No Lobbyist in the Obama Administration ... Except When There Is One

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The Executive Order obviously expired at 6:00 AM on January 23.

Mainer of ME 2:03PM January 24, 2009

"Lobbyists who promote "causes" are not the same as lobbyists who promote particular money interests."
Tell me you said that with a stright face.
If you did, explain to me how exactly they differ. Lobbyists for "causes" are paid significant amounts of money and use that money to influence legislators to vote the way the "cause" wants. As opposed to monied interests, which pay lobbyists significant amounts of money to influence legislators to to vote the way the monied interest wants.

Charlie (Colorado) of CO 4:00PM January 23, 2009

The thing about promises is, if you keep breaking them they're not promises. Has Obama EVER made a pledge that he will keep?
But what did you expect? If the press had done it's job and vetted Obama, it would have found out that making lofty promises and then quickly abandoning them is his style. Obama is very good at charming people into forgetting what he has said, and the strategy has worked for him... how else did he become president?
The next four years will be interesting... IMO downright scary. The Democrats are full steam ahead on ramming a multi-trillion dollar stimulus package that will only make things worse. Throwing money at the problem isn't going to solve it.
I see a repeat of the Carter Administration, and Obama as a one-term president.

ObiJohnKenobe of WA 3:06PM January 23, 2009

Hey, you're being unfair to President Obama. He didn't violate the rules on Day One. He waited until Day Two.
More seriously, there are few people more dangerous than those who believe they are always on the side of good. For those of us who are liberal, the past eight years should have made that clear. In this thinking, the rules are meant to apply to those of lesser character, not to ourselves, since we always have pure morals. Soon we start saying that torture is wrong, except when we do it; that due process is sacred, except when in our wisdom we decide to waive it; that warrantless wiretapping is illegal, except when we feel it is necessary. There's no danger that our initial exceptions will become endemic--after all, we're good and pure and wouldn't allow that to happen.
It's been less than a week and already troubling signs are showing up that Democrats are no more immune to this sort of belief in themselves as Dostoevsky's extraordinary men. It's okay if our Treasury secretary is a tax cheat. It's okay if we hire lobbyists because we know our hearts are good. If Democrats are already thinking of themselves as more equal than others, it doesn't bode well for our own time in office.

RPB of MA 2:58PM January 23, 2009

Where did that unnamed senior White House official get the notion that Mr. Corr doesn't need a waiver?
The Executive Order demands that each executive agency appointee agree that he or she will not ”seek or accept employment with any executive agency that I lobbied within the 2 years before the date of my appointment.” According to the AP, Mr. Corr lobbied the Department of Health and Human Services within the last two years. Recusing himself from tobacco issues won’t solve the strict language of the pledge. If he doesn’t receive a waiver, he would certainly appear to be in violation of the pledge required by the Executive Order.

Rob of MD 2:33PM January 23, 2009

Breakfast with Senator (D) – Mr. Senator you are so smart and wise on this issue and Senator (R) is off base, so how can I help? My firm fully supports your views on this issue and will work with you and your staff to see your vision enacted. What? You’re a little short handed because your staff is spending all it’s time working on getting you re-elected? My firm can help out in that regard. We can provide you temporary staff to write the legislation for you so you won’t need any additional staff all you will need to do is sign your name to it.
Lunch with Senator (R) – Mr. Senator you are so smart and wise on this issue and Senator (D) is off base, so how can I help? My firm fully supports your views on this issue and will work with you and your staff to see your vision enacted. What? You’re a little short handed because your staff is spending all it’s time working on getting you re-elected? My firm can help out in that regard. We can provide you temporary staff to write the legislation for you so you won’t need any additional staff all you will need to do is sign your name to it.
Dinner with the firm; No problem we have both Senators locked in and playing ball. We can write both pieces of legislation so that we have the needed loop holes for our firm. Make sure to confer with the lawyers to get the correct wording in legislation. I have breakfast plans with Senator (R) in the morning and dinner plans with Senator (D) to see if we can help out on the next piece of legislation. Good job team.
If you think this is a fairy tale you would be wrong. The details may be vague but the premises is spot on.
Change, Change we can Believe in. OK and I’ve got some beachfront property in Arizona for ya!

Keith of MO 6:40PM January 22, 2009

Lobbyists who promote "causes" are not the same as lobbyists who promote particular money interests.
I'm not even against lobbyists in general.
We simply need to make it perfectly plain to citizens exactly WHO wants WHAT on behalf of WHOM.

of 4:10PM January 22, 2009