Wednesday, August 10, 2011

How Many Seats Do Lobbyists Have on the 'Super Congress'?

Nine names (of twelve) of the members of the Super Congress are out. This may very well become the most powerful ad hoc committee ever formed by Congress. Influence here is going to mean large influence over Americans. Lobbyists are going to be all over those who become members.  Tim Carney does an awesome job of reporting the lobbyist links of some of the members:
When Congress is talking about axing special tax carveouts and cutting federal spending, you know you'll have plenty of powerful businesses and labor unions using their lobbying clout to protect their subsidies.

That's made the Supercommittee of great interest to those of us who follow lobbying. Knowing that some lawmakers are more receptive than others to lobbyists, and some are cozier with some industries than others, the makeup of the committee intrigues me. We now have the names of nine of the twelve members, and at least four of them have particularly strong ties to K Street.
Foremost among Baucus's lobbyist buds is his former chief David Castagnetti is a partner at powerhouse lawfirm Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti, which, representing the biggest insurers and drug companies, played a central role in crafting ObamaCare.
...

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.: You would be hard pressed to find a lawmaker more entangled with lobbyists and the revolving door than Baucus.

It seems that one requirement of being Max Baucus's chief of staff is that your next job must be as a lobbyist. Some of K Street's most powerful lobbyists are Baucus's former chiefs.
Foremost among Baucus's lobbyist buds is his former chief David Castagnetti is a partner at powerhouse lawfirm Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti, which, representing the biggest insurers and drug companies, played a central role in crafting ObamaCare...

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: Last election season, I divided the incoming Republican Senate class into the K Street wing and the Tea Party wing. Portman was decidedly in the former.
Portman received more money from lobbyists than any other Republican politcian in 2010, and his job until the campaign was at a law/lobbying firm...

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.: Murray raised more from lobbyists than even Portman last election, and through the revolving door, she is closely tied to McBee Strategic, a hub of the green-subsidy lobbying network.

But most importantly, she's chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, making her the top fundraising official for Senate Democrats..

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich: Upton chairs the Energy & Commerce Committee, which is a festering hub of the revolving door. He is very tight with the cable industry, and has staffed up from K Street.
The call to the feast has almost begun. Being served at the feast table will the people of the United States.

8 comments:

  1. "Public Service" is a cookbook???

    Apologies to Rod Serling.

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  2. The people that are cheering this uber-congress -mostly from the left, but with some support from the neocon right- are sickening. They clamor for more government power, danger be damned. The republic is dead- long live the empire!

    Dale Fitz

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  3. The public schools have worked sooo well for the political terrorists...No?

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  4. A few days ago, I compared this to the "enabling act". I stand by that appraisal.

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  5. Now all we need is a Fuhrer and we would have the perfect society, which everybody should copy by example or by force! YAY!

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  6. Praise be with the supreme rulers.

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  7. Ron Paul in 2012 as he is the ONLY one in DC who has a clue and will not let this stand. This is outrageous and if we don't put on our Big Boy pants and face some serious fact we are guaranteed a future of tyranny. Can't think Hitler, Mao and Stalin couldn't happen here? Don't be so arrogant.

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  8. I thought we had a Fuhrer. Isn't that Dir'bama?

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