Kerry Cancels Fundraisers, Vows To Avoid Lobbyists While On Super Committee

[ProSense]

Kerry Cancels Fundraisers, Vows To Avoid Lobbyists While On Super Committee

By Alex Seitz-Wald

As the work of the debt-reduction super committee gets underway in earnest, lobbyists have launched a “full-court press” to protect their clients from the chopping blocks — meeting lawmakers, hosting fundraisers, and engaging in grassroots outreach. “The 12 Members of the Super Committee are going to be lobbied so hard in the next four months, they will be known as the ‘Dirty Dozen,’” Republican lobbyist Alex Vogel told Politico last month. A Democratic lobbyist quipped that he was “preparing by writing 12 really large checks.”

But at least one member of the bipartisan committee has decided to the steer clear of Washington’s influence machine. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has canceled fundraisers and is swearing off lobbyists while the committee works:

“I’m not meeting with a lot of lobbyists; I’m meeting with people I choose to meet with, who can inform me, assist in the process of crunching numbers and dealing with consequences, and so forth,” Kerry told the Globe last week in his first extensive interview about his committee membership. <...>

Kerry said he has already cancelled two fund-raisers and won’t raise any money during the committee’s work through Nov. 23.

“I will not fund-raise; I will raise no money,” the senator told the Globe. “I’m not raising any money while the committee is working.”

Super committee members have scheduled at least 14 fundraisers through Thanksgiving, the committee’s deadline to find $1.5 trillion in savings, according to the Sunlight Foundation. “These events are basically giving access to these members for special interests,” said Sunlight’s Bill Allison. One of those hosting fundraisers is House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), who even created a new fundraising organization that will split money between his personal campaign and his PAC.

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[boston bean]

1. how long does this committee last.

it's admiral of Sen Kerry to do this, but what prevents him raising boatloads after.

I am just very cynical of this whole process and most of our politicans today. Especially when it comes to corporate influence.

[ProSense]

2. Well,

I hope the other members of the committee follow his example.

[Inuca]

3. Admirable, I guess :-) n/t

[blm]

6. Kerry has never taken corporate pac money for any of his senate races since he became senator.

He has also advocated for public financing of campaigns since 1985 and wrote the Clean Money, Clean Elections bill submitted to senate in 1997 - only 5 other senators were for it. Some states adopted the language of Clean Money bill for their own statewide elections, though.

[boston bean]

10. how about lobbyists.

Now don't get me wrong, I like Kerry, he is my senator. But how about never taking a dime from lobbyists?

[karynnj]

12. I would bet that he never took a dime that was conditioned on his favoring what

the lobbyist was lobbying for. That would not only be unethical, but illegal.

I have met at least one person who worked in the organization that lobbied Congress. Lobbyists are not evil people - for the most part. One problem is that on complicated issues, it may be the various lobbyists - on all sides who are the most knowledgeable on arcane issues. I would guess that lobbyists might also have a better view than most on which Senators are actually good -- as well as which are useful to their employer.

I think it would be great if all people who worked as lobbyists were prohibited from contributing. There is a trade off between allowing these people to contribute - as anyone else does and the danger that their contributions - even if not quid por quo - will go to the people who agreed with them. It would be nice if you could require that the legislator be "blind" to any contributions, but in an odd way, the fact that all more than $250 contributions become public information to insure transparency would mean that there is no way to prevent the legislator from knowing he/she got a contribution.

[YvonneCa]

8. I might agree with you IF this were anyone but...

...Senator Kerry. The guy just has integrity. Period. ;)

[jwirr]

4. One honest man - wonder what that can accomplish?

[ProSense]

5. Well, this

isn't getting much attention here, but it's getting some press.

USA Today: John Kerry vows to stop fundraising during debt-panel work

Politio: Kerry to shun cash during debt panel

The Hill: Kerry says no to fundraising while on supercommittee

Roll Call: Deficit Committee Member Kerry Gives Up Fundraising

Maybe this will inspire the other members to do so.

[politicasista]

9. IMO, his staff needs to push back more on

the smears over his personal wealth.

It does not help him that some "progressives" (and some supporters) here and there are saying he can do this because he has lots of dough (or married);

And others (staunch O supporter) that compare him to the likes of the the lowlife in Romney. Guess people will never get over their grudges. :shrug:
http://twitter.com/#!/johnlegend/status/102432827500544000

Hope he can get constituents who follow President O and other liberals in the social network land to take notice also.

JAO





edit for link

[karynnj]

11. There really is no possible push back

Teresa is fabulously wealthy and they do really live a life of incredible wealth. BUT, they also both work with great passion to make the world better.

Kerry himself, even if he was not incredibly wealthy as a kid, he was born a member of the social elite. The extended Forbes family owns an island where he spent the part of his summers that was not spent at his grandparents estate in a beautiful French town. Even if it was an aunt who paid his tuition, he went to St Paul's with his generation of the social elite. His prep school girl friend was Jackie Kennedy's step sister - and from the story of his meeting JFK, he was completely accepted by her family. If you read the parts of Tour of Duty on his college years, you can see - that though he worked a part time job - he also had weekends where he skied while staying with friends at their parents' vacation homes. He was a person born to privilege and he never has denied that.

But, you can look at his life where from his choice to not pull the strings that he clearly had to avoid serving in Vietnam, then it was more for the vets badly retreated when they returned that he started his effort to get them - and later day soldiers - the treatment needed. That - as much as working to end the war is what his protesting was about - and it was not for himself.

Then, he was a prosecutor, lt governor and Senator - all positions of power and prestige, but in his case, had wealth been what drove him, with his skills and connections, he could have been a top officer earning millions a year - rather than having several years when his financial status meant he was a guest of friends rather than having a DC apartment. Yet, even at his least rich, he never had any of the financial worries that most people have - something he very readily admits.

But then, to give them even more reason to be jealous, after making these decisions to serve the country rather than work to become filthy rich ... he and Teresa Heinz fell in love and married - making him the richest Senator. ( Also to be considered, he won Teresa, who was also routinely called beautiful, brilliant and charming when she was married to Heinz. )

The twitter comment is not attacking Kerry - in fact, it is kind of funny that Romney, with a different very privileged background, similar almost "too good" looks, and wealth may have a harder time than past rich republicans (both Bushes) because the Republicans worked so hard in 2004 to make negatives out of things that once were positives. (Kerry's ability to speak fluently and grammatically, Kerry's good manners etc - and for a sports obsessed country ignoring he played 4 sports in college - and can still bike 111 miles at a very fast pace - at 67!)

[politicasista]

13. Excellent thoughts

Trying to stop reading too much into what tweets say, but you clarify everything very, very well. :patriot:

[politicasista]

7. Kick

Hope peeps take notice. :kick: :patriot:

[Jakes Progress]

14. I think he should call on all the members to do the same.

[Scruffy1]

15. Funny, I don't feel at all elated about the multimilionair looking out for my broke ass.

But then I've learned to be highly cynical about most things (excepting babies, kittens and dogs)

[Supersedeas]

16. but how many of the other millionaires on the Super will cancel fundraisers?

[karynnj]

17. I guess that FDR, Ted Kennedy and LBJ - multimillionaires all - didn't look out for the least rich

[politicasista]

18. delete

not important. :hi: