Barack Obama's Ex-Lobbyist Appointees, Apple's iLobby and More

Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:

OBAMA RECESS APPOINTMENT LIST INCLUDES 'REVOLVING DOOR' MEMBERS: President Barack Obama this weekend made 15 "recess appointments," temporarily inserting people into senior administration jobs without the approval of Congress, which is on break. Despite Obama's pledge to limit special influence participation in his administration -- he's sought to  prohibit lobbyists from serving on federal advisory panels, for example -- a half-dozen of these new appointees have strong union or special interest ties, or are themselves former registered lobbyists, the Center for Responsive Politics finds.

Among them: Craig Becker, a union lawyer who Obama placed on the National Labor Relations Board. Jeffrey A. Goldstein, Obama's nominee for assistant treasury secretary, has worked for a variety of private political influence peddlers, and is a member of OpenSecrets.org's "Revolving Door" database. Eric L. Hirschhorn, a Department of Commerce under secretary appointee, is a former federal lobbyist, as is Michael W. Punke, a deputy trade representative appointee, and Jacqueline Berrien, who will now serve as chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Chief agricultural negotiator Israel Siddiqui, a former lobbyist for CropLife America, is also on Obama's list.

rest at http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/03/your-daily-dose-of-news-14.html