Lobbyists Have Donated Over $181,000 To McCain Even As He Denounces Their Profession

Registered lobbyists have donated large amounts of money to Senator John McCain's presidential campaign, even as he denounces their profession. But Democratic candidates for Congress have also raised prodigious sums from lobbyists, outdoing the Republicans, according to reports filed for the first time under a new ethics law.

Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, says he does not want money from lobbyists, but a few modest contributions have slipped through. Health care, education, environmental and human rights lobbyists have given to Mr. Obama.

In total, lobbyists and trade groups have reported giving about $10.4 million to presidential and Congressional candidates in the first half of this year.

So far, Mr. McCain, who has locked up the Republican presidential nomination, has received more than $181,600 from lobbyists and trade groups, while Mr. Obama has received just over $6,000. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who ended her bid for the presidency in June, got more than $87,000.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Budokan]

Wow, imagine that. A Republicon saying one thing and yet doing another. When did that start happening?

[gcallaghan]

This could mean that the lobbyists through sheer stupidity are recklessly throwing away their clients' money on the candidate who will put them all out of business. Or, it could mean they are funding the one candidate who they know once bought -stays bought.

[vippy]

McCain talks one thing and does another, lobbyists know that. Nothing will change with him.

[kellygrrrl]

hey, my friends, in the coming months I'm going to say some really bad stuff about you
don't take it personally
it's for The Cause
you'll thank me later
now shove your greasy dollars in my pocket

[Heavy]

McCorporate lying? It can't be. Just compare his rhetoric to his voting record. It is amazing he does not get called out on it more. Basically it is up to some poor guy in the audience at one of his speaking engagements to do so.

[ROBOT8]

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, THE TRUTH IS THE GREATEST ENEMY OF THE STATE." -- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945

[Boboday555]

McCain is counting on his base to be as uninformed as they always are!
He knows NASCAR is far more important to the kids in his base than the future of their country!
Besides, there's a The Dukes of Hazard marathon on the Superstation tonight and McCain's base never misses one of those!

[jdfast]

Hey everyone, it makes no difference what party they are, as long as the lobbying system is in place we are screwed. They all will continue to denounce the lobbies, but they will also continue to take the money. Once again, we will continue to have the best government that money can buy. Doesn't it make you proud to be represented by someone that is more interested in their interests than yours?

[karmafriend]

there are nothing but lobbyist in the mccain camp.

what does that add up to?

[BushBites]

What does that tell you?

It tells me they all know he's lying.

[NotaBeliever]

Only $181K? It will be more, much much more ... only under a continuation of the current administration will lobbyists be able to direct national policy so cheaply. As for the candidate denouncing their profession, he doesn't have much of a record for telling the truth these days, does he? Denounce them in public and kiss them on ever available cheek under the table.

[frappe]

The so called "Straight Talk Express" speaks with forked tongue, along with the msm (corporate media). Maverick, my asterisk.

[LCLiberal]

McCain's campaign has increasingly become a stereotype of an angry and lobbyist-fueled Republican. No "maverick" this time...

http://www.political-buzz.com/

[HalBrown]

I am amazed anybody with half a brain expects direct and honest answers from McCain. Read his answers, or I should say responses since they are far removed from answers, to the questions asked by Newsweek -

http://www.newsweek.com/id/148960

An example:

NEWSWEEK: On torture, why should the CIA be treated differently from the armed services regarding the use of harsh interrogation tactics?

MCCAIN: Because they play a special role in the United States of America and our ability to combat terrorists. But we have made it very clear that there is nothing they can do that would violate the Geneva Conventions, the Detainee Treatment Act, which prohibits torture. We could never torture anyone, but some people misconstrue that who don't understand what the Detainee Treatment Act and the Geneva Conventions are all about.

If this is straight talk I'd hate to hear crooked talk.

Obama is too classy to put out an ad with McCain's face next to Pinnochio like McCain's people did with Obama and Castro.

[ymax]

This because McBu$h and the people in his campain are DESPERATE to the point that they will do or say anything to cheer-up the YAHOOS supporters.

[UnknownSoldier]

I think this race is going to be a lot closer than it really should be and this is what the Mainstream Corporate Controlled Media wants.

Obama's first executive order should be to BAN commercials during News Telecast, and mandate that anything that is opinion based news be clearly labeled as such. Before Countdown with Keith Olberman, and The O'Reilly Factor etc, there should be a disclaimer as a voice over that these are only opinions and should not be confused with real news. They should have to do that coming in and out of everybreak.

The Ban on commercials will help aleviate the pressure to get higher ratings by news programs and also give the News departments a little more independence and autonomy. More than likely, the Corporations would just shut the news divisions down, in which case the FCC could pull their Public Licenses for not working in the interest of the American People.

[UnknownSoldier]

This is the job of the MSM (Mainstream Media) not just to report this, but to continually question McCain until he gives a coherent answer about the donations. The only person in this race being continually questioned is Barrack Obama and when does give a thoughtful and coherent answer it gets disected. He disinvited Max Cleland from an event because he was a registered lobbist and what happened we got a story about Obama disrespecting War Veterans.