Oh the irony:
As Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama targets his Republican rival Sen. John McCain for hiring former lobbyists to work on his campaign, a key member of Obama’s campaign is paying a Washington lobbyist for legal advice: his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden.
Lobbyist William Oldaker continues to represent the Delaware Democrat in his simultaneous bid for Senate re-election, serving as legal counsel just as he has for Biden’s campaigns for the past 25 years.
Oldaker is an election law attorney and partners with Biden’s son Hunter at the Washington firm, Oldaker, Biden & Belair. He is also an appropriations lobbyist who represents lawyers, American Indians, and educational and health care institutions and who drew fire in 2005 for serving on numerous fundraising committees that donate to the lawmakers he lobbies.
Obama’s excuse? The lobbyist is an attorney. Lame lame lame. Especially so when its discovered that the lobbyist in question on McCain’s staff is a FORMER lobbyist, not active….as Biden’s is. Oh, and the FORMER lobbyist has experience in political campaign duties. So if a active lobbyist with extensive experience in that field:
He served as the PAC’s assistant treasurer for a short time, but stepped down when government watchdogs assailed the practice of lobbyists signing off on political committees’ contributions to other campaigns. A 2005 Center for Public Integrity study showed Oldaker was among the top lobbyists serving as treasurer on political committees since 1998.
“As the treasurer of 23 political committees, groups that raise funds to elect or defeat politicians, Oldaker has signed off on more than $2 million in donations since 1998 to the parties and candidates he is paid to influence,” the group’s report stated.
but who also happens to be an attorney is a-ok with Obama, then why not a former lobbyist who also has experience essential to the campaign?
Especially seeing as how Obama sought earmark funds for Biden’s son, who is also a partner with Oldaker at the lobbying firm:
Sen. Barack Obama sought more than $3.4 million in congressional earmarks for clients of the lobbyist son of his Democratic running mate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, records show. Obama succeeded in getting $192,000 for one of the clients, St. Xavier University in suburban Chicago.
Can you smell that hypocrisy in the air?
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