Katrina Leads a Lobbyist to Reevaluate His Priorities

[housewolf]

Frederick L. Webber, a longtime denizen of Washington's lobbying corridor, showed up at work one day last week and found on his desk a dozen fundraising requests from members of Congress.

He threw them all in the trash.

In a self-described epiphany, Webber, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, drafted a large check to help families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and decided that an imperative of his vocation -- political giving -- had finally gone too far.

How could lawmakers be asking for money for their reelections, he asked himself, when thousands of Americans were desperate for aid along the Gulf Coast? "It really hit home when I was writing out that check," Webber said. "Political fundraising in this town has gotten out of control."

It's a message he was repeating passionately at lunches and in private conversations with other lobbyists all over town last week.

Webber's opinion is worth noting; he isn't just any lobbyist. At age 67, Webber has been a major player in Washington for more than 30 years. He worked both in the Nixon White House and on Capitol Hill and has headed up or helped direct lobbying groups representing car companies, chemical manufacturers, electric utilities, savings institutions and soft drink makers.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/11/AR2005091101084_pf.html

[babylonsister]

1. A man with a conscience? Time will tell, but this

is a good story. No one else had the moxie or cojones, just their own moral turpitude, eh?

[Starfury]

2. Big-hearted lobbyist? That's as common as hen's teeth.... n/t