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The McCain Lobbyist Confusion
July 30, 2008 8:36 AM
Last night, Rick Davis, the campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gave CBS News' Katie Couric a confusing answer to a question about lobbyists working for the campaign.
"How many lobbyists work here?" Couric asked from McCain HQ.
"We don't make it a litmus test for employment at the McCain campaign," Davis said. "It goes without saying that some people who are involved in the lobbying profession do it because they are interested in that side of the equation. They’re interested in government, they're interested in Congress, they're interested in public service."
"So lobbyists equal public servants?" Couric asked.
"No. I didn't say that," Davis said. "How do you distinguish someone who, you know, lobbies on behalf of cancer, from one someone who lobbies on behalf of an oil interest? I wouldn't call them the same thing but they're still lobbyists."
Watch HERE.
This was an odd response, given that the McCain campaign's lobbyist policy -- which was written by Davis after a series of bad headlines about lobbyists working for the self-styled government reformer -- states: "No person working for the Campaign may be a registered lobbyist or foreign agent, or receive compensation for any such activity.”
Asked for clarification, McCain campaign spox Jill Hazelbaker says that she assumes Davis was referring to lobbyists who personally support McCain. "We have no paid lobbyists on staff and volunteers who happen to be lobbyists can't advise on the issues in which they lobby," Hazelbaker says.
- jt
July 30, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (10)
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If Hazelbaker said "no paid lobbyists", she should look at the org chart. At least three telecom lobbyists are on board who were involved in the surveillance immunity legislation recently passed by the Senate: Charles Black, Wayne Berman, and Dan Coats. According to eff.com, "All three are now working with McCain. Charlie Black is now the chief political adviser for McCain. In March, Black left BKSH & Associates, a lobbying firm he helped found. Up until Black left BKSH, he was paid by his lobbying firm, while his firm was paid by AT&T [BKSH Lobbying Disclosure]
Wayne Berman is McCain's national finance co-chairman, and Managing Director of Ogilvy Government Relations, a prominent lobbyist for telecom immunity in the FISA legislation. [Ogilvy Lobbying Disclosure]. John Green, a founding partner of Ogilvy, and another paid lobbyist on FISA for AT&T, is now "a full-time liaison between McCain’s presidential campaign and Republicans in the House and the Senate."
Dan Coats is a member of McCain's Justice Advisory Committee, and has campaigned for McCain, and was joined by former Senator Trent Lott. After leaving the Senate in 2007, Lott became a paid lobbyist for AT&T, seeking immunity for the telecoms."
If these are all "volunteer" positions, I'd take it with a pound of salt. But if Mc is elected, there would be no limits, official or unofficial, to access. "Straight Talk" can be so goshdarn confusing.
Posted by: Jim English | Jul 30, 2008 10:22:38 PM
Confused answers coming from the WcCain campaign???
I'm shocked...."shocked and awed"!
Posted by: dan | Jul 30, 2008 2:12:11 PM
He can't avoid them. He's an old croney and indebted and obligated to too many. What other way could he stay in Washington and do nothing for "the people" for so long?
Posted by: TheXception | Jul 30, 2008 1:27:01 PM
Geevil and "A", if you'd actually listened to the full statement, he said that the best reparation is to ensure that everyone has access to quality education, safe communities, etc., etc.
Posted by: Inspired | Jul 30, 2008 12:49:43 PM
Mcain has been in the senate 25 years just recently didnt he have to throw out like 50 something lobbyst in his campaign or did he really throw them out????????????? just like is phil grahm really under the bus??????????
Posted by: angie | Jul 30, 2008 10:23:12 AM
McSame has spent 26 years in Washington politics, he is a pure product real sharks of K-Street, the usual way of doing business.
Posted by: BKMC | Jul 30, 2008 9:33:26 AM
Yes,. the BIG story the MSM is hiding -Obama announced his support for reparations.
Posted by: geevill | Jul 30, 2008 9:04:22 AM
Yesterday in Honolulu Obama sayeth:
"I consistently believe that when it comes to whether it's Native Americans or African-American issues or reparations, the most important thing for the U.S. government to do is not just offer words, but offer deeds."
Okay, it's off-topic, but I haven't had my coffee yet.
Posted by: katmandu | Jul 30, 2008 8:51:42 AM
Bu then they realized that so many of the campaign advisers and McCain's friends were lobbyists, so they had to throw that policy out the window...
Posted by: matthew | Jul 30, 2008 8:50:30 AM
LOL, "Interested in government, Interested in Congress". Thats the funniest thing I ever heard. Now days they are in it for the MONEY. Self serving, self righteousness. No wonde rthe US is the laughing stalk of the world.
JT
Posted by: Jim Jones | Jul 30, 2008 8:42:00 AM
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