The Republican National Committee is attacking Obama on a new front (for them) in its latest ad, above.
The spot quotes Obama pledging to keep lobbyists out of White House and his donor rolls, while highlighting the various ways that lobbyists have ended up in his White House and his donor rolls. (Along the way it cites a blog post by my brother John at CNBC and a column by me.)
I’m glad to hear this sort of talk from the RNC. I think it really gets at one of Obama’s greatest weaknesses, because so much of the “Hope and Change” that Obama him cross-ideological appeal in 2008 was the notion that he would take on the corruption and cronyism in Washington, and reduce the corrupting influence of revolving door (it corrupts both government and business). My column today focuses on Obama’s lobbyist and special-interest donors.
But do the folks at the RNC actually think Obama’s record on lobbyists is problematic? Or are they, at best, just playing the hypocrisy/broken promises game? I ask because there’s plenty of evidence that the Republican leadership sees no problem with lobbyist influence.
The previous RNC Chairman Michael Steele actually suggested that Republicans would let industry craft health-care bill. That shows a misplaced trust in industry lobbyists.
And look at Mitt Romney’s inner circle: he’s added former lobbyist Ed Gillespie and current lobbyist Vin Weber to his closest advisors. Not only did Romney rely on registered lobbyists and bundlers for a record $1.6 million in the second half of last year (which, by law he is required to disclose), but Romney has declined to follow the practice of Bush, McCain, and Obama and voluntarily disclose all bundlers so that we can spot his non-registered-lobbyist-
So, it’s great that Republicans are attacking Obama for his coziness with lobbyists and lack of transparency. It would be better if they decided to take the next step and use policies and voluntary practices to draw an actual contrast with Obama.
On the policy front, Romney and Republicans should propose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former congressmen and senators, and weekly online campaign finance disclosure. Romney could lead by example by posting all his donors online, in an easily searchable format every Monday, daring Obama to do the same.
And congressional Republicans unilaterally could adopt Barney Frank’s rule: any committee staffers who cash out are prohibited from lobbying that committee’s GOP members or staff forever.
This would not only provide some political grist, but it would draw the party away from its big-spending, bailout-backing, subsidy-dealing corporatist ways and closer to its professed free-market views.
