Not In My White House!

Obama Decries Lobbyist Influence As They Visit His White House

Last Month, Obama Said People See The “Special Interests That Dominate And The Lobbyists That Always Have Access, And They Say To Themselves, Maybe I Don’t Count.” OBAMA: “You say to yourself, you know what, it just doesn’t seem like things are on the level. It doesn’t seem like people are thinking about me or my community. And they see the amounts of money that are being spent and the special interests that dominate and the lobbyists that always have access, and they say to themselves, maybe I don’t count. They get discouraged. And that makes this tougher in some ways.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Washington, D.C., 4/5/12)

• When Announcing His Campaign For Presidency, Obama Pledged To End Special Interest Access Where Lobbyists “Get The Access While You Get To Write A Letter.” OBAMA: “The cynics, the lobbyists, the special interests who’ve turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we’re here today to take it back. The time for that kind of politics is over. It is through. It’s time to turn the page.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks Announcing Campaign For President, Springfield, IL, 2/10/07)

• Obama: “We Need To Make The White House The People’s House.” OBAMA: “As I often said during the campaign, we need to make the White House the people’s house. And we need to close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely, and lets them use their time in public service as a way to promote their own interests over the interests of the American people when they leave. So today we are taking a major step towards fulfilling this campaign promise.” (President Obama, Remarks By The President In Welcoming Senior Staff And Cabinet Secretaries To The White House, 1/21/09)

THERE IS A “STEADY STREAM” OF LOBBYISTS IN OBAMA’S WHITE HOUSE

The Washington Post: There Is A “Steady Stream Of Lobbyists Among The Thousands Of Daily Visitors To The White House.” “It was an unremarkable January day, with a steady stream of lobbyists among the thousands of daily visitors to the White House and the surrounding executive office buildings, according to a Washington Post analysis of visitor logs released by the administration. The Post matched visits with lobbying registrations and connected records in the visitor database to show who participated in the meetings, information now available in a search engine on the Post’s web site.”(T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Window Into Lobbying Industry,” The Washington Post,5/20/12)

Visitor Records Show That The Lobbying Industry “Is A Regular Presence” At The White House . “The visitor logs for Jan. 17 – one of the most recent days available – show that the lobbying industry Obama has vowed to constrain is a regular presence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” (T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Window Into Lobbying Industry,” The Washington Post,5/20/12)

• “The Records Also Suggest That Lobbyists With Personal Connections To The White House Enjoy The Easiest Access.” (T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Window Into Lobbying Industry,” The Washington Post,5/20/12)
• “The White House Visitor Records Make It Clear That Obama’s Senior Officials Are Granting That Access To Some Of K Street’s Most Influential Representatives. ” (T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Window Into Lobbying Industry,” The Washington Post,5/20/12)
• Many Of The Lobbyists Have “Long-Standing Connections” To Obama Or His Staff. “In many cases, those lobbyists have long-standing connections to the president or his aides. Republican lobbyists coming to visit are rare, while Democratic lobbyists are common, whether they are representing corporate clients or liberal causes.” (T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Window Into Lobbying Industry,” The Washington Post,5/20/12)

Vivature Health CEO Andrew Menter: “The Whole Process Was Interesting For Me. It’s A Little Scary … You Need A Lobbyist To Get A Meeting.”“Andrew Menter, the chief executive of Vivature Health, said that Downey helped set up a meeting for him in December 2010 with Michael Hash, a top health-policy official. The group discussed how the new health-care law might affect Menter’s business, a Texas-based company that provides billing services for college health programs. ‘The whole process was interesting for me. It’s a little scary,’ Menter said. ‘You need a lobbyist to get a meeting.'” (T.W. Farnam, “White House Visitor Logs Provide Window Into Lobbying Industry,”The Washington Post,5/20/12)