Research Briefing

Democrats Issue “Call To Arms” To 400 Lobbyists To Block GOP Efforts At Budget Discipline

WHILE REPUBLICANS WORK TO RESTORE FISCAL DISCIPLINE,

DEMOCRATS RALLY LOBBYISTS TO PROTECT THEIR BINGE SPENDING

Democrats Arranged A Meeting With Hundreds Of Lobbyists To Strategize On How To Keep Their Hands On The American Taxpayers’ Dollars. “In an e-mail obtained by ABC News, a top staffer for the key Senate Appropriations subcommittee called for a meeting of lobbyists and interest groups that would be affected by expected cuts to the Labor and [Health] and Human Services budget.” (Jonathan Karl & Matthew Jaffe, “Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists In ‘Call To Arms’ For Upcoming Spending Fight,” ABC News, 2/4/11)

• “The Jan. 24 Meeting Was Attended By Approximately 400 People, Sources Told ABC, And Served As A ‘Call To Arms’ For Those Determined To Fight Republican Budget Cuts.” (Jonathan Karl & Matthew Jaffe, “Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists In ‘Call To Arms’ For Upcoming Spending Fight,” ABC News, 2/4/11)

The Staffer For Sen. Harkin (D-IA) Told Lobbyists That They Were “Stakeholders” Who Would Benefit From More Government Spending. “‘One thing everyone should be able to agree on now is that a rising tide lifts all boats, and that a higher [Labor, Health & Human Services] allocation improves the chances for every stakeholder group to receive more funding,’ the committee staffer for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrote in an e-mail inviting people to the meeting.” (Jonathan Karl & Matthew Jaffe, “Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists In ‘Call To Arms’ For Upcoming Spending Fight,” ABC News, 2/4/11)

A Source Said The Dems Called The Meeting To Stop The “Evil House Republicans.”  “Another source familiar with the meeting said Democrats used the meeting as ‘an attack on House Republicans.’ ‘They said these evil House Republicans are here and they're going to kill all these programs that support little kids, senior citizens, and health care,’ the source said. ‘They're trying to instill the fear of God that Republicans are basically going to blow up all these programs, kill these programs, defund them.’”  (Jonathan Karl & Matthew Jaffe, “Lawmakers Rally Lobbyists In ‘Call To Arms’ For Upcoming Spending Fight,” ABC News, 2/4/11)

WARNING TO CARIBOU COFFEE:  YOU ARE GOING TO BE BUSY

White House Officials Have Met "Hundreds Of Times" With Lobbyists At Coffee Shop Across Street From White House. "Here at the Caribou on Pennsylvania Avenue, and a few other nearby coffee shops, White House officials have met hundreds of times over the last 18 months with prominent K Street lobbyists -- members of the same industry that President Obama has derided for what he calls its "outsized influence" in the capital." (Eric Lichtblau, "Across From White House, Coffee With Lobbyists," The New York Times, 6/24/10)

Meetings "Reveal A Disconnect Between The Obama Administration's Public Rhetoric ... And The Administration's Continuing, Private Dealings With Them." "But because the discussions are not taking place at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, they are not subject to disclosure on the visitors' log that the White House releases as part of its pledge to be the 'most transparent presidential administration in history.' The off-site meetings, lobbyists say, reveal a disconnect between the Obama administration's public rhetoric -- with Mr. Obama himself frequently thrashing big industries' 'battalions' of lobbyists as enemies of reform -- and the administration's continuing, private dealings with them." (Eric Lichtblau, "Across From White House, Coffee With Lobbyists," The New York Times, 6/24/10)

Discussed Issues From Wall Street Regulation To Health Care. "On the agenda over espressos and lattes, according to more than a dozen lobbyists and political operatives who have taken part in the sessions, have been front-burner issues like Wall Street regulation, health care rules, federal stimulus money, energy policy and climate control -- and their impact on the lobbyists' corporate clients." (Eric Lichtblau, "Across From White House, Coffee With Lobbyists," The New York Times, 6/24/10)