Lobbying Group For Lobbyists Demands Obama Drop Executive Order On Contracting Donations

WASHINGTON -- There are some occasions when a politician is better served facing opposition from a political entity than earning its endorsement.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama experienced one of those occasions. The Obama administration received a stern letter from the American League of Lobbyists firmly warning it to dispose of a draft executive order that would force federal contractors disclose their donations.

"Since your announcement to seek the Presidency you have consistently attacked the honorable profession of lobbying," the letter, signed by the group's president Howard Marlowe, read. "Lobbyists play an important role in the legislative process, serving as educators to elected officials. It is in the best interest to government to have informed individuals who serve as experts in every arena of public policy. Our ability to access and navigate the legislative process and push issues forward through a bureaucratic cluster is a vital service to the nation. The Draft Order would inhibit one of the most vital tools in the advocate's arsenal by creating fear of retribution for political donations."

"Making this kind of disclosure a part of the bidding process tarnishes a competition based on qualifications, adds an unneeded level of bureaucracy, and endangers the protection of free speech afforded to all Americans by the First Amendment of the Constitution," it read earlier.

Having the entity that lobbies on behalf of lobbyists come out in opposition to your draft executive order is not, as political resistance goes, the most daunting hurdle. If anything it could give the White House the type of political relations hook to sell the contracting disclosure policy to the public and skeptical members of Congress -- both Republican and Democratic.

"There is a presumption on the part of Republicans that it would be used by the contracting officers to hurt contractors," Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-M.D.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee and a supporter of the executive order, told the Huffington Post Wednesday. "That is a hell of an assumption when the executive order, the draft, and I emphasize draft, you need to say that 50 million times, basically makes it clear that that is not the case. This is about letting the public know what the hell is going on."

That said, the American League of Lobbyists' letter does portend a ramped up campaign -- both implicit and overt -- to get the president to reverse course. Lobbyists may be politically unpopular, but they also are tasked with charting out the best course of action for their clients, which includes determining which politicians or campaign committees they should direct donations. In that regard, the Marlowe letter is semi-ironic: raising the specter of political backlash if the White House pushed an executive order that, he insists, will create a contracting process driven by political backlash.

BELOW IS THE FULL LETTER:

ALLletter

Comments

[DARRELL LANIER]

09:24 AM on 07/02/2011

I bet everyone of you that President Obama will cave on this.

[LordBeaker]

02:33 AM on 06/03/2011

"Lobbyists play an important role in the legislative process, serving as educators to elected officials."

Funny, I never had my teacher bribe me with money in order to "educate" me.

[PtaRay]

05:36 PM on 06/02/2011

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!
lobbying, an honorable profession... ah, honor among theives, I get it....

[PtaRay]

05:33 PM on 06/02/2011

How can corporate America steal working class America if the lobbyists can't buy the electorate and the leadership they need to finish stealing the American dream?

Come on Obama, where's your American spirit?

[George Dayton]

05:12 PM on 06/02/2011

An "honorable profession"....omg. They have balls. "Tasked with charting out the path for the best course of action for THEIR clients". Honorably ban them from contact with congress!!!!

[ruthtruth]

05:01 PM on 06/02/2011

Sign that order Obama. Don't let these guys tell you what to do. Let the light of day expose these dirt bags.

[eledude]

03:12 PM on 06/02/2011

The proper thing would be to have security escort the lobbyists, and special interest groups, out of building immediately. How about some public representation for a change, instead of all the representation all these groups have been getting from our government for years.

[Dale Mulkey]

12:24 PM on 06/02/2011

didnt realize lobbyists needed lobbiests

[dewh]

12:19 PM on 06/02/2011

"Honorable profession of lobbying"?? Seriously?? They think anyone will buy that?! Screw you!

[byronic]

11:34 AM on 06/02/2011

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha...

They used the words lobbyist and honourable in the same sentence!

[Dale Mulkey]

12:24 PM on 06/02/2011

kind of like reputable lawyer

[mblakney]

10:11 AM on 06/02/2011

“We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace-business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. “The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group,” We know that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob. Never before in history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. “I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.” They are unanimous in their hatred for me - and I welcome their hatred. I should like to have it said of my first administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second administration that in it these forces met their master.“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”

- Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes (American 32nd US President (1933-45)

OBAMA2012

[billydkidd]

06:43 PM on 07/03/2011

Excellent. Its good to see that there is still some sanity left during this attack on American soil. Huge Corporations drawing welfare, and using all their newfound profits to manipulate our Government for their own selfish purposes. Obama is a good man, his only fault is thinking the republicans were willing to help the Country. If he ever puts that foot down he will get what most Americans want and save us from those tyrants.

[Topps]

09:11 AM on 06/02/2011

Demanding and issuing a warning certainly aren't words that get's on one's favorable side.There is just to much bullying in Washington.

[billydkidd]

07:00 PM on 07/03/2011

Big Corporations pouring " their welfare checks " into our political system. Using it to send republicans on a war path with their own society. I sure wish Obama would " pull a Bush " and tell them it's my way or the highway. I would enjoy listening to them whine.

[Steve Reaves]

09:06 AM on 06/02/2011

How dare you make me tell you who's been bribing me? Why, that's UnAmerican!

[docallen001]

08:41 AM on 06/02/2011

Looks like the honorable profession as they reference themselves in their letter prefers to hide under rocks and does not like the light of day or transparency. Problem for Obama is that with recent Supreme Court ruling giving Repubs unlimited funds, he will likely have to back down in order to have enough money to fight Repubs in 2012. Still the person I want to see in the WH after the 2012 elections.

[unity13]

08:24 AM on 06/02/2011

Because after all, lobbyists contributed so much to the healthcare debate, have done a great job fighting Wall Street reform,