Obama's In Control: No More Lobbyist Contributions To Democratic Party

ABC News reports:

It's been less than two days since he crossed the delegate threshold to become the Democratic presidential nominee and Sen. Barack Obama's mark on the party is already being felt.

On Good Morning America Thursday, ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos reported "the Democratic National Committee will no longer accept contributions from federal lobbyists, will no longer take contributions from PACs" in keeping with Obama's well-publicized policy.

UPDATE: DNC issues a statement:

"The DNC and the Obama Campaign are unified and working together to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Our presumptive nominee has pledged not to take donations from Washington lobbyists and from today going forward the DNC makes that pledge as well," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "Senator Obama has promised to change the way things are done in Washington and this step is a sure sign of his commitment. The American people's priorities will set the agenda in an Obama Administration, not the special interests."

Comments

[slbailey1]

This is great news!! I usually give $25 to Obama when I can. Now when I give Obama $25, I will give the DNC $25!

[idealist100]

So did I - just this morning.

And I have NEVER given money to the DNC before.

Obama inspires confidence that maybe, just maybe, the people can get their government back.

[hhkeller]

After impeachment was left off the table I stopped giving the DNC anything.
A two party system is a bad as a one party system.

[ObamaLover]

AAAAAHHH... smell the fresh air...
Obama is in the house.
listen up my peeps.
no more politics as usual. you can't buy a pardon any more. Obama only hangs out with upstanding citizens and doesn't take money from bad folks......

. A few months after Obama became a U.S. senator, he and Rezko's wife, Rita, bought adjacent pieces of property from a doctor in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood -- a deal that has dogged Obama the last two years. The doctor sold the mansion to Obama for $1.65 million -- $300,000 below the asking price. Rezko's wife paid full price -- $625,000 -- for the adjacent vacant lot. The deals closed in June 2005. Six months later, Obama paid Rezko's wife $104,500 for a strip of her land, so he could have a bigger yard. At the time, it had been widely reported that Tony Rezko was under federal investigation. Questioned later about the timing of the Rezko deal, Obama called it "boneheaded" because people might think the Rezkos had done him a favor.

8. Eight months later -- in October 2006 -- Rezko was indicted on charges he solicited kickbacks from companies seeking state pension business under his friend Gov. Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors maintain that $10,000 from the alleged kickback scheme was donated to Obama's run for the U.S. Senate.

[john456]

Is this the best you have?

[idest]

That IS the best they have....isn't it great?

[mcfried]

Sad - you McCain supporters are unbelievable this has been pawed over by the press for months and they found NO wrong doing. Lets talk about McCains problem with Lobbyists

[BLinCincinnati]

Wow, you people are really grasping at straws aren't you? Running scared huh?

1) Homes almost always sell for under the asking price. It's just how home sales go.
2) Undeveloped lots generally go for asking price, because it's far easier to value a lot than a house.
3) $1.65m for a $1.95m home is 15% off. I bought my house, asking price of $120k, for $97,500, a discount of 18.75%. Oh the horror he got 15% off asking price!
4) The strip he bought was 1/6th of the lot. He paid 1/6th of the price she paid.
5) She sold the remainder of the lot at a profit to someone else.

So really... what was the issue here? Oh that's right... nothing. Just a lame attempt at guilt by insinuation.

[PlantGod72]

LAME, LAME, LAME and irrelevant!

Thank you for playing!!!

[PatrickforO]

This is the best thing he could have done, because it will literally starve Republicans for money, should they be so foolish as to eschew lobbyist dollars. And, if they keep embracing lobbyist money, our candidates can ask the electorate, "Who do you think will best represent you - someone who takes money for corporate interests, or me, who does not?"

[avraamjack]

.
Yay !
.

[torrrep]

You'll take money from a slum lord but not a businessman? How convenient.

[stevietheman]

Shut up.

[PatrickforO]

I believe he gave that money back when he found out the guy was crooked. Rezko was recently convicted, but our candidate was not implicated in any of the wrongdoing.

[Calvincito]

get over it and stop being so "bitter".

[Bettysdad]

Slumlords ARE businessmen. They're just honest about it.

[lotuslike]

bitterness is a b*tch, huh?

[jubal8]

Ahhh... it's nice to have a dream.

Which is what happens when you go back to sleep.

[akkadian]

my guess is you're still asleep...

[jubal8]

I probably was when you wrote that, akkadian, but now I'm up for the graveyard shift.

What's your point? From your profile, you don't look like someone who often hands out spurious insults. Perhaps in my woolgathering I gathered your meaning incorrectly.

Is that a Canadian acadian or a Bayou State acadian?

[Dane1911]

Well if you call the last 8 years a dream then your out of touch with Americans, but the last eight years have been a nigthmare for the real americans suffering. So we would rather go back to sleep because reality is nothing sweet.

[idest]

Our Founders dreamed of freedom from the British Crown, slaves dreamed of being free, MLK dreamed of equality in America...

Don't knock the dream, help make it a reality.

[jubal8]

My rather ambiguous remark seems to have elicited a variety of responses, but you speak towards the intended message, which was just another way of saying "The price of liberty is eternal vigilence."

Often these things seems clearer in my head than in my words.

That quote if often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, who also is said to have said:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object."

"The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to."

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all."

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers."

You have now been spammed by one of our forefathers, but let the message be not unsolicited.

[Titonwan]

That is a light at the end of the tunnel! We may come out of this yet!

[ObamaLover]

it's a train.

[Tinkeraw]

This brings tears to my eyes. Finally someone for the people.

We just donated to the campaign.

I remember being blown away by this guy at the convention speech years ago ... never forgot him, supported his run, thrilled at his win. And, I am one of those white, over 50, college educated women that are suppose to be all about Hillary.

Yes WE Can!

[ObamaLover]

define "money from lobbyist"?

Obama Currently Accepts Contributions From Spouses Of Lobbyists And Holds Fundraisers In Offices That Engage In Lobbying:


Obama Accepts Campaign Contribution From Lobbyists' Spouses And Holds Fundraisers At Law Offices That Engage In Lobbying. "Although Obama refuses direct campaign contributions from 'Washington lobbyists,' he takes money from lobbyists' spouses and holds fundraisers at the offices of law firms that lobby Congress. He won't touch money from PACs or lobbyists representing big oil and drug companies, but he happily accepts huge amounts of money from executives at those companies and many others. In fact, he's relying on two oil company executives to raise $50,000 apiece for his campaign." (Editorial, "Obama's Claims On Lobbyist Money Prove Flimsy," USA Today, 4/18/08)


The Center For Responsive Politics Has Calculated That Obama Accepted At Least $85,000 In Contributions From State And Municipal Lobbyists And Family Members Of Federal Lobbyists. "The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) has found that Mrs. Clinton has accepted more than $750,000 from lobbyists so far during the presidential campaign, while Mr. Obama took more than $85,000. Massie Ritsch, a spokesman for the center, said the group's figures include donations from family members of federal lobbyists as well as contributions from state and municipal lobbyists." (Jim McElhatton, "Obama Takes Funds From Lobby Partners," The Washington Times, 2/22/08)

[ignrnthllblly]

Wow. So $85K worth of access should be about....sorry! time's up.

Or are you implying Obama's really, really cheap?

[ObamaLover]

No. Since $85,000 is more than $0, I am implying Obama is a LIAR.

[ObamaLover]

i'm implying he is a lier if he says he takes no money from lobbyist.

[rudeboycyle]

Obamalover, huh? You sure had me hoodwinked. I am humbled by your utter magnificence. I read your posts across several links just to wallow in your greatness. I only need to ask one thing of you, if I may be so bold. Why, oh why don't you have the intestinal fortitude to put a real name on your comments? If your so right, why not let the world know who you are? Yes , I know I asked an extra question without your permission, but I don't care. I'm not trying to trick anyone by pretending to be something I'm not. I'm rudeboycyle. I love reggae and ska so that makes me a rudeboy (look it up), and my real name is Cyle. Plain and simple and honest. If you want to play with the grown-ups, we prefer honesty. Got it, chicken$hit?

Oh, and don't try to make a point by quoting an editorial or anything from the Moonie Times.

[ObamaLover]

my name is bob.

[KillTheMessenger]

If that's all you got, go home. You are boring.

[mgray34]

Obama doesn't take money from REGISTERED lobbyists that bundle their money together to give LARGER donations than the individual limit IN THE NAME OF THAT PAC. Let's be real, people that are part of lobbying groups are still individual citizens. They can give to a candidate they believe in can't they? They are going to give to someone, and if they believe in the cause Obama is running on, they are going to give to him.

[PatrickforO]

OK, first of all, any individual citizen, including spouses of lobbyists can contribute up to $2300 to a candidate. Second, Obama took only slightly more than a tenth of what Clinton took. He's not going to be beholden to these people when he has over 1.5 million private donors, such as myself, who send in an average donation of $109. Third, he did take money from lobbyists when in the Illinois legislature, but not now. Sorry, but your argument doesn't wash.

[overlyelectrical]

This is awesome. One step closer to the day when the US goverment is answerable to US citizens. I feel as though I'm being naive to be excited about this, but I can't see any two ways about the fact that this is, at aleast, a step in the right direction.

Just a note: Could anyone have imagined Clinton doing this? I don't mean that to bash Hillary. I just wanted to highlight what we saw that was different with him... that we were never "cultists." And, more importantly, I hope the people who think they won't vote for Obama might understand what it is that Obama (at least) seems to want out of his administration and out of the country... and that perhaps they might accept that they would like it too

[cultura78]

Obama is playing the percentages game...in reverse. And i like this direction.

For too long the Washington establishment has consistently placed corporate wants over the people's need.
Now its the other way around.
Somebody lobbying for Big Corpo is having a meeting right now.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Excellent. Things have only just started to change.

[joeytomatoes]

WTF.

[KillTheMessenger]

That's what I would say if I was a lobbyist...

[RobertaInCT]

That's what they are saying....................:)

[akkadian]

well done..

[lthuedk 1]

http://www.light-to-dark.com/obama_confronts_the_corporation.html