Coffee house loophole

[swampy]

Quote
Watchdog groups and Republicans on Capitol Hill want an investigation into hundreds of White House meetings with corporate lobbyists at D.C. coffee houses. K Street influence peddlers told The New York Times last week that they've met routinely with Team Obama officials over the past 18 months to discuss policy matters -- at Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, even on a side lawn -- with the express purpose of circumventing the public's right to know.

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellem...page/full/

Obama promised transparency. He also promised there would be no lobbyist in his White House. Well he's keeping his promises by having his people meet with influence peddlers at local coffee houses thus avoiding any records of visits on the WH visitor logs. More lies and deceptions from this administration.

[$tevie]

Michelle Malkin. There's an objective journalist.

[$tevie]

In all seriousness, my friend's son worked for a (right wing Republican) lobbyist for a while and his job included many, many meals in restaurants with the lobbyist and various representatives. Not humble coffee shops, either, but nice restaurants. It was a tough job, believe it or not, which consumed a good 60 hours or more each week. Very few meetings took place during work hours nor in Congressional offices. Lobbyists are trying to woo you and feeding you is part of their arsenal.

[swampy]

Lobbyists are free to lobby anyone they want (the Supremes may be an exception), but the point here is Obama's campaign promise and the lack of transparency. The WH visitor's log is the people's way of knowing who is influencing the President. His ploy to circumvent the people is so typical of what I despise about this president and his minions.

I'll give you Michelle Malkin is a conservative journalist, but she got her scoop from the liberal New York Times.

[cbelt3]

It's no surprise that President Obama has been taken over by the DC Machine. He came into office on a wave of 'different'. And turned out to be the same old, same old.

"Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat. "
John F. Lehman, Jr. (Sec Navy under Reagan.)

[Ted King]

http://www.boston.com/politicalintellige...story.html

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2010/06/...hite-house

[john dough]

Anything that comes from Malkin should be immediately discounted as opinion. When she gets proven to be full of hot air (as usual), I will patiently wait for Swampy's retraction.

[Lemon Drop]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/us/pol...wanted=all

"A dozen" lobbyists and White House officials acknowledged that they've had a cup of coffee together across the street from the White House, at a place where they are known and recognized, while wearing WH ID badges. Way to be sneaky guys!

Over a thousand lobbyists are on the White House meeting log.

[cbelt3]

Wow.. you mean we can be sold out for a double sweet latte these days ? Guess there HAVE been a lot of executive branch cutbacks :biggrin: :devil:

[p8712]

So you're saying politicians have off-the-record meetings to discuss strategy. Shocking. The republic is doomed!