The Daily Graphic: Who Owns Our Politicians in the Healthcare Debate
From the Center for Responsive Politics comes data today on what health care related companies and political action committees gave the most to federal candidates in the 2008 election cycle. Click the graphic to go to the original where there are different ways to tease out and view data:
Obama to Lobbyists: Submit Your Thoughts in Writing
If reality aligns with rhetoric, there is change occurring in Washington.
In a speech today before state legislators meeting in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama talked about the recently enacted economic stimulus program. Specifically, he addressed how decisions should be made regarding stimulus dollars and the role of lobbyists.
From Obama’s remarks:
Decisions about how Recovery Act dollars are spent will be based on the merits. Let me repeat that: Decisions about how Recovery money will be spent will be based on the merits.
They will not be made as a way of doing favors for lobbyists. Any lobbyist who wants to talk with a member of my administration about a particular Recovery Act project will have to submit their thoughts in writing, and we will post it on the Internet for all to see. (Applause.) If any member of my administration does meet with a lobbyist about a Recovery Act project, every American will be able to go online and see what that meeting was about. These are unprecedented restrictions that will help ensure that lobbyists don’t stand in the way of our recovery.
They will not be made as a way of doing favors for lobbyists. Any lobbyist who wants to talk with a member of my administration about a particular Recovery Act project will have to submit their thoughts in writing, and we will post it on the Internet for all to see. (Applause.) If any member of my administration does meet with a lobbyist about a Recovery Act project, every American will be able to go online and see what that meeting was about. These are unprecedented restrictions that will help ensure that lobbyists don’t stand in the way of our recovery.
