McCain’s Unmagnificent Seven
September 11th, 2008 at 09:04am Pat Cunningham
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Some of the McCainiacs who regularly visit Applesauce seem astonishingly unaware that Mr. Straight Talk’s presidential campaign is almost entirely run by lobbyists.
From AmericaBlog, we get this list of seven top campaign officials:
* Rick Davis, campaign manager, has lobbied for Airborne Express and DHL on their controversial merger deal, as well as telecom companies Bell South/SBC and Verizon.
* Charlie Black, senior advisor, lobbied for more than 100 clients, including Yukos Oil and Freddie Mac.
* Randy Scheunemann’s lobbying clients have included BP Amoco and the NRA.
* Nancy Pfotenhauer, senior policy advisor, is a former Koch Industries lobbyist.
* Frank Donatelli, the McCain campaign’s director at the RNC, has had 70 clients including PHARMA, Pfizer and Exxon Mobil.
* John Green, congressional liaison, has lobbied for at least 150 clients, including insurance industry trade groups, predatory lender Ameriquest, Chevron Texaco, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.
* Wayne Berman, campaign vice-chair, finance co-chair, and advisor has also lobbied for almost 100 clients, including Ameriquest, Fannie Mae, the National Rifle Association and American Health Insurance Plans.
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14 Comments Add your own
1. Milton Waddams | September 11th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Not surprising in the least. The Repubs bring conflict of interest and hypocracy to an art form. The absolute double standard going on here is breath taking.
2. Kaus | September 11th, 2008 at 10:40 am
“shameful”….explain then why Biden also had lobbyists fund his campaign?
3. Jon Murray | September 11th, 2008 at 10:43 am
No disrespect to John McCain, however he is an older individual and is not as sharp as he once may have been. This is a fact of getting older. (Absolutely no disrespect to older individiuals.) The poor guy needs the help. Good reason to consider the opposition…younger, more vibrant, more intellectual.
4. Pat Cunningham | September 11th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Jon: Your remarks about John McCain’s age and how he’s not as sharp as he once was are delivered respectfully, as you say, but they give me pause personally. For nine months in the mid-1950s, McCain and I were teenagers at the same time. I have to ask myself whether I’ll soon be heading as far around the bend as McCain is now. I hope not.
5. Pat Cunningham | September 11th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Kaus: Give it up. Your point is irrelevant. Biden doesn’t have lobbyists running his campaign for vice president. McCain’s campaign for president is run entirely by lobbyists. Why are you not offended by this? Don’t you recognize that these leeches will be running the White House if McCain gets elected (God forbid!)?
6. Kaus | September 11th, 2008 at 11:59 am
My point IS relevant…..Biden WAS running in this election with Lobbyists….and he is on the ticket with Obama and he is tied to lobbyists even now.
.
As far as Obama is concerned:
A Post review of Obama’s payroll, advisers and endorsements found several other Washington lobbyists. Obama staffer Buffy Wicks was registered in 2007 to lobby for the United Food and Commercial Workers union, while two fellow campaign aides were registered in 2006 to lobby for the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress.
Obama DOES receive endorsements from lobbyists.
Obama had advisors from Fannie Mae who gave him preferential loans.
Obama had advisor tied to Hammas….ouch.
7. Optimistic1 | September 11th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Avoiding the pesky fact that Sen Obama also has lobbyist in his campaign, let’s look at history of action for McCain:
McCain/Feingold
NO EARMARKS (How many can say that in DC?)
Line Item Veto in 96 (Clinton Signed)
Went against Tobacco/Republicans along with Clinton is 1998
Went against Big Pharma/Bush with Schumer in 2001
Went against Big Pharma/Bush again in 2004 with Ted Kennedy
Source: Wikipedia
Please show me what Sen Obama has done other than talk a big game, take earmarks as well as contributions (like all else) from bundlers, PACs and let’s not forget the largest lobby in America, the NEA and their Ilk.
8. Craig Knauss | September 11th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Let’s see. Obama aids alledgedly lobbied for workers groups, etc. and McCain’s aid lobbied for Big Oil, Big Pharm, Big Health Care, etc. Yeah, that sounds pretty even all right. Who needs those damn workers anyway? We can always bring back slavery or outsource everyone’s (including Kaus’) jobs overseas. That would be fair, wouldn’t it?
9. Milton Waddams | September 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Obama had advisors from Fannie Mae who gave him preferential loans.
Fannie Mae doesn’t make loans directly, they buy loans (maximum of 425k, just went up, though) from banks and repackage them into securities. This frees up capital in the primary banks to make new mortgages.
The preferential deal he received is not uncommon from a bank hoping to gain the business of a potential high net worth client like the Obamas. It is the entire premise of Lendingtree.com. “When banks compete, you win”…The bank gives him a good deal on a mortgage and we may get his investments and other banking business, that we will make money on.
So nice try Kaus, but might want to get your facts straight (rather than just repeat the same false talking points) before making accusations, because it makes your ignorance apparent.
10. Kaus | September 11th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Milton, a great bunch of ECONOMIC advisors your hero Obama chose eh? 2 ex-Fannie Mae guys smack dab in the middle of our latest mortgage crisis….a sign of things to come after Obama is elected.
Craig, I have a hard time believing your comments….a big reason for off shoring jobs is BEAUSE of unions. At least Big Oil CREATES jobs.
11. Milton Waddams | September 11th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
My first line was a cut and paste of what you said and forgot the quotes. But my refutation of what you said about his loan is still correct.
Yes, Obama had some ex-fannie mae guys as advisors. So does John McCain… The person McCain has tasked with vetting his vice presidential candidates is Arthur Culvahouse.
Culvahouse is a registered lobbyist who had represented Fannie Mae, and is chairman of Omelveny & Myers, a lobbying firm that has represented Exxon-Mobil Corp. and Enron. He was also the head of the legal team in the Reagan White House during the Iran-Contra hearings.
Tit for tat…my previous refutation of what you said is still correct.
12. bannernews | September 11th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Kaus: those UNION jobs are AMERICAN WORKERS. I think that’s the point.
13. Kaus | September 11th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hey Bannernews….show me where unions CREATE jobs. That’s MY point. Duh. The Workers of the World Unite! mantra hasn’t turned out very well dude. Read your history books.
14. Craig Knauss | September 11th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I can’t wait until useless appendages like Kaus get out-sourced next. Maybe when he’s scraping grease at a fast-food restaurant, he’ll finally get the point. But until then, he’ll just wander through his usual pile of BS.
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