Who Do You Think The Lobbyists Are Likin' This Year?

Earlier today, we talked about how Rahm Emanuel's complete lack of ethics endangers our democracy. Scummy, bloodsucking lobbyists, underminers of democracy, are financing the McCain campaign. Theoretically the information in the campaign reports should be enough to pin the corruption tag on him and move on towards plans for Obama's inaugural balls. Instead, Democrats are hampered because of Emanuel and his ilk. He and his corrupt congressional cronies take nearly as much in bribery from lobbyists as McCain does.

Corporate lobbyists from Big Oil, telecoms and commercial banks-- just three examples-- are donating to McCain like their lives depended on it. McCain points out that Obama has special interests too: human rights organizations, environmentalists, consumer-health care organizations... There's a difference. But when it comes to slime like Emanuel and Hoyer, there is no difference. Emanuel, Hoyer and McCain all feed at the same troughs, troughs that poison our political system.

Some lobbyists chafe at being asked for money by the McCain campaign while he disparages lobbyists as agents of “big-moneyed special interests.” But they know that such criticism is a staple of politics.

“We are 100 percent behind McCain,” said Kathryn Braden Huffard, a lobbyist at Fierce, Isakowitz, whose clients include Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant. “In the wake of the Abramoff affair, it seems, there has to be a villain. But Senator McCain understands that many lobbyists are smart people who have experience on the issues.”

So far this year lobbyists have given out $21,152,316. Hillary Clinton's lobbyist driven campaign took in even more than McCain's $750,656. Hoyer took $97,250 and Emanuel took $53,590, not the kind of money-- $253,213-- Mitch McConnell (the lobbyists' most beloved congressional friend among non-presidential candidates) scarfed up this year. But enough to make it impossible for Democrats to attack Republicans for their corruption. (And guess who the lobbyists found as the easiest mark among freshmen (or either party)? Chris Carney (D-PA-$68,649), the first termer most likely to sell out his constituents' interests for a few bucks, worse than any Republican freshman! He was fined $4,467 earlier this year by the FEC for reporting irregularities. So when does he start choking mistresses?

Reminds me of an oldie but goodie we probably need to resuscitate: