Thursday, April 09, 2009

Ex-Congressmen Ride the Lobbying Gravy Train


Despite all the populist talk of reigning in lobbyist influence, the gravy train picked up new riders. They boarded the stop outside the U.S. Capital building. Former Congressmen turned their relationships into an influence selling paycheck. Bloomberg reported:


About one-quarter of the House and Senate members who retired or lost elections last year have found new jobs with lobbying firms, where business is booming as Obama pushes for multitrillion-dollar changes in federal banking, health care, energy and military procurement policies.

“Even though some people deplore lobbying, it’s still a growth profession,” said Bill Allison, a senior fellow with the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based watchdog group.


Law, lobbying and consulting firms have announced the hiring of at least 15 of 61 House and Senate members who left politics or were defeated in 2008.


They wear both red and blue stripes, although some Republicans were voted out of office. House Minority Leader Boehner compared his brand to tainted dog food.

But back to influence peddling, the lesson is watch the details under the Obama administration. Rhetoric may be populist, but policy could be corporatist. Early signs point to more Bush like corporafornication.

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