I posted this to GDP in response to a poster who apparently believes Obama has raised 1 BILLION dollars in campaign funds from Girl Scout cookie sales and little old ladies raiding rolls of pennies from their pin money stash.
Remember this the next time they try to pass around that load of hooey again.... the politics of change my ass.
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/obamas_lobbyist_line.p... http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/09/p... /
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_oil_spil... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/358889_software1... http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?id=N00009... http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1199441... http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/23/i... http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/02/54460... http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/263 /
http://frugalhoosiers.typepad.com/frugal_hoosiers/2008/... Daniel Shapiro, who advises Sen. Obama on foreign policy issues, is registered to lobby on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute and other corporate clients. Broderick Johnson, a friend and informal political adviser, heads up the lobbying arm in Washington of the Bryan Cave LLP law firm, where he represents Verizon and Shell Oil, among other clients.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lobbyists-on-obamas... Three political aides on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) payroll were registered lobbyists for dozens of corporations, including Wal-Mart, British Petroleum and Lockheed Martin, while they received payments from his campaign, according to public documents.
http://www.dailyyonder.com/turning-coal-liquid-turns-pr ...
...The most interesting relationship to surface in the CTL debate was an alliance between Sen. Barack Obama, the sleek Democratic candidate, and Jim Bunning the rough-talking ex-ballplayer and Kentucky Republican. Obama had been supportive of Illinois Basin coal in the past and Bunning asked if he would support his Coal to Liquid Fuel Promotion Act. Obama initially said yes. (Incidentally, in the first quarter of 2007, Obama received $154,000 in campaign contributions from the Chicago-based energy company Exelon, a possible beneficiary of CTL incentives.)
Sen. Obama from Illinois quickly learned that life was different as Democratic presidential candidate Obama. His sponsorship of Bunning’s CTL Energy Act garnered criticism from pro-environment groups. Obama began issuing clarifications and explanations, backing away from the Bunning proposal.
The Daily Yonder contacted the Obama campaign to clarify the Senator’s muddled early June “clarification" of his position. An Obama spokesperson emphasized that Obama supports coal-to-liquid if it will (1) help achieve energy independence and (2) fight climate change. However, the text of the 2007 Bunning-Obama act does not include carbon sequestration regulations.
http://www.thedailypage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=38453 ...
Obama-Mining Lobbyist Ties Scrutinized
Wednesday November 14, 5:55 pm ET
By Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press Writer
Obama's Ties to Mining Lobbyist, Opposition to Reform Bill Draws Scrutiny
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- 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.
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...The General Mining Law of 1872 allows the mining industry to pull gold, silver and other minerals from federal lands without paying royalties. The industry opposes changes to the law and several efforts to reform it have failed.
A House-passed bill would impose a royalty of 4 percent of gross revenue on existing hard-rock mining operations and 8 percent of gross revenue on new mining operations. The reform bill also would put new environmental controls on hard-rock mining, set up a cleanup fund for abandoned mines and permanently ban cheap sales of public lands for mining.
Obama said the legislation, favored by environmentalists, "places a significant burden on the mining industry and could have a significant impact on jobs." He also opposes the proposed fees....
....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.... MUCH MORE