Obama Not Tied Down: His Grass-Roots Strategy Leaves Few Debts To Special Interest Groups

Labor unions want President-elect Barack Obama to move quickly on universal healthcare and to make it easier for workers to organize. Latino advocacy groups want immigration reform. Even the National Trust for Historic Preservation is urging Obama to seek full federal funding "to protect our heritage."

Interest groups are furiously drawing up wish lists for the incoming Obama administration, many of them hoping to cash in on the investments they made - in volunteers, political support, and campaign contributions - in Obama's commanding win.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[semorg]

He is tied down to AIPAC

[ArmyCentrist]

We all knew who supported him, and we support their causes too. And MoveOn.org is powered by the people, they have a staff of less than a 1000 people. Seems like he's in a good position to me. And as long as Tim Kaine, Kathleen Sebelius, and Claire McCaskill can be good at their jobs, I don't mind Obama giving them a position.

[heavysole]

It's refreshing.

Obama's debts are to his constituency, US citizens, the way it ought to be.

I hope it stays this way.

[sclucie]

I agree. The people of Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, PA, North Carolina, and Michigan were not casting the votes under the guidance of dot.com billionaires from Berkeley.

MoveOn lost me when they refused to speak out about torture in 2006. Even John McCain still was speaking out against the Bush arocities. What came from MoveOn? A deafening silence.

[zitlight73]

Screw special intersts, we've just been down that road. It's the general interest of the United States that needs attending to.

[Takae]

Eep.

I.O.U. and instant gratification is not a good mix.

[tangelan]

He only owes us, the American people. As long as he does what he promised, I'm fine. I know it's not going to quick so I'll give him 8 years. I'm flexible.

[pupbayer]

LOL!!! His debts to special interests go back further than this campaign.

[lisakaz2]

Why? Acc. to you I'm sure he owes Ayers and prob Marx...Looosaarr.

[honeydiva]

keep your email lists president 0 and speak to us when you deem it necessary. The press are playing their role already (five days in)...sick a@@ piranha.

[framingtheissues]

I am confident that President Obama will use his own judgment more often than past presidents. But I don't believe that his lack of dependence on lobbyist is as much of the positive as the article implies. The lack of influence (in the form of perceived IOUs) creates a vacuum, were elite highly funded think tanks will gain more influence based on their ability to offer pre-existing refined positions on pet issues.

[Rockwell]

I love how the Republican's howled about Obama buying the election. Hey, he did it on my $250 bucks and on my neighbor's $10 bucks. It's not like that came from Halliburton.

He's certainly the only new President I'm aware of coming into office owning nothing to anyone other than the American People. Beautiful!!

[Clark]

A lot of us baby boomers are much more comfortable with this than Mr. Wolson seems to imagine - we got that e-mail, too. Let's hope this breaks down a lot more than just racial barriers. Divisiveness has got us in the deep hole we're in now.

[tigerakabj]

That was his argument in the beginning. He owes us -- the American people, as it should be. He is pro-union, pro-immigration reform anyway, so that is not an issue anyway.

[obamanation31]

The only one he is responsible to is the people who elected him.

[Mildmannered]

Obama is in a perfect position. He can address the nation's most serious problems first.

[pokemon]

Problem here is because this was a new way to reach the White House it will still take time for the ramifications to sink in to those who are used to pressing the government's current administration to forward issues because they helped get them into office, just because they did not help as much this time does not mean they will not get pissed when Obama sends them packing.

To Rep and Dems I leave you with this: Obama is going to surprise both sides, he is NO-nonsense and will follow the agenda he thinks best. He will listen, and will even adjust, but he will not put up with partisan bull-pucky. Anyone not willing to talk in this new way will get nothing done with this administration. He will force working together on BOTH sides and it will drive the halls of power nuts!

[LiberalDemIda]

As a Liberal Dem, I like what you wrote and will welcome Obama's surprise with open arms.

[Shieldmaiden]

He'll probably annoy everyone and please everyone at some points. He does strike me as the kind of man who does what is best for the country as opposed to what any one group thinks. We're going to end up feeling elated and dissapointed at some points over the next 8 years - which probably means he's doing what he feels is best.