Wow this is clumsy. Obama's explanation on lobbyist co chair

[Proud2BAmurkin]

This isn't a good way to deflect a criticism.......

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_on_el_pr/democrats_rdp;_ylt=ArfcntAABKqBApwckq5IatGs0NUE

Obama aides found themselves on the defensive after Clinton said during Saturday's debate that Obama's New Hampshire campaign co-chairman, Jim Demers, is a lobbyist whose clients include pharmaceutical companies. The Clinton campaign kept up the criticism Sunday morning in a teleconference call with reporters, noting that Obama has repeatedly said he does not take money from federal lobbyists or political action committees.

Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said Demers is a state lobbyist and does not do business involving federal legislation or regulation. He said the campaign has drawn a distinction between lobbyists who are registered to work at the state level and those who lobby the federal government.

"A ban on lobbying money and PACs is far from perfect," Gibbs said. "There is a difference between a college football player and professional football player," he added.

[Evergreen Emerald]

1. What "is" is.

They are now drawing distinctions between lobbyists? Oh brother.

[gaiilonfong]

6. You mean like "I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN"

ThaT kind of distinction....WOW!

[Windy]

19. Your candidate has made no bones about supporting lobbyists...

She takes money from them and thinks they do the people's business.

There is a difference between a state and federal lobbyist and influence in a federal election. I wish no one would take any money from any state or federal lobbyist or special intereset group.
Having said that, unfortunately, in light of Clinton's hands in every corporate till the other campaigns have no choice but to get those big money funds to compete. Clinton would buy her way into the whitehouse if she could. And that's exactly what she would do if the others didn't have the funds to compete.

NAFTA and GAT sponsered by Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton too as she is running like she was the vice president, was the biggest "thanks for the money" let me give something back move of the 20th century!!!

Corporate influence in politics, brought to the fore with the Clintons and the DLC is why new blood is needed in washington to break the cycle.

[Evergreen Emerald]

24. hypocrites should not live in glass houses.

[maximusveritas]

2. Not really. The Edwards campaign makes the same distinction

There's obviously a difference between a state and federal lobbyist.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

5. does that distinction hold much water? really?

I don't get it

[killbotfactory]

9. State lobbyists can't lobby the federal government

Which is the big problem with "lobbyists in Washington".

[maximusveritas]

21. All Hillary is doing is trying to exploit people's ignorance on this.

state lobbyists will have zero influence on them in the White House.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

25. "All Hillary is doing is trying to exploit people's ignorance on this."

Yep, and her supporters seem to have that in spades.

[Bluebear]

3. Well that's "hopeful" and a "change", idn't it?

[jenmito]

8. Yes, it id.

[AmBlue]

4. Ummm, sure.

And we all just fell off a turnip truck.

[cali]

7. that's precisely the distinction that Edwards makes

and it may be clumsy but it's the truth. Lobbying in Concord or Montpelier is a different thing altogether. And it's not bad at all.

[pinto]

10. fwiw, this seems an accurate answer. Mr. Demers appears to be a *state* lobbyist,

for a number of companies, not a *federal* lobbyist.

"Obama has repeatedly said he does not take money from federal lobbyists or political action committees."

Splitting hairs? I don't know, but it would make sense that a lobbyist working with a range of companies, in-state, and a small state at that - would have little or no impact on the federal level.

[Skip Intro]

11. Lobbyists are bad, except the ones that help us.

Clumsy because he's trying to explain away hypocrisy.

[ClericJohnPreston]

14. Last time I checked....

College football players went from College to the NFL, after being drafted upon graduation.

You can bet Obama has brokered those deals as he is completely entrenched in the scandalous LOBBYIST $$$$$.

You Obamites have no comeback for that one against Edwards.

For him, words=ACTION and deeds.

[2rth2pwr]

12. Most college players are looking to join the pros. nt

[FrenchieCat]

13. If you are gonna have a lobbyist as Co-Chair,

This one doesn't seem so bad.


Demers heads up a lobby firm of his own name, The Demers Group. He was also a Democratic nominee for Congress in 1986. He is respected by legislative leaders from both parties and is relied on by reporters to be very knowledgeable with the latest statehouse rumor or how pieces of legislation are moving. He is also a frequent Democratic analyst for WMUR-TV.

He gives thousands in contributions to the state Democratic Party and Democratic campaigns. In 2004, he headed up campaign for Dick Gephardt in the state. And to aid in that effort Demers purchased an RV from eBay that he then drove around the state with Gephardt to campaign events.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/primarysource/2008/01/lobbyistobama_n.html

[Little Star]

15. Link to The Demers Group below. Judge for yourself.

http://thedemersgroup.com/

[amandabeech]

16. Nonetheless, big pharma and others now have an "in" with Obama.

They're not going to care if the "in" works for them at the state level or the federal level.

Demers has access and his clients are paying him for it. Do you honestly think that he will refuse to use it, if not now, at some point in the future?

I sure as hell hope the Edwards doesn't have any corporate lobbyists running his operations.

I wonder if the Edwards people leaked this to the Clinton camp, or whether they discovered it themselves.

If you're Edwards, this news coming from the Clinton camp looks better than if it came from the Edwards camp, since Edwards has positioned himself as being closer to Obama than Clinton.

[DLnyc]

20. Why do think anybody leaked anything to anyone?

Wouldn't this information be pretty public and obvious?

[amandabeech]

23. It might not be noticed by folks who didn't know him considering

all the hub-bub.

[indimuse]

17. snip...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/6 /

Story Updated.
Daily Kos
Yes Mr. Obama, a Lobbyist IS Running Your Campaign
by owl06
Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 12:37:16 PM PST

In last night's debate, honey-tongued Barack Obama eloquently made his case for 'change.' Obama wants to form a coalition of willing Democrats, independents, and yes -- even Republicans -- to shake up Washington. Before Mr. Obama does to Washington, the first term Senator may want to consider shaking up his own campaign: His New Hampshire co-chair Jim Demers is a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry.

Hillary Clinton informed the Senator that a lobbyist was running his campaign during a sharp exchange about health care. Obama righteously denied the charge, but unfortunately for Obama, it was
proven true by Time's Mark Halperin. Obama was either grossly misinformed or worse. More after the Flip.

* owl06's diary :: ::
*

How could Barack Obama not know that his campaign chair is a Big Pharma lobbyist? You can see the exchange here with your own eyes:

In order to understand the full dimension of Obama's coziness with lobbyists, you have to go back to his Chicago stumping grounds.

According to the Associated Press, "Barack Obama played poker and basketball with lobbyists when he was a state senator. He took their campaign donations and worked with them to write legislation ... A look at Obama’s seven years in the Illinois Legislature reveals a complicated relationship with lobbyists - particularly for someone who now makes criticism of lobbyists a centerpiece of his presidential campaign."

In the present Obama makes bold statements such as this:

"We have chance to say to the corporate lobbyist, your days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. They have not funded my campaigns, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voice of the American people when I am president of the United States." – Barack Obama in Concord, New Hampshire, January 2008

But his rhetoric is not matched by the reality of his campaign's actions; he has a lobbyist running the show in New Hampshire. In this case, it is a lobbyist whom is registered to lobby for Pfizer and PhRMA.

What's more, Obama has paid lobbyists on his staff. The No Quarter blog reported that:

"Three political aides on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) payroll were registered lobbyists for dozens of corporations, including Wal-Mart, British Petroleum and Lockheed Martin, while they received payments from his campaign, according to public documents."

In a recent interview with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, David Bonior, Edwards' campaign manager, made this observation:

"If you look at his record in Illinois when he had a major -- sponsored a major health bill that's what he did. He watered down with the help of the corporate lobbyist and they got a weak product out of that."

Is Barack misinformed, or is he lying? Democrats need to take a much harder look at Senator Obama, before the fo s) ends up running the biggest of all hen houses. America cannot afford to play poker with our next President. It's about integrity.

Poll

Should A Big Pharma Lobbyist Be Running Obama's new Hampshire Campaign?
Yes, words matter more than actions
7% 11 votes
No, he should back up his own rhetoric
73% 112 votes
I'm blissfully ignoring it
19% 30 votes

| 153 votes | Vote | Results

Tags: Barack Obama, Lobbyists, Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire, Recommended (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

View Comments | 225 comments

[pleah]

18. A lobbyist is a lobbyist is a lobbyist. There is a difference, is he kidding?

[Luminous Animal]

22. I'm an Edwards supporter

and I agree with Obama that there is a distinction between a Washington lobbyist and a state lobbyist. State representatives (especially a small state like New Hampshire) are far more responsive to the concerns of their constituency. I think the Clinton camp is making a mountain out of molehill. I also think this will backfire if the Obama camp responds by highlighting the business of Mark Penn. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070521/berman

[demommom]

26. How long is he going to get away with this shit.

A lobbyist is a lobbyist