Obama’s Lobbyist Connections
November 15th, 2007 at 08:57am Matt Margolis
We’ve all heard Barack Obama talk about how evil lobbyists are, but I guess some lobbyists are more evil than others.
Democrat Barack Obama opposes a bill that would change the nation’s 135-year-old mining law - the same stance as mining industry executives who employ a Nevada-based lobbyist advising the presidential candidate.The Obama campaign and Billy Vassiliadis, a longtime Nevada power broker, contend there is no connection, saying they have never discussed Obama’s position on the mining bill.
Sure.
Vassiliadis, a longtime Nevada power broker, is a member of Obama’s Nevada steering committee and has contributed $2,300 to his campaign. He is a lobbyist for the Nevada Mining Association at the state level and the chief executive of the advertising and lobbying firm hired by two mining companies to lobby for them in Washington.
Denver-based Newmont Mining Co., one of the world’s largest gold producers, hired Las Vegas-based R&R Partners’ Washington, D.C. office in January. The firm has represented silver and gold miner Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. (CDE), in Washington since 2006.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said Vassiliadis has advised the campaign only on politics, never policy.
“I have not had a single conversation, not one, with anybody in the Obama campaign about mining,” Vassiliadis said.
You can always trust the word of a lobbyist right? This is getting ridiculous. Between faux-transparency and changing his position on Iraq depending on the political climate, and now this interesting little lobbyist connection he has, how can anyone believe a word he says?
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats
4 Comments
1. Leslie Bates | November 15th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Obama is an Illinois Democrat.
What else could be expected of him?
2. Ricorun | November 15th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
How do you feel about lobbyists, Matt? Are you in favor of them all, or against them all? Are they all equally abhorrent? Alternatively, are they all equally beneficial? When can you trust a lobbyist, or former lobbyist, or anyone who has ever “done business” with a lobbyist and when can you not? Do you perceive any gray, or is everything black and white to you? Or does it matter who you’re talking about?
For that matter, are you in favor of mining reform or not?
3. neocon | November 15th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I only support gray lobbyists.
4. Ricorun | November 15th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
neocon: I only support gray lobbyists.
Did you misspell “gray”? Lol! If not (or even if so, I guess), you could be accused of discriminating against lobbyists of (other) color. And what about same color lobbyist unions? Are you in favor of those — you know, as long as you don’t call it marriage?
Lobbyist unions — you have to admit that’s funny.
Of course, lobbyists coming out of a mine, be they in or out of a union, are likely to be colored gray — at least until they take a shower.
Anyway, thanks for offering me a pun bizarre… although I might have spelled “bizarre” wrong. Hehe.