Tomgram: Lawrence Weschler, The Great American Shakedown
In the U.S., corruption is seldom “corruption.” Take as
an example our president, who has been utterly clear: he will not take
money for his electoral campaign from lobbyists. Only problem: according to the New York Times,
15 of his top “bundlers,” who give their own money and solicit that of
others -- none registered as federal lobbyists -- are “involved in
lobbying for Washington consulting shops or private companies,” and they
are raising millions for him. They also have access to the White
House on policy matters. According to
a June report from the Center for Public Integrity, “President Obama
granted plum jobs and appointments to almost 200 people who raised large
sums for his [2008] presidential campaign, and his top fundraisers
have won millions of dollars in federal contracts.”
The president’s spokespeople insist, of course, that he’s kept to his
promise, as defined by the labyrinthine lobbying legislation written
by a Congress filled with future lobbyists. And keep in mind that
Obama looks like Little Mary Sunshine compared to the field of
Republican presidential candidates who seem determined to campaign cheek to jowl with as many lobbyists as they can corral. More than 100 federal lobbyists have already contributed to Mitt Romney’s campaign, while Rick Perry has evidently risen
to candidate status on the shoulders of Mike Toomey, a former
gubernatorial chief of staff, friend, and money-raising lobbyist whose
clients “have won $2 billion in [Texas] state government contracts since
2008.” And that’s just the tip of the top of the iceberg.
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