Obama Discovers Lobbyists Are Not easy to Control
Lobbying is a constitutionally safeguarded activity and lobbyists became a lasting part of the Washington policy function.
The Washington Post had a story a short time ago, that is building some Internet buzz, detailing how frequent certified lobbyists go to the Obama governing administration. It reflects both the intractability of the system as well the limits of strategy rhetoric. Maurice Aguirre
According to the piece, by T.W. Farnham: The White House guest data files make it clear that Obama's senior officials are permitting that access to some of K Street's most influential delegates. On most occasions, those lobbyists have long-standing relationships to the president or his aides. Republican lobbyists coming to consult with are rare, while Democratic lobbyists are common, whether they are representing corporation clients or liberal causes.
Maurice Aguirre - This is imperative considering, as Farnham writes: Greater than any president prior him, Obama pledged to change the political culture that has motivated the impact of lobbyists. He barred recent lobbyists from joining his administration and banned them from advisory boards throughout the executive branch. The president has gone so far as to forbid what had been staples of political interaction - federal employees could will no longer accept no-cost entry to receptions and also conventions provided by lobbying organizations.
A single contextual question which would be helpful to answer but is very hard to: How exactly does that rate in comparison to past administrations? We Are not likely to get a strict number with that any time soon because Obama's is the very first administration to reveal its guest activity logs. I suppose past administrations' records has to be on file at the specific presidential libraries, but the details is not downloadable.
Needless to say there's only so much Obama could do in this aspect. Lobbying is, in fact, a constitutionally shielded activity. And it is also true that for better or worse lobbyists are now as permanent a part of the Washington policy process as elected officials and unelected bureaucrats. They seem to have specialized knowledge or access to it, and fully grasp 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 sure Donohue and the Chamber are not enthusiasts of the Obama governing administration, but that has not prevented them from cooperating where the opportunity 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 a constitutionally safeguarded activity and lobbyists became a lasting part of the Washington policy function.
The Washington Post had a story a short time ago, that is building some Internet buzz, detailing how frequent certified lobbyists go to the Obama governing administration. It reflects both the intractability of the system as well the limits of strategy rhetoric. Maurice Aguirre
According to the piece, by T.W. Farnham: The White House guest data files make it clear that Obama's senior officials are permitting that access to some of K Street's most influential delegates. On most occasions, those lobbyists have long-standing relationships to the president or his aides. Republican lobbyists coming to consult with are rare, while Democratic lobbyists are common, whether they are representing corporation clients or liberal causes.
Maurice Aguirre - This is imperative considering, as Farnham writes: Greater than any president prior him, Obama pledged to change the political culture that has motivated the impact of lobbyists. He barred recent lobbyists from joining his administration and banned them from advisory boards throughout the executive branch. The president has gone so far as to forbid what had been staples of political interaction - federal employees could will no longer accept no-cost entry to receptions and also conventions provided by lobbying organizations.
A single contextual question which would be helpful to answer but is very hard to: How exactly does that rate in comparison to past administrations? We Are not likely to get a strict number with that any time soon because Obama's is the very first administration to reveal its guest activity logs. I suppose past administrations' records has to be on file at the specific presidential libraries, but the details is not downloadable.
Needless to say there's only so much Obama could do in this aspect. Lobbying is, in fact, a constitutionally shielded activity. And it is also true that for better or worse lobbyists are now as permanent a part of the Washington policy process as elected officials and unelected bureaucrats. They seem to have specialized knowledge or access to it, and fully grasp 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 sure Donohue and the Chamber are not enthusiasts of the Obama governing administration, but that has not prevented them from cooperating where the opportunity 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."
