Lobbyists fight back against Obama - lawsuit in the works

[HopeOverFear]

Huffington Post:

A strange bedfellows coalition of non-governmental organizations is pushing back hard against one of the Obama administration's most stringent ethics policies, declaring it counterproductive and possibly unconstitutional.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) hosted a conference call on Tuesday to persuade the president to reverse a rule that bars executive branch officials from having phone or face-to-face conversations with registered lobbyists on matters relating to the stimulus. And while, on the surface, the effort seems at odds with the prevailing winds of public opinion, legal observers say that, at least in a court of law, the groups have a case.

"My hunch is that they will lose their lawsuits," said Tom Gerety, a constitutional law professor at New York University. "But it is a shrewd move on their part and a constitutionally valid move."

Certainly, the Obama administration's policy has touched a sensitive nerve within the lobbying community. In an email sent last week to fellow lobbyists, Dave Wenhold, President of ALL, made the rather dramatic case that he and others were being discriminated against and demonized, illegally.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

1. Kick! I can't believe that!

[firedupdem]

2. Most important part:

"My hunch is that they will lose their lawsuits," said Tom Gerety, a constitutional law professor at New York University. "But it is a shrewd move on their part and a constitutionally valid move."

[HopeOverFear]

3. the scary part is that it's constitutional. n/m

[high density]

4. Where in the Constitution does it say we must let lobbyists run our government?

Nothing about lobbying is "equal petitioning." Your or I write a message to [email protected] while these lobbyists, employed by powerful companies, talk to and influence people a stones throw away from the president. There's nothing equal about that. Write down your demands like everybody else and let them be on public record.

[HopeOverFear]

6. Right on n/m

[Political Heretic]

5. The ACLU is such a great org, but this former employee has always disagreed with them on $ = speech.

The ACLU opposes campaign finance reform with things like bans on soft money and such as a violation of free speech. They oppose these rules on similar grounds. I disagree with them so strongly on this, which is so weird because I agree with them on every other formal stance they have.

Great organization that happens to be wrong (imo) about money = speech. When money = speech, we have greater inequality of voice between the haves and the have nots than if we conclude that money does not equal speech.

[Thrill]

7. The same ones who complain about lobbyist are now defending them?

How are we ever going to limit their influence?

[Hutzpa]

8. They better start looking for a Gentleman's club

they should asked Wall St. where former brokers are strutting
their stuff on the poll.

It's a brilliant career change and a lucrative one too, I
might add....:evilgrin: