White House Opens Door to Big Donors, and Lobbyists Slip In [Special Interests: Pay To Play!]

NY Times ^ | April 14, 2012 | MIKE McINTIRE and MICHAEL LUO

[Steelfish]

White House Opens Door to Big Donors, and Lobbyists Slip In

MIKE McINTIRE and MICHAEL LUO April 14, 2012

Last May, as a battle was heating up between Internet companies and Hollywood over how to stop online piracy, a top entertainment industry lobbyist landed a meeting at the White House with one of President Obama’s technology advisers.

Dwight and Antoinette C. Bush in 2010. Ms. Bush visits the White House frequently. The lobbyist did not get there by himself.

He was accompanied by Antoinette C. Bush, a well-connected Washington lawyer who has represented companies like Viacom, Sony and News Corporation for 30 years. A friend of the president and a cousin of his close aide Valerie B. Jarrett, Ms. Bush has been to the White House at least nine times during his term, taking lobbyists along on a few occasions, joining an invitation-only forum about intellectual property, and making social visits with influential friends.

At the same time, she and her husband, Dwight, have donated heavily to the president’s re-election effort: Mr. Bush gave $35,800 on the day of his wife’s White House meeting last year, and Ms. Bush contributed the same amount a month later. In November, they hosted a $17,900-a-plate fund-raiser at their home, where Mr. Obama complained that the nation’s capital should be more “responsive to the needs of people, not the needs of special interests.”

“That is probably the biggest piece of business that remains unfinished,” the president said, as about 45 guests dined under a backyard tent.

Although Mr. Obama has made a point of not accepting contributions from registered lobbyists, a review of campaign donations and White House visitor logs shows that special interests have had little trouble making themselves heard. Many of the president’s biggest donors, while not lobbyists, took lobbyists with them...

[Vince Ferrer]

He's from Chicago, is anyone surprised?

Under the direction of US District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, [73] Governor Blagojevich was arrested at his home by federal agents and charged with corruption. The Justice Department complaint alleged that the governor conspired to commit several "pay to play" schemes, including attempting "to obtain personal gain ... through the corrupt use" of his authority to fill Barack Obama's vacated United States Senate seat, claiming that in wiretapped recordings Blagojevich discussed his desire to get something in exchange for an appointment to the seat.

Former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich's Wikipedia page

[Delta Dawn]

Is that Chicago, Kenya?

[KSanders]

Read the book About Hollywood Hypocrites.

They are the largest collection of 1 per cent in the nation .

They give to only one party.

[Carl LaFong]

Hey, ‘Millennial’ teeny-boppers:
This is what “Hope’n’Change” looks like.
Enjoy your crap sandwich.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Finally, a Bush that 0bama doesn’t want to blame for something.

[newgeezer]

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

--Barack Obama

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment

[Leep]

More examples of Obama working hard. In between being open and transparent he is “going line by line”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY4D-Yy97gg
I think he deserve a vacation after this is all over.

[b4its2late]

Didn’t he say something about getting rid of special interests in his WH?

[Leep]

Its a cornucopia of lies,manipulation,and misdirects...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t8GdxFYBU&feature=related

[Tzimisce]

It used to be called “corruption”.

Now it’s called “business as usual”.

Another day in Obamaland. :)

Now why don’t you shut the **** up and go pay your taxes? These donors need the money. :)

[Leep]

Someone should dub in a laugh track for any number of Obama’s ‘greatest’ speaches. Maybe add some clown horns, bells and gameshow buzzers.
Maybe add some Spike Jones in the mix for some variety?

[gleeaikin]

And this is a classic example of why the Supreme Court’s decision saying that corporations are money and money is speech is so ridiculous. Now the country is wide open for big money people like Buffet and Soros, not to mention labor unions and foreign countries and their corporations to dump huge donations into our elections. Do we really think it was a good idea to let the Chinese pay to elect our leaders in addition to holding so much of our debt? And heaven help us when the Muslims decide to do this.

There is a move afoot to introduce an Amendment to the Constitution to clearly state that corporations are not people, and money is not speech. How did these judges ever come up with that interpretation when corporations hadn’t even been invented when the Constitution was written? Are they closet activists? This seems like an effort well worth supporting.