In his weekly radio address, President Obama called on the Senate to pass the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights. He is also on record supporting the Employee Free Choice Act and the ability of judges to write down mortgages in bankruptcy.
It's a shame that Democratic lobbyists are working overtime (and getting rich) opposing him.
We've been doing an analysis of where the lobbying money is going in the first quarter of 2009, which lays an interesting map of how power is being parlayed in the new Democratic era:
Elmendorf Strategies: Everyone's favorite lobbyist Steve Elmendorf was a senior advisor to Dick Gephardt for 12 years, and was deputy campaign manager for Kerry in 04. He's been signing clients left and right lately, including Ameren, described by Brad Johnson as "coal plutocrats" who are "spending millions on Washington D.C. so that they can continue to make billions destroying the American economy and the planet." He's also got Rush Limbaugh's employer, Clear Channel, referred to by Media Matters as "conservative-friendly media behemoth with a soft spot for right-wing radio" and " the poster child for everything that's wrong with runaway media consolidation.
But wait, there's more. He's recently signed TARP recipients Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and hopefuls Hartford Insurance. But the big score is the Active Financing Working Group, SIFMA and Microsoft, who will be lobbying furiously to stop President Obama's recently announced plan to close offshore tax loopholes. Hedge fund managers are heavily impacted by these proposed changes, as are companies like Microsoft that have profited both by outsourcing jobs and the ability to evade taxes.
Elmendorf employees have payed out over $72,000 in political contributions to Democrats since the November election. Draw your own conclusions.
Glover Park Group: Lobbying against credit card reform for the American Bankers' Association, the organization called out by Dick Durbin in his rant about how banks "own the place." They also lobbied for Whole Foods on labor issues -- you'll recall Lanny Davis leading the trojan horse to kill Employee Free Choice on their behalf. They also represent Planned Parenthood.
- Joel Johnson is a former Senior Advisor for Policy and Communications in the Clinton White House. He's also former Staff Director for Senate Democratic Leadership, and served as Tom Daschle's chief legislative and communications advisor.
- Susan Brophy previously held positions as administrative assistant to Byron Dorgan, policy director of the DNC, and director of congressional relations for the Clinton-Gore transition office.
- Joyce Brayboy worked for 12 years as Chief of Staff to Mel Watt. Appointed by Howard Dean to serve as a Super Delegate for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
LHD & Associates: Speaking of Daschle -- Linda Hall Daschle picked up quite a few clients after the first of the year when she hung out her own shingle, signing contracts with Lockheed Martin, Boeing, the American Association of Airport Executives, American Airlines, Norfolk Southern, the USTA and L-3. Daschle is a former FAA administrator whose lobbying career has been marked with conflicts with her husband's former position as Majority Leader.
President Obama's effort to close loopholes for foreign tax havens will be seriously affecting her clients. According to the GAO report cited by the administration, Boeing had 135 foreign subsidies and $23 billion in government contracts in 2007. L-3 has 90 foreign subsidies and $6.6 billion in government contracts.
The irony is that money is flowing into Democratic lobbying shops at unprecedented rates expressly because Obama is in the White House.
Coming up next: The Podesta Group, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti and D+P Creative Strategies -- Democrats who take Walmart's money to kill EFCA.
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