Despite Obama’s Pledge To Keep Lobbyists Out Of His Campaign, The Floodgates Are Open

CANDIDATE OBAMA: “We Will Not Take A Dime From Washington Lobbyists Or Special Interest PACs – We’re Going To Change How Washington Works. They Will Not Fund My Party …” (Sunlen Miller, “Obama Commends DNC For Cutting Lobbyist Contributions,” ABC News‘ “Political Radar” Blog, 6/5/08) 

• When Announcing His Campaign For Presidency, Obama Pledged To End Special Interest Access. “Special interests have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play … They get the access while you get to write a letter … The time for that kind of politics is over. It’s through.” (Sen. Barack Obama,Remarks Announcing Campaign For President, Springfield, IL, 2/17/07)

OBAMA’S ANTI-LOBBYIST RHETORIC DOES NOT MATCH REALITY

 Obama Is Ignoring His Pledge To Not Take Money From Lobbyists, Raising Millions From “Prominent Supporters Who Are Active In The Lobbying Industry.” “Despite a pledge not to take money from lobbyists, President Obama has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

At Least 15 Of Obama’s Bundlers Are In The Lobbying Industry And Have Raised Over $5 Million For Obama’s Reelection Campaign. “At least 15 of Mr. Obama’s ‘bundlers’ — supporters who contribute their own money to his campaign and solicit it from others — are involved in lobbying for Washington consulting shops or private companies. They have raised more than $5 million so far for the campaign.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

Obama Gets Around His Own Rule Because The Bundlers Are Not Registered With The Senate. “Because the bundlers are not registered as lobbyists with the Senate, the Obama campaign has managed to avoid running afoul of its self-imposed ban on taking money from lobbyists.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

• “But Registered Or Not, The Bundlers Are In Many Ways Indistinguishable From People Who Fit The Technical Definition Of A Lobbyist.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

The Bundlers Show The Obama Ethics Policies Do Not Match The “On-The-Ground Practices.” “But the prevalence of major Obama fund-raisers who also work in the lobbying arena threatens to undercut the president’s ethics push, raising questions about whether the campaign’s policies square with its on-the-ground practices, some of those same watchdogs say.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

SOME OF OBAMA’S BUNDLERS RUN LOBBYING SHOPS

Obama’s 2012 Bundler List “Features A Number Of People Involved In The Business Of Influencing Government.” “A list of Obama’s own top fundraisers features a number of people involved in the business of influencing government, including the head of a lobbying and public relations firm, the corporate executive who oversees Comcast’s lobbying efforts and the chairwoman of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s political action committee, among others.” (Michael Scherer, “No Registered Lobbyists Among Top Obama Fundraisers, But Influence Seekers Abound,” Time’s “Swampland,” 7/20/11)

• “Their Contributions Are Accepted, However, As Long As They Hire Other People To Make Most Of The Person-To-Person Contacts With Federal Officials.” (Michael Scherer, “No Registered Lobbyists Among Top Obama Fundraisers, But Influence Seekers Abound,” Time’s “Swampland,”  7/20/11)

Sally Susman Raised Over $500,000 For Obama While Leading The Lobbying Shop At Pfizer. “Take Sally Susman. An executive at the drug-maker Pfizer, she has raised more than $500,000 for the president’s re-election and helped organize a $35,800-a-ticket dinner that Mr. Obama attended in Manhattan in June. At the same time, she leads Pfizer’s powerful lobbying shop, and she has visited the White House four times since 2009 — twice on export issues.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

“Michael Kempner, Who Has Also Brought In At Least $500,000 For The Campaign, Runs A Team Of Washington Lobbyists At His New Jersey Firm” Though He Personally Is Not Registered As A Federal Lobbyist. “And Michael Kempner, who has also brought in at least $500,000 for the campaign, runs a team of Washington lobbyists at his New Jersey firm, MWW Group, who, according to the its promotional material, use their “important relationships with both the Democratic and Republican leadership” to wield influence for their private sector clients. Seven of the lobbyists he employs are registered in Washington, but Mr. Kempner, the chief executive at the firm, is not.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

• Kempner Hosted A Fundraiser In 2010 That Told Donors They Could Talk To Obama’s EPA Commission “About Issues Of Concern.”  “He offered to host a June 2010 Democratic fundraiser in New York that promised donors the chance to talk to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson about  ‘about issues of concern to you,’ according to the invitation. (The event was canceled at the last minute after Republicans raised concerns in the midst of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis.)” (Michael Scherer, “No Registered Lobbyists Among Top Obama Fundraisers, But Influence Seekers Abound,” Time’s “Swampland,”  7/20/11)

Kenneth Jarin Is Raising Over $200,000 For Obama And Is A Co-Partner At A Government Relations Firm That Lobbied Obama’s Department Of Transportation This Year. “Kenneth Jarin, who plans to raise between $200,000 and $500,000 for Obama, is the the co-partner in charge of government relations at Ballard Spahr, which represented telecom company LightSquared before the Department of Transportation in 2011.” (Michael Scherer, “No Registered Lobbyists Among Top Obama Fundraisers, But Influence Seekers Abound,” Time’s “Swampland,” 7/20/11)

AND BRAG ABOUT THEIR ACCESS TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS

Bundlers Meet With Obama In The White House To Talk About Policy And Later Host Fundraisers For Obama’s Campaign. “They glide easily through the corridors of power in Washington, with a number of them hosting Mr. Obama at fund-raisers while also visiting the White House on policy matters and official business.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

Obama’s Fundraisers In “Government Affairs” Advertise Their Access To The White House. “Although Mr. Obama has helped make lobbying something of a dirty word in Washington — most firms refer to it by the euphemism of “government affairs” — that has not stopped a number of his fund-raisers from advertising their access to power brokers as they seek out clients.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

Alex Hecker Has Raised Over $200,000 For Obama While Boasting Of His Ability To “Win Results” Through His Contacts With “Key Decision Makers.” “Alex Heckler, for instance, runs a Florida consulting firm he founded, LSN Partners, which boasts of its ability to ‘win results for our clients’ at the national, state and local levels and to tap into ‘a strong national network of lobbying firms’ through its contacts with ‘key decision makers.’ Mr. Heckler, a noted Democratic fund-raiser in Florida who raised money for the presidential bids of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, has already brought in at least $200,000 for the Obama campaign, records show.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

As Does Andy Spahn, Who Has Raised At Least $500,000 For Obama’s Reelection Campaign. “Likewise, Andy Spahn, owner of a government relations company in Los Angeles, tells visitors to his Web site about its ‘extensive relationships in Washington, D.C.,’ and elsewhere in advocating for ‘high net-worth individuals,’ corporations, nonprofit groups and others. Mr. Spahn, who made his name doing lobbying work for DreamWorks film studio and was appointed by Mr. Obama to a presidential committee on the arts, has raised at least $500,000 for the president’s re-election.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

Lobbyists’ Access To The Obama White House May Be More Extensive Than We Know

The White House’s “Informal Contacts” With Lobbyists Have Also Created Controversy When They Evade Obama’s Visitor Logs By Meeting Outside The White House. “More controversy came last year over the White House’s informal contacts with lobbyists. The administration drew criticism over reports that White House officials were routinely sitting down with registered lobbyists at off-site locales, like a nearby Caribou Coffee shop, for meetings that would not show up on official White House visitor logs.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

OTHER BUNDLERS ARE RAISING FUNDS FOR OBAMA WHILE THEIR COMPANIES ARE BATTLING WITH FEDERAL REGULATORS

David Cohen, Executive Vice President At Comcast, Has Bundled Over $500,000 For Obama As Of July 15^th. (“Obama For America And Obama Victory Fund 2012 Volunteer Fundraisers,” barackobama.com, Accessed 7/15/11; Federal Election Commission, fec.gov, Accessed 7/18/11)

• Cohen “Sheparded The Regulatory Review Of Comcast’s Merger With NBC Universal.” “Cohen, a longtime Democratic operative, has successfully sheparded the regulatory review of Comcast’s merger with NBC Universal earlier this year.” (Perry Bacon Jr. And Cecilia Kang, “Obama Raises More Than $1.2 Million In Philadelphia,” The Washington Post, 6/30/11) 
  
• Comcast’s Merger With NBC Won Approval From The FCC And Department Of Justice In January 2011. “The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice on Tuesday approved — with several conditions — a merger of the country’s largest cable operator, Comcast, and broadcasting company NBC Universal.” (Kristen Hamill, “U.S. Approves Comcast-NBC Merger,” CNN Money, 1/18/11)

UBS CEO Robert Wolf Has Already Raised Up To $500,000 For Obama. “UBS Group Americas CEO and chairman Robert Wolf is a bundler and close presidential ally who has already raised up to $500,000 on behalf of the president’s reelection campaign this cycle, and was also a bundler in 2008.” (Byron Tau And Ben Smith, “Many Bundlers Have Administration Business Ties,” Politico, 7/21/11)

• While UBS “Has Tangled With Government Regulators” At The SEC. “Financial giant UBS has tangled with government regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission, recently settling a dispute over fraudulent municipal bond gains.” (Byron Tau And Ben Smith, “Many Bundlers Have Administration Business Ties,”Politico, 7/21/11)

David Hill, VP And Associate General Counsel Of Verizon, Has Bundled For Obama While Verizon Has Issues Before The FCC And Other Agencies. “David Hill, the vice president and associate general counsel for telecommunications giant Verizon, has bundled donations for the president, while Verizon’s regulatory issues have are overseen by the FCC and other federal regulators.” (Byron Tau And Ben Smith, “Many Bundlers Have Administration Business Ties,” Politico, 7/21/11)