Chamber are not supporters of the Obama administration, but that has not kept them from cooperating where the occasion occurs. "We've got very good relations where it counts," he said. "We work all the time with the guys at the NSC and at the trade office, and with the people at Treasury � We have whatever access we need. We don't spend a lot of time over there, you know, having tea. But whatever we have to get done we get done."
Maurice Aguirre: On one level this is the kind of rhetoric and attitude that will make activists on both sides break out into hives and start sputtering about collaborating with the enemy. But on another level it reflects some of the pragmatic spirit that has permitted Washington to function (necessity being the mother of cooperation) in a way that the prevailing congressional ethos of compromise means getting more of what I want threatens. "I worry about the Congress � that we have lot of people that are more significantly on the right and significantly on the left," Donohue said. "What really worries me about that is that it's really hard to make a deal if there's no bridge to get there."
Lobbying is really constitutionally protected activity and lobbyists are getting to be an unchangeable part of the Washington D.C. policy function.
The Washington Post had a story a short time ago, which is delivering some Internet buzz, detailing how often qualified lobbyists go to the Obama administration. It shows both the intractability of the system as well the limits of system rhetoric. Maurice Aguirre
Regarding to the piece, by T.W. Farnham: The White House visitor records make it clear that Obama's senior officials are granting that availability to a couple of K Street's most key associates. In many cases, all those lobbyists have long-standing associations to the president or his aides. Republican lobbyists coming to visit are rare, while Democratic lobbyists are frequent, whether or not they are representing corporation clients or liberal causes.
Maurice Aguirre - This is certainly imperative considering, as Farnham publishes: Greater than any president before him, Obama pledged to adjust the political culture that has sustained the influence of lobbyists. He barred recent lobbyists from joining his administration and banned them from advisory boards throughout the executive branch. The president had gone so far as to forbid what had been staples of political discussion - federal employees could no longer accept no-cost entry to receptions and also meetings provided by lobbying associations.
One particular contextual matter which would be of help to answer but is tough to: So how exactly does that rate as compared to past administrations? We're not likely to get a solid number with that any time soon simply because Obama's is the first management to disclose its visitor logs. I suppose past administrations' logs must certanly be on report at the respective presidential libraries, but the information is not downloadable.
Of course there's only so much Obama could do in this regard. Lobbying is, in the end, a constitutionally defended procedure. And it is also true that for better or worse lobbyists became as permanent a part of the Washington policy process as chosen officials and unelected bureaucrats. They seem to have specialized knowledge or access to it, and know how Washington works. "The president and the administration lost a great deal not being able to talk to people of both parties and of every persuasion that knew something about the industries and the questions and what was going on on the Hill," Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue told reporters this morning at a press breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. Donohue called the administration's original restrictions on meetings with lobbyists "Mickey Mouse." Maurice Aguirre
To be certain Donohue and the Chamber are not supporters of the Obama administration, but that has not kept them from cooperating where the occasion occurs. "We've got very good relations where it counts," he said. "We work all the time with the guys at the NSC and at the trade office, and with the people at Treasury � We have whatever access we need. We don't spend a lot of time over there, you know, having tea. But whatever we have to get done we get done."
Maurice Aguirre: On one level this is the kind of rhetoric and attitude that will make activists on both sides break out into hives and start sputtering about collaborating with the enemy. But on another level it reflects some of the pragmatic spirit that has permitted Washington to function (necessity being the mother of cooperation) in a way that the prevailing congressional ethos of compromise means getting more of what I want threatens. "I worry about the Congress � that we have lot of people that are more significantly on the right and significantly on the left," Donohue said. "What really worries me about that is that it's really hard to make a deal if there's no bridge to get there."