Edwards floats anti-lobbyist (and Clinton) pledge

[babylonsister]

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/edwards_floats_antilobbyist_an.html#more

Edwards floats anti-lobbyist (and Clinton) pledge

by Jim Tankersley

Pledges have become quite the rage in politics over the last decade or so -- Gover Norquist's no-tax-increase pledge most famously -- but usually it's candidates who sign them. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards turned the tables this morning, unveiling a web site that asks voters and caucus-goers to pledge their allegiance to candidates who don't take money from lobbyists or "special interest" political action committees.

The pledge, posted here, states its target as the "broken system in Washington that works for special interests and not us." But politically, its target would seem to be a single person: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who leads the Democratic presidential field in national polls.

Clinton, Edwards' campaign notes frequently, accepts lobbyist and PAC money. Edwards never has. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the other leading Democratic presidential contender, accepted lobbyist and PAC donations in the past but hasn't this campaign.

The Edwards camp says signing the pledge wouldn't stop anyone from voting for Obama -- or for Clinton, if she announced she was no longer taking lobbyist dollars. Of course, the pledge can't actually stop anyone from voting for any candidate -- it's not written in blood -- but announcing it brings some obvious strategic benefits for Edwards.

For starters, the pledge reinforces Edwards' populist campaign themes that pit average Americans against powerful interests that have a "stranglehold" on the federal government, as one spokesman put it today.

"Lobbyists have taken control in Washington and America’s hard-working families pay the price," the pledge website reads. "They've stopped universal health care. They've secured unfair and unsafe trade deals that have cost America good middle-class jobs. They've left our children at risk from unsafe toys. They've sabotaged clean energy legislation that would address global warming. And they've squashed efforts for cheaper generic prescription drugs. Enough is enough. America belongs to us."

The site also asks people who sign the pledge to provide an e-mail address and zip code -- handy data for campaign micro-targeters to have when they go to turn out voters this primary season. The campaign says it hopes to get 1 million people to sign on.

You can sign the pledge here:

http://americabelongstous2008.com/

[JDPriestly]

1. Kicked.

[asdjrocky]

2. Great post!

It's about time. Done & Done.

K&R

You beat me to this one! lol


Edwards 08!

[polichick]

3. Good idea - asks voters to put some muscle behind their complaints. nt

[MethuenProgressive]

29. Edwards leads all candidates through June 2007 in contributions from lawyers,

Edwards leads all candidates through June 2007 in contributions from lawyers, receiving $6.6-million. Aren't lawyers, including the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, lobbyists?

"Sure they're lobbyists," Ritsch said. "Just because you're not a federally registered lobbyist doesn't mean you don’t want something in return.

From the PolitiFact story debunking:

"John Edwards never -- has ever from the beginning of his political career has never taken PAC money or the money of Washington lobbyists. Ever." -Joe Trippi, senior campaign adviser

PolitiFact ruled this is only half-true. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/124/

[saracat]

4. Signed with alacrity! I hope this is successful.We need to weed out corruption

and Edwards is the man to do it!

[bunnies]

5. I'm really starting to dig this guy. k&r nt

[weeve]

6. Ha ...

That's the fastest I've ever signed on to an on-line form ! Seems to me that Edwards has a very smart bunch of people working for him. I'm sure this trend will continue when he enters the White House in January 2009.

I know we're focusing a lot on Iowa ( which I feel certain he can take )... but I think we also need to take a good look ( and get the word out to friends and family ) at the Super Tuesday states. If he can win Iowa, do good in NH , and then build to some powerful Super Tuesday wins ... this is going to be a wonderful 2008 !!

[saracat]

7. Amen. From your lips to God's ear!

[asdjrocky]

8. Take a look...

Take a look at this list of Lobbyist, they all support Hillary.


Cory Alexander (Fannie Mae)
Michael Anderson (AndersonTuell)
Don Auerbach (Investment Company Institute)
Lyndon Boozer (AT&T)
Bill Broydrick (Broydrick & Associates)
Gerry Cassidy (Cassidy & Associates)
Steve Elmendorf (Elmendorf Strategies)
Janice Enright (Ickes & Enright Group)
Vic Fazio (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld)
Holly Fechner (Covington & Burling)
Jeff Forbes (Cauthen Forbes & Williams)
Adam Gluck (Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal)
Richard Goodstein (Goodstein and Associates)
J. Eric Gould (Tew Cardenas)
Fred Graefe (Law offices of Frederick H. Graefe)
Charles Hansen (Hansen Government Relations)
Tom Hebert (Ogilvy Government Relations)
Harold Ickes (Ickes & Enright Group)
Peter Jacoby (AT&T)
Joel Johnson (Glover Park Group)
John Jonas (Patton Boggs)
David Jones (Capitol Counsel)
Tim Keating (Honeywell International)
Alison Kutler (Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal)
Reta Jo Lewis (Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge)
Joel Malina (Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates)
David Marchick (Carlyle Group)
Tama Mattocks (Strategic Health Care)
Chris McCannell (Quinn Gillespie & Associates)
Mike McNamara (Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal)
Gwen Mellor (Hogan & Hartson)
John Merrigan (DLA Piper)
Mike Merola (Winning Strategies)
Linda Morgan (Covington & Burling)
Evan Morris (Roche Pharmaceuticals)
Ben Noble (Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group)
Sean O'Shea (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld)
Steve Palmer (Van Scoyoc Associates)
Peter Pappas (Pappas Telecasting Cos.)
Scott Pastrick (BKSH)
Heather Podesta (Heather Podesta & Partners)
Joe Pouliot (The CJR Group)
Steve Ricchetti (Ricchetti Inc.)
Mark Siegel (Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell)
Sandi Stuart (Clark & Weinstock)
Richard Sullivan (Capitol Counsel)
Dan Tate Jr. (Capitol Solutions)
David Thomas (Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti)
Paul Thornell (Citigroup)
Loretta Tuell (AndersonTuell)
Blair Watters (The Madison Group)
Anne Wexler (Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates)
Marcia Wiss (Hogan & Hartson)

It would make me sick, if I wasn't so used to this.

[rinsd]

9. LOL. So John is asking people NOT to support his campaign.

Because I could be wrong but law firms and hedge funds tend to be looked at by the voting public as special interests.

See this is why he's full of shit.

He'll take special interest money provided its simply bundled vs from a PAC.

ActBlue $1,965,274
Fortress Investment Group $187,850
Stearns, Weaver et al $131,000
Lerach, Coughlin et al $93,950
Goldman Sachs $77,100
Whitten, Nelson et al $66,250
Girardi & Keese $64,400
Beasley, Allen et al $61,850
Watts Law Firm $61,000
Morgan & Morgan $60,050
Skadden, Arps et al $54,950
Deutsche Bank AG $54,750
Citigroup Inc $49,200
Sidley Austin LLP $43,950
Brent Coon & Assoc $42,700
Kramer, Dillof et al $36,400
Motley Rice LLC $36,200
Baron & Budd $35,590
Brayton Purcell $35,100
Weitz & Luxenberg $34,600

[waiting for hope]

11. That ActBlue you are toting

so seriously? Part of that money is from us here on DU:

http://www.actblue.com/page/du-presidential
John Edwards
President
Raised on this page: #116 $6,826

Title & Author Donors Total Raised
John Edwards for President
by John Edwards for President
52,399 $4,193,192.31
Bloggers For John Edwards!
by Amy Goodale (NCDem Amy)
130 $9,465.60
Democratic Underground Presidential F...
by Democratic Underground
116 $6,826.55
Netroots for Edwards
by PhilGoBlue
75 $3,220.89
Help Me Elect John Edwards!
by Sarah Lane
49 $2,940.07
Pizza for Progressives
by Robert Peterson
49 $1,292.52
John Edwards for President 2008
by OneCarolinaGirl
32 $1,690.53
The Edwards Page--Vox Populi
by Vox Populi
32 $808.42
DC for John Edwards
by Allyson, Ben and Jeff
24 $505.00
Don't Mourn, Organize!
by Andrew Tripp
22 $2,150.00
Werewolf Political Strategy
by Neil the Ethical Werewolf
22 $1,665.00
Wisconsin For Edwards
by Peter Rickman
21 $1,560.00
Edwards in 08
by Cali Dem
19 $605.01
Edwards/Obama Dream Ticket to Stop th...
by 50StateStrategy
18 $700.00
All States for Edwards
by Turn the map blue!
14 $740.19
Mark's True Blue Page
by McKrackle
13 $390.00
Who would make the best President?
by Steve Kirsch
12 $6,165.00
Official Kentucky for John Edwards
by Ryan Clouse
12 $330.00
Asa's List
by Asa
10 $460.08
Artists for Edwards!
by RedJet
9 $587.70
Progressives for Edwards
by David Mizner
9 $485.00
John Edwards for President 2008
by OneCarolinaGirl
9 $280.00
Michigan For Edwards
by Philip Skaggs
9 $280.00
Texas for John Edwards
by Casey Kaplan
8 $450.00
AMERICAblog Presidential Candidates 2008
by John Aravosis, editor, AMERICAblog.com
8 $400.00
The General's Picks
by Gen. JC Christian, patriot
8 $350.54
Tennessee For Edwards 2008
by dk2
8 $290.00
GLBT Democrats For Edwards
by refinish69
8 $128.00
Cow Dogs for Edwards - Roundin' Up th...
by Diane the " Montana Cowqueen"
7 $2,350.00
California for Edwards
by Dean
7 $1,695.00
California Notes Blue Support
by Randy Bayne
7 $325.00
Edwards for Democracy
by Democracy is Coming
7 $288.08
Savannah 4 Edwards
by Donald Willis
7 $285.00
John Edwards ROCKS!
by Baltimore for Edwards
6 $900.00
BlueOregon
by BlueOregon
6 $445.00
For John Edwards and For Progress
by jsamuel
6 $385.01
A Night Out at "The Big News" to supp...
by Asa Hopkins
6 $140.00
Left in Alabama for Edwards
by Mooncat
5 $3,280.00
Ohio For John Edwards Piggy Bank
by Mark Adams
5 $570.00
Edwards / Anyone - '08 Dream Ticket
by Jon Z
5 $125.00
Grand Forks For One America
by Kelly Bonner
5 $60.01
The Latte Factor
by Song Weasel
5 $50.00
Desert Rats for Edwards
by Moab Matt
4 $295.01
Veterans for Edwards
by Richard Smith
4 $160.00
Steelworkers for Edwards
by Steelworkers for Edwards
4 $100.00
For a Blue Majority Now!
by A.Citizen
4 $80.00
Mill Village Kids for Edwards
by CarolinaGirl
4 $72.21
JD SoOR Supports...
by John Doty
4 $65.24
Bobby Kennedy in '68 is John Edwards ...
by Steven Reichenstein
3 $250.00
gee bobg for John Edwards
by Bob Glickstein
3 $150.00
Zach's Page of Wonder Candidates
by Z
3 $132.50
Politics64 for a New beginning in 2008
by Mark D. West
3 $125.00
Iowans supporting John Edwards
by Joshua Brown
3 $100.01
Paulang45's page
by Paul Angelo
3 $70.00
VIRGINIA for EDWARDS
by VirginiaforEdwards.org
3 $65.00
GOP 4 JRE Republicans Supporting Joh...
by GOP4JRE
3 $50.00
Massachusetts for Edwards
by Malden Mom
3 $30.00
John Edwards for President '08
by Glenn Stier
2 $282.00
Southern NH for John Edwards
by Patrice Veilleux
2 $210.00
Muzzy's John Edwards ActBlue page
by Edwin Rudd
2 $110.00
Idahoans For John Edwards
by Kurt Holzer
2 $105.00
Texas Kaos Fundraising Page
by Texas Kaos
2 $90.00
Tea Party 08
by dvBlue
2 $80.00
Things I thought about while having m...
by Bill Reed
2 $75.00
United We Stand - 2008
by Raymond Vitale
2 $75.00
Contribute & Donate to John Edwards C...
by Serhat Pala
2 $65.00
Dub-V (WV) Donkeys
by Christopher J. Williamson
2 $50.00
Take Our Country Back
by Daniel Wagoner
2 $40.00
Individual Candidates
by Patty
2 $30.00
Those who take a stand
by Julie U
2 $30.00
A (very) little bit helps.
by Tony
2 $20.00
Jan 20th, 2009
by Alisa Roost
1 $200.00
Political Artwork Blog Supporters
by EmilyD
1 $200.00
Raisin' for Edwards
by Beth Sibley
1 $200.00
Progressives for Edwards
by Ben Tafoya
1 $195.00
KitchenTableTalk
by Steven J. Reichenstein, MBA
1 $100.00
Progressive Backlash
by Joseph Burns
1 $100.00
TheEdwardsOption
by Steven J. Reichenstein, MBA
1 $100.00
Winning the Presidency
by Clay Stouffer
1 $100.00
Andrew Cohen's Picks for 2008
by Andrew Cohen
1 $50.00
Blue Dollars for Monroe County
by Brian Kanowsky
1 $50.00
BoyBlue's Al Franken Fund
by BoyBlue
1 $50.00
Edwards for President
by David Driscoll-Knight
1 $50.00
Fair Trade Coalition for John Edwards
by Daniel DiFabio
1 $50.00
HelpMeGetAHaircut
by Earwicker23
1 $50.00
Main St. USA
by truth
1 $50.00
Taking Back our Country - 1 Election ...
by Robin Farley
1 $50.00
Surf City for Edwards
by Curtis
1 $33.40
Boston for Edwards
by Rachel Murray
1 $30.00
Cattlemen for Edwards
by cattlemenforedwards
1 $25.00
Park Team For Edwards
by Mary Park
1 $25.00
PNW for Edwards
by EricD
1 $25.00
Vote for Edwards, the only real peopl...
by Punk Rokr
1 $25.00
Blue Florida
by Space Coast Rising
1 $20.00
EDWARDS TO WIN BACK AMERICA
by Nina Swan
1 $20.00
Elect Steve Novick To The US Senate
by Joel Caris
1 $20.00
Love for John Edwards
by Erik Love
1 $20.00
Blue Vision Fund: The Possible America
by David Kenneth Beckwith
1 $15.00
Blogs for Edwards
by blogsforedwards.com
1 $10.00
Democratic Dreams
by Erin Blair
1 $10.00
Has your health insurance bill gone u...
by Gary
1 $10.00
New Hampshire for John Edwards!
by Daphne Charette
1 $10.00
Texas for Edwards
by Tammy
1 $10.00

The ones I have put in Bold are people that I know post on Daily Kos and some cross post over here - Get over it - take out ActBlue and you virtually have nothing when compared to Hillary and you know it.

[rinsd]

12. I left in Act Blue so people could see they were his single biggest donor.

If I had left them off, I would have been accused of distorting his record.

I leave them in and I am somehow slurring them. :shrug:

"You virtually have nothing when compared to Hillary and you know it."

Edwards is a two faced phony who gladly takes money from special interests provided it doesn't run afoul his populist rhetoric in its delivery method.

[waiting for hope]

17. Again -

"they were his single biggest donor"....And who is Mr/Mrs. ActBlue? I really want to say you are so full of something but I won't.

:hi:, Have a Nice Day.

[onenote]

10. took me less than 5 minute to find lobbyists who had contributed to edwards campaign

Also, contributions listed from attorneys/consultants working for entities that engage in lobbying, incuding trade associations, law firms, consulting firms. And there are lots of trial lawyers listed -- folks who work for big litigation outfits like Jack Olender or the Cochran firm -- maybe its not the association of trial lawyers, but is it really that different?

I find the whole "no contributions from lobbyists" mantra pretty silly.

[Cameron27]

13. And that doesn't include the amount of money

he's gotten from bundlers. He won't release that information.

http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2007/11/19/top_news/08.txt

[asdjrocky]

19. I wonder if you actually read the artical.

Seriousley, this is far worse for Clinton, and Obama, than for Edwards. Did I miss something?

Edwards released a list of 669 "solicitors" through the first three quarters of 2007. He releases the names of everyone who has collected money, regardless of amount.

Here's more:

Clinton, on the other hand, releases only those who have raised at least $100,000. So far 320 people, whom she calls HillRaisers, have done so. Obama identifies those who have raised $50,000, or 354 people for the first three quarters of the year. The tally was compiled by Public Citizen.

And just a little more:

This is 100 percent about transparency and electing someone who is open and honest to the presidency; that's why we, unlike our opponents, release the names of everyone who fundraises for Senator Edwards," his spokeswoman, Colleen Murray, said.

Lincoln disagrees with Edwards' characterization of full disclosure because he does not reveal how much money each person is responsible for.

"You can disclose nobody or disclose everybody -- they're two different ways of being opaque," he said.



My take? Clinton has like 90 mil. Obama has like 80 mil. And Edwards sits at about 30 mil.

Who's getting money from major corporations?

[Cameron27]

20. I read it,

and he released the names, not the amounts given. Only you, like Edwards, thinks this gives him transparency, and that this makes it worse for Clinton and Obama. I'd rather know who's donating big money to these candidates, and Clinton and Obama have released that data.

Mr. Clean needs to release all the info before he takes on anyone else.

[asdjrocky]

21. Ok....

Would you like to take a look at a bridge I have for sale?

[Cameron27]

22. You have zero credibility on this board

as far as I'm concerned.

[asdjrocky]

24. Right back at ya!

[Cameron27]

27. Stick with the rah rah threads,

you're very good at cheerleading Johnnie and demanding things of other DUers that you won't bother to provide yourself. I've been posting on this board for quite awhile now, and I could care less what you think of me. Honestly, I wish you'd put me on ignore.

[asdjrocky]

30. You're projecting.

But really, I don't take it personally.

[cuke]

23. Another substantial contribution

So nice to see you bringing no facts to the table

[ihavenobias]

26. People have no concept of nuance?

It's a matter of *how much* special interest money and also, *who* you owe. That will go a long way toward determining the frequency and or importance/influence of those favors.

For example, considering our current situation WRT Iraq/Iran (etc.), loads of money from the defense industry really scares me. Same deal with the dire need to overhaul health care and loads of money from the health care industry.

So again, it's a matter of degree. Some people are much further to one side of the spectrum.

What scares you about money coming from lawyers? More questionable lawsuits, higher medical expenses (which actually have very little to do with malpractice lawsuits overall), what? I'm not saying there is NOTHING to question, but where are your priorities?

Compare that to a candidate (who shall remain nameless) taking gobs and gobs of money from the defense industry, the healthcare industry, the telecom industry, etc.

Really, there is no comparison.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp

[asdjrocky]

18. Really?

Can you show us what you found? Coz I've looked, and I've found nothing.:shrug:

[Armstead]

14. In the nomination process, maybe -- but not in the general

That pledge would -- if taken to its logical conclusion -- automatically put whomever the Democratic nominee is at a disadvantage.

It translates into: Do you want to fight the GOP Money Machine with one hand tied behind our backs?

[ihavenobias]

25. Translation

Actually, it translates to "do you want to sign this or would you prefer to fight the GOP Money Machine by putting up a candidate who most closely resembles an actual GOP candidate?"

[highflyingbird]

15. Signed

Things must change. JRE is the one for the job.

[Adelante]

16. Sign up on Edwards' email farm today

Receive your give me money email tomorrow! What meaningless drivel this is.

[Ninga]

28. The drivel you speak of, is wise marketing. The act of providing your opinion and or/your contact

information, is the first step taken toward commitment.

I think you are much smarter than your drivel. Such drivel as your comment does not serve political debate well.