And speaking of lobbyists… Thomas Edsall of the Huffington Post reports that John McCain’s floundering campaign is stuffed to the gills with ‘em. Everyone’s favorite “maverick” Senator has more lobbyists on his campaign staff than any other candidate — Republican or Democrat. This is particularly striking given McCain’s own rhetoric:
“Too often the special interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when issues of public policy are being decided,” McCain asserts on his web site, declaring that he “has fought the ‘revolving door’ by which lawmakers and other influential officials leave their posts and become lobbyists for the special interests they have aided.”
It seems the Senator has found a unique solution to the problem: replace the “revolving door” with a chute straight into his own campaign:
In actual practice, at least two of McCain’s top advisers fit precisely the class of former elected officials he criticizes so sharply. On March 7, 2007, McCain named ex-Texas Representative Tom Loeffler, who has one of the most lucrative and influential practices in the nation’s capital, as his campaign co-chair. In the same month, McCain named former Washington Sen. Slade Gorton, now a heavyweight lobbyist, as his honorary chairman for Washington state….
All told, there are 11 current or former lobbyists working for or advising McCain, at least double the number in any other campaign. Among the current and former lobbyists working for McCain are: Campaign CEO Rick Davis, a partner at Davis Manafort, where his clients have included SBC Communications and Verizon; and former Davis Manafort associate, National eCampaign Director Christian Ferry. At the end of 2006, Mike Dennehy, who founded The Dennehy Group, a New Hampshire lobbying firm, was appointed McCain’s national political director. He gave up that post in May to become a senior campaign advisor.
Given the direction of his fundraising efforts, McCain seems to building a lobbyist-based campaign. That strategy might or might not be one of the reasons his fortunes are sinking, but it certainly makes his political demise all the more entertaining to watch.
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[...] now that very same Rick Davis will be taking over as campaign manager. Who is he? Fittingly for the most lobbyist-infested campaign in the race (on either side), Davis is yet another lobbyist. Davis founded Davis, Manafort & [...]
Left by The Right’s Field » McCain: Back to the Lobbyist Future
July 10, 2007 at 5:02pm