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Did the McCain campaign give up on its lobbyist ban?

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There were a couple of weeks in May that were rather embarrassing for the McCain campaign. McCain had developed a reputation as a politician who had little use for high-priced DC lobbyists, but it quickly became obvious that his entire campaign operation was being run by … high-priced DC lobbyists. In one eight-day stretch, McCain had to fire five lobbyists from key campaign roles because of their lobbying clients, and the campaign felt compelled to issue new guidelines prohibiting lobbyists from joining McCain’s paid staff.

With this in mind, this was a curious exchange on CBS News last night.

For those who can’t watch clips online, Katie Couric asked Rick Davis, ostensibly McCain’s campaign manager, how many lobbyists work at campaign headquarters. “We don’t make it a litmus test for employment at the McCain campaign,” Davis said. “It goes without saying that some people who are involved in the lobbying profession do it because they are interested in that side of the equation. They’re interested in government, they’re interested in Congress, they’re interested in public service.

When Couric followed up by asking if the McCain campaign considers lobbyists “public servants,” Davis responded, “Well, I didn’t say that. How do you distinguish someone who lobbies, you know, on behalf of cancer from someone who lobbies on behalf of an oil interest. I wouldn’t call them the same thing but they’re still lobbyists.”

Josh Marshall asked, “[H]ow is this not a reversal of [the McCain campaign’s] rule?”

As a matter of fact, it is a reversal.

Just three months ago, the McCain campaign, reeling after a series of lobbyist-related controversies, took action. Rick Davis, a former lobbyist, wrote a memo outlining a new campaign policy: “No person working for the Campaign may be a registered lobbyist or foreign agent, or receive compensation for any such activity.”

In fact, the entire policy is online, and it’s language is unambiguous — if you’re a lobbyist, you can’t work for the campaign. Davis surely knows this; he wrote and distributed the policy.

And yet, there was Davis last night, effectively telling a national television audience that the policy he wrote is no longer in effect. Hmm.

Perhaps some enterprising journalist might want to follow up on this. I’ll make it easy for the media, by writing the questions for them:

* Why would the McCain campaign prohibit lobbyists from joining the campaign staff in May, but drop the ban in July?

* What promoted the McCain campaign to reverse the policy? And why did the campaign keep the change under wraps?

* How many lobbyists do work for McCain right now? (In May, the number was 134. Has the number gone up or down since then?)

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I’m going to add this to The List. We’re up to 72.

Comments

  • JoeW

    says:

    * Why would the McCain campaign prohibit lobbyists from joining the campaign staff in May, but drop the ban in July?

    Because they coundn’t find anyone else interested in the campaign.

  • Sprinkle Media

    says:

    Perhaps some enterprising journalist might want to follow up on this.

    That and a million other things. Here’s one they’ll probably avoid, since the drug companies buy so many ads…

    …In the 45-54 age group, overdose deaths fueled by prescription drugs now surpass motor vehicle deaths as the nation’s No. 1 cause of accidental death …nearly 7 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2007 — more than cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants such as marijuana combined. The figure is up 80 percent since 2000…

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080730/hl_nm/usa_drugs_dc

  • Capt Kirk

    says:

    The Melt-A-Way-Maverick strikes again! Behold the amazing political animal that is John McCain, a man who can steadfastly support or condemn both sides of any issue. Consistently inconsistent – Change You Should Be Ashamed Of – that’s John McCain!

  • Ohioan

    says:

    McCainSource.com: “There are currently 118 126 129 130 133 134 lobbyists working for or raising money for McCain’s campaign”

    72 Flip-flops, 134 lobbyists… so it takes 1.34 lobbyists to induce one McCain flip-flop. Pretty solid guy, I would say.

  • Danp

    says:

    There have been so many instances lately when these lobbyist/advisors have said that McCain doesn’t speak for the campaign, that you have to wonder who works for whom.

  • maya

    says:

    Why couldn’t Katie, and her young producer, just cut and splice Davis’ comments until they appeared more consistent? This is getting too confusing.

  • SickofBushMcCainLiebermann

    says:

    I love how the media soft-pitches these guys, they deflect from the question and don’t get called on it. Tho to be fair Katie did pop a zinger in there.

  • SickofBushMcCainLiebermann

    says:

    This guy needs to be as far from the beltway as possible. He’s a Ryan Seacrest biter, and just generally creepy to be around.He has a face that hides many secrets.

  • Former Dan

    says:

    McCain seems to follow one basic principle. “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”

    After passing that stringent litmus test, anything is possible which is why I think he’s made so many flip flops.

  • TomB

    says:

    Would you count the AP’s Fournier as a lobbyist? Is he a staff member? He’s not paid by the campaign staff but provides valuable services.

  • N.Wells

    says:

    How do you distinguish someone who lobbies, you know, on behalf of cancer from someone who lobbies on behalf of an oil interest.

    Given the dubious health benefits of petrochemicals, I’d have thought that someone who lobbies on behalf of oil interests was lobbying for cancer.

    (Yes, I realize that the spokesman meant ‘cancer research’, but it just struck me as another example of the McCain campaign’s haplessness, even if an unfair one.)

  • slappy magoo

    says:

    I love the Catch-22 of it all. The presence of lobbyists make it that much harder for McCain to project an image and message that will make it easier for him to win the election (or at least easier for GOP and Diebold to steal the election). And yet, they must be there, so that their messages will not be lost on the man if he does manage to squeak his way in The White House. Too many cooks spoil the soup, and too many Svengalis spoil the candidate.

  • Steve

    says:

    Ban? What ban? Simply saying, in a round-a-bout manner, that there “is going to be a ban” does not necessarily mean that there is going to be a ban. After all, in McCain-ese, one must look beyond the accustomed definition of “is.” Therefore, there has never been a ban, and there will never be a ban, because is does not equate to never was or never will be

  • Joey

    says:

    one must record the evidence and show it to them for the McCain campaign to admit they ever said that. By next week Rick Davis will be denying he ever said that.

    “Did I say that?…Did you see me say that….I wouldn’t have said that at least not in this context so you must be mistaken”.

    “Here is a video of you saying that”

    “Yes, well I thought you were talking about something else and must have misunderstood what you were talking about because I wouldn’t have said that…not in that context.”

    Unbelievable! The McCain train to nowhere. Like I said…one big embarrassment to go along with the current Bush/Cheney disaster.