Suckers for McCain

Q. How many lobbyists does it take to get to the center of John McCain's campaign?

A. Too many.

Just last night Keith Olbermann criticized John McCain for letting lobbyist and former Senator Phil Gramm (also known as the Senator from Enron) advise him on his mortgage foreclosure proposal -- even though Gramm is a VP at UBS, a mortgage lender. No surprise for those of us paying attention: McCain has raised $1.65 million in campaign contributions from the mortgage and big banking interests, and 28 lobbyists helping his campaign have received nearly $30 million in lobbying fees from the industries over the last ten years, according to a Campaign Money Watch analysis of date provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

As Tom DeLay's former aide Stuart Roy told the LA Times over the weekend, "If not for lobbyists, McCain's campaign would be only half-staffed." Interesting it takes a former DeLay staffer to point that out to the so-called maverick reformer, huh?

Last week Campaign Money Watch released a web video called "Lobbyist, lobbyist" about the 115 lobbyists raising money for, staffing, and advising John McCain's campaign. Rewritten to the tune of "Lollipop, lollipop," the video highlights four such creatures of Washington, DC-influence peddling. One is uber-lobbyist Charlie Black, who represented terrorist guerilla Jonas Savimbi of Angola, brutal Ferdinard Marcos of the Philippines, and lots of other unsavory characters.

If McCain won't change his tune on lobbyists on his campaign, it's time we sent him a message to let him know voters are paying attention.

What better way to do that than to send one "Lobby"-pop for every lobbyist raising money for, staffing, or advising his campaign, complete with John McCain's mug on it?

Update with video:

Comments

[Gene1]

What"s this thing with Sen. McCain rolling out his 96 year old mother every time his age is cited as a concern in his campaign. It"s great to have a great mother with robust age and health. But his mother isn"t running for office. Why showcase his mother only, what of his father? John McCain was the war hero, who was captured and tortured for 5 years by a hideous enemy. What"s Sen. McCain trying to say? That his capture and torture didn"t do any harm psychologically and physically. It"s like his visiting of Iraq and declaring that the streets were safe and free for business. One can fool others sometimes, but can"t continue it all the time.

[Gene1]

Sen. McCain please stop this charade of labeling Sen. Obama as inexperienced. In fact, that"s his strongest suit against you and Sen. Hillary.

See your experiences and what have done to our nation.
-Two bloody wars at the same times.
-Thousands of lives lost and over 30,000 maimed- Government swooning with lobbyists- think Katrina, Keating 5, unbelievable gas prices-
Our nation"s image stained as Monica Lewinsky"s blue dress crumbling infrastructures public schools becoming gangster Dens instead of a place where values are dispensed. What"s this nonsense of being the best equipped to keep our nation safe? You keep a nation safe through peaceful policies- live and let live. 18 cents gas rebate for summer travels is an infantile solution to an energy problem. Tax rebates for those who don"t need it is immoral. Obama"s inexperience will bring the nation back to the drawing board, to the basic values of this nation. That"s where we want to be.

Sen. McCain please stop citing the surge in Iraq as a success. War is a failure of common sense. War is a destroyer of values, lives, resources instead of a surge in forces; in soldiering can"t we celebrate life, a peaceful surge?

[Gene1]

Sen. McCain or McBush is inviting Sen. Obama to travel with him to Iraq to see success. That"s wild. He needs to invite Sen. Hillary instead. Both voted for war instead of diplomacy. He keeps talking about success. That"s a shame Sens. McCain and Hillary are parents. They ought to know that nobody ever wins a war. Do they realize how many lives that have been lost on both sides?
Sen. Obama voted against the war and that shows his good judgment. He can"t go with Senator McCain to witness the scene of man"s recklessness, man"s crime against humanity.
Sen. McCain keeps touting Sen. Obama on his lack of foreign experience. That"s wild after 25 years in the Senate, here are Sen. McCain"s experience:
-Keating 5, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and possibly Iran. A senator"s office awash with lobbyists, vote against GI Bills since they must remain enlisted, obedient and ignorant. But Gen. Petraeus a soldier he admires, has a PhD and still in the army. Are these experiences for the 21st century America?

[Gene1]

Senator McCain or McBush wants soldiers to remain enlisted, obedient and ignorant. That"s the same army that Idi Amin wanted that"s the same army that Abacha and Savimbi wanted. That"s the same army that Ian Smith, Apartheid South Africa nurtured. That"s the same army Charles Taylor, Rwanda, Darfur cultivated. That"s the type of army in North Korea. A vote against opportunities for anyone to get a good education is a great way to torpedo progress and allow evil forces to per due.
Sen. McCain or McBush wants soldiers to remain enlisted, obedient and ignorant. At least that"s why he voted against the GI Bill that"s the same army that Idi Amin wanted. That"s the same Army that Nigeria"s Abacha and Angola"s Savimbi wanted. That"s the same army that Ian Smith, Apartheid"s South Africa, Mugabe, Mobutu, Charles Taylor, Rwanda, Somalia and Darfur cultivated. North Korea, Iran, Iraq, will love an unenlightened fighting soldier, yes forces that commit crimes without any qualms of conscience!

[Chillinout]

Extremely funny video, though I don't think it will do any good. As someone said once, (I don't remember who), "if mccain fired every lobbyist on his campaign, it would be him and Cindy alone on the campaign trail.