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White House eases stimulus lobbyist restrictions

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celticlord

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TheHill.com - White House eases stimulus lobbyist restrictions

In a significant change, the Obama administration will now allow lobbyists to meet and have telephonic discussions with government officials regarding economic recovery projects.

The lifting of the ban comes after K Street has cried foul for months and has challenged the White House on its restrictions.
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The more things change, the more things stay the same.....

What happened to the "no lobbyists" mantra of the campaign trail? Or was that "just words"?
 
celticlord said:
TheHill.com - White House eases stimulus lobbyist restrictions



The more things change, the more things stay the same.....

What happened to the "no lobbyists" mantra of the campaign trail? Or was that "just words"?
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I suppose you wouldn't want to mention the following now:
  • Lobbyists can make their cases -- and agency officials can listen to them -- at "widely attended gatherings."
  • Government officials have to ask whether the person they are talking to at such events is a federally registered lobbyist speaking on behalf of a client.
  • Agency officials are required to promptly disclose on the Internet all oral and written communications with lobbyists concerning policy or projects funded under the recovery act.
  • They also have to disclose any written communications with lobbyists regarding pending applications for competitive funding.
  • The one caveat, however, is that lobbyists can talk to agency representatives only about logistical issues or general questions regarding stimulus grants.
  • Agency officials have to document any discussion with a lobbyist that veers toward advocacy of stimulus policy or a particular project.
  • Government officials are still banned from talking to lobbyists representing companies that have already applied for grants and are awaiting a competitive decision.
  • In those cases, agency officials are allowed to accept "oral communication" only if the matter is purely logistical.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) joined forced to advocate that the White House revise its rules.
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Under this context, kind of changes your original hypothesis some? Or would you prefer we go back to the old way where the energy lobbyists simply write the energy bill?
 
sam_w said:
Under this context, kind of changes your original hypothesis some? Or would you prefer we go back to the old way where the energy lobbyists simply write the energy bill?
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I would prefer the restrictions stay in place. If the bill is truly about stimulating the economy, there's no special interest involved, and no need for lobbying.
 
sam_w said:
I suppose you wouldn't want to mention the following now:
  • Lobbyists can make their cases -- and agency officials can listen to them -- at "widely attended gatherings."
  • Government officials have to ask whether the person they are talking to at such events is a federally registered lobbyist speaking on behalf of a client.
  • Agency officials are required to promptly disclose on the Internet all oral and written communications with lobbyists concerning policy or projects funded under the recovery act.
  • They also have to disclose any written communications with lobbyists regarding pending applications for competitive funding.
  • The one caveat, however, is that lobbyists can talk to agency representatives only about logistical issues or general questions regarding stimulus grants.
  • Agency officials have to document any discussion with a lobbyist that veers toward advocacy of stimulus policy or a particular project.
  • Government officials are still banned from talking to lobbyists representing companies that have already applied for grants and are awaiting a competitive decision.
  • In those cases, agency officials are allowed to accept "oral communication" only if the matter is purely logistical.
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And yet, it can all be boiled down to this: Does it loosen or tighten the restrictions?

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) joined forced to advocate that the White House revise its rules.
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Wow, you mean two liberal groups joined with a group of lobbyists to advocate for increased communication between a liberal government and lobbyists? I'm truly astonished.

Under this context, kind of changes your original hypothesis some? Or would you prefer we go back to the old way where the energy lobbyists simply write the energy bill?
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Give it another 6 months, I'm sure we'll be back there soon enough.
 
Lobbyists are a major cause of waste fraud and abuse in all Government and shouldn't be restricted they should be outlawed out right. If they have information they want someone to know it should be presented in a hearing setting where the sunshine can insure there are no quid pro quos or payments taking place. This alone could save billions and reduce corruption which infests both sides of the isle and all points in the middle..
 
Councilman said:
Lobbyists are a major cause of waste fraud and abuse in all Government and shouldn't be restricted they should be outlawed out right.
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I disagree. Lobbyists serve a purpose and people should be allowed to use them if they want to convince people to join them. However, much of the fraud and abuse comes from congressmen having too much power and government in general violating the constitution.
 
sam_w said:
Under this context, kind of changes your original hypothesis some? Or would you prefer we go back to the old way where the energy lobbyists simply write the energy bill?
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As opposed to the stunning brilliance of having a bunch of clueless lawyers and political hacks write an energy bill.
 
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sam_w said:
Under this context, kind of changes your original hypothesis some? Or would you prefer we go back to the old way where the energy lobbyists simply write the energy bill?
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It would put alotta folks back to work. We all know that that's not the objective of the porkulus bill.
 
apdst said:
It would put alotta folks back to work. We all know that that's not the objective of the porkulus bill.
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No stimulus bill is going to put people back to work anyway. It's a flawed concept.
 
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