The Right of the People to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances (a.k.a. Lobbying)

R. Mutt,

that is just GREAT!, we are laughing hard at that. I should be on the sunday funnies.

: )

One sunny day near the end of January 2009, an old man approached the White House from the park across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The old man said, "Okay", and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here."

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"

The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

I think it is a great idea to have the Clintons back on the wagon. When Clinton left we had a surplus. What do we have now? Maybe with the experience the Clintons have things will get back to normal sooner than what we all thought. As far as the lobbyists, Yes Obama is going a way from what was stated during the what I call the pre election hook you and real you in by what is said trick. I stated during the campaign that what the candidates say and what they do once they are elected are two different things. I guess I called that one right

Maybe pulling the people from the grocery check out line to work in the Obeyme administration isn't such a bad idea after all.

People, I think the point is not that lobbyists are inherently evil, because they are not. The point is that Obama made this an issue and said one thing during the campaign and then modified it upon his election. I have no objection to lobbyists working for government, given appropriate guidelines. But I am consistent about that--- it did not concern me that former lobbyists worked for McCain during the campaign, just as former lobbyists worked for Obama during the campaign. What I complained about was the hypocrisy of the Obama campaign castigating mcCain for having lobbyists on the payroll, when #1, they were FORMER lobbyists, and #2, both campaigns had former lobbyists working for them.

Just as it does not bother me that former Clinton administrative officials are getting jobs with the new administration, it does not bother me that former lobbyists are as well. What does make me shake my head is how Obama can criticize the Clinton administration prior to his election and then hire them afterwards, can say the things he said (as Mr. Tapper quoted) during the campaign about lobbyists and then turn around and start hiring them afterward, and then people come on here and defend the Obama team's every move as if the man is incapable of doing anything wrong. It's not just Republicans who need to lighten up, it seems to me.

Why is it that cynicism is only allowed when it is directed toward the Republican party? Anything other than unmitigated adoration of the president-elect draws a rebuke. I will support my president, as I did other presidents I did not happen to vote for, but I will not give up my right to express my opinions as well.

Perfros -
So your OK with loosing what we have already lost AND a 60% tax rate (that is coming my friend) AND 75% retirement tax (which will include SS) AND an icrease in capital gains tax for small business? Appaers so. Guess the republicans haven't screwed things up enough, so we now want the socialists to finish the job...
Don't you get it? It's the "system" that needs change, which will not be accomplished through the current two party system nor the system we have in place. You are a FOOL if you thing that the socialists are any different than the republicans in the end. Just a FOOL...

I think over the last eight years, everyone has gotten so accustomed to looking at the crooked run things, they have lost sight of what straight and right look like.

give obama a team a chance to get in there and clean up things.
we all know our govt. is in a mess.
there is only obama and crew to clean up.
so give them a chance. you know we cannot just continue what was.

we should all be taking a wait and see and i hope so attitude.

the republicans themselves realize their party over the last eight years broke the country and their party.
let someone else try something different to fix the country. and let the republicans pull-in among themselves to fix their party.

The funny part about Obama::he's seems like the Ghandi in the movie--where he's laying on his back--exclaiming too a really mean citizen of INDIA--that this man(Hindu I think)being a purported subject for Ghandi has the starving man exclain--"and then they will have my body"..Ghandi seems to lose track of the man's mind and reveals that "he's in control"..I thought that today--why--??..should a new President be so much of a control agent--or just allow them that simple starting point--"and then they will have my body"..seems like a implosian of intellectualism(to me)..where here in America I think the statement is called being--above(the)board--there's a difference--in the time it takes to be effective to work at one or the other..Obama should be "above the board"..Time Will Tell.[end]

YEAH...JPT---nice try..that'll teach you about looking for the truth..!!

Jake T./realistically--don't you think that they are about to first form a EXIT-stage Left..or a retreat from that FIRST BLUSH--think for a moment that KILROY-was-HERE~~~~and there's a drift offering CHANGE--!!

Jake,

I have a question for all of you: if lobbying is such the face of evil, why isn't it illegal then?? Obviously the point that was made during the campaign is that lobbyists enjoy too much power and influence in Washington. So, if we were to use some sort of common sense, we would see that the way to fight that would be to operate with a few regulations so that they don't enjoy too much power. I am actually of the opinion that Obama's rules are too strict, short of outlawing them altogether.

I mean seriously, you people are talking like a person whose job is to 'petition on behalf of Native Americans' is a criminal. Well, if you haven't noticed they are hosting you in their land and the least they can get is representation in the government that you have set up. So i guess if you get a defense lawyer on some unfortunate charge that you are facing, your lawyer is lobbying for a criminal and should be prevented from practicing law??

So you want all your elected officials to remain behind closed doors for 4 straight years just drawing up their own rules and regulations without any other input. Yep, that's democracy.

Come on! Polticians NEVER LIE!!! Oh wait, maybe it was God's that never lie. Looks like this make Obama just another politician and NOT A GOD!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!

No OH:

actually I mean it's "now in the hands of the oil, banking and military/industrial pals of Bush, Cheney, etc."

Cronic:

Bush and the Republicans have already bankrupted the country! You don't have any personal wealth left unless you are filthy rich and one of the favored under the Republican regime of the past 8 years.

Have you not being paying attention to the Economic news? The wealth of the middle class is gone, many, many people have already lost their homes, many, many people have already lost their jobs.

The Republicans have already taken and destroyed the wealth. It's now in the hands of the oil, banking and military/industrial pals of Bush, Cheney, etc.

They have looted and largely destroyed the country.

The american eletorate never ceases to amaze me. Those of you who voted against Obama are likely 2-term supporters of Bush and you have the audacity to throw stones. History will teach of the most corrupt 8 years in american political history brought on by president Bush and his cronies. Now Obama must build a governing body with people who have never governed, lobbied or known a lobbyist. Next he will have to turn water into wine. His transition team have established the most stringent rules concerning lobbying of any in history but that is just not good enough. Well I say to you of the right, you have had 8 years to screw things up as bad as ever. Great job President-Elect Obama. You are earning my vote already and you haven't even begun to govern.

Having no real experience, but unlimited personal ambition, Obama strode onto the national stage, decrying the past, including the incredible accomplishments of Bill Clinton vis a vie lumping him with "30 years of neglect and the politics of the usual". It was easy, the republicans had already done everything to detract from the Clinton years that they could, including entrapment of the 'shame' of the Lewinski BJ. Obama did it all of course in an effort to take down Bill's wife who inconvienetly stood in his way of grabbing power. Now that he has power, he turns to the Clinton cabinet and Hillary herself in an effort to make himself look good.

How could so many people be so stupid? But then I asked myself the same question when Bush II got elected.

|Instead of playing a media "gotcha" |game, the questions are... can you |find anyone in Washington with the |relevant knowledge of issues who |HASN'T lobbied at some point? Is |lobbying necessarily "evil"? Is it |enough to put strict guidelines in |place to make sure that any previous |lobbying is not influencing current |job performance? If not, what else |could be done?

|The media likes to reduce things to |their simplest form but I'd like to |see a more intelligent discussion of |these issues.

Agreed. Washington is a large, complex set of institutions. When the parties change power, people who are committed to keeping their policy agendas alive, have no choice but to participate in our government as lobbyists. Not all lobbyists represent corporations - there are lobbyists representing the interests of education, consumer safety, etc. But as the previous poster has asked - Is it enough to put strict guidelines in place to make sure that any previous lobbying is not influencing current job performance?

Clinton came to Washington as an outsider and was hampered in his first term by not having people in his administration who understood how Washington worked. In order to change the policy, Obama needs people who know how to work the system. The skills of good governance are transferable, so if someone is smart, capable of good communication, leadership, and setting good policy, they should be allowed the opportunity to work in areas unrelated to their previous lobbying efforts.

Our future depends on staffing this administration with talented and passionate people who will be held accountable for their actions on behalf of the American people. We have seen for the last 8 years what happens when this standard is not met.

Yep 4/15. That's when the redistribution of wealth begins.
75% retirement tax, 39% tax hike (one of several installments with the goal of 60% near term) & the increase in capital gains tax (to smother out innovation and small business).
If you think it's bad now, wait 4 yaers. It will look like Jimmy Carters economy. We'll all be driving Chrysler K-Cars, pintos, vegas, etc.. It's going to look like pictures you see from Cuba. At least we'll have socialized medicine.

Good government organizations are heralding the steps taken (by President-elect Obama) to limit lobbyists activities since they are unprecedented.

"The ethical guidelines released today for the Obama transition are tough and unequivocal."
Thomas Mann, Brookings Institution

"This ethics policy is a statement about the tone and tenor of the Obama administration. It is a good sign."
Norm Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute

Oh the good 'ol times...Clinton, Lewinski...Now Obama, Ayers...At least I'm getting a $1000.00 check (tax break) soon. My vote was worth that $1K