Would-be reformers McCain and Obama challenged by lobbyist culture
Campaigning without them is easier said than done, the candidates have shown.
WASHINGTON — As John McCain and Barack Obama intensify their battle for the White House, they are competing for the mantle of reform, with each claiming that he has done the most to shield his campaign from the taint of lobbyists.
But the strategists behind those efforts are senior aides with a more-than-passing resemblance to -- what else? -- lobbyists.
Obama is well ahead of McCain in restricting lobbyist participation in his campaign. But the history of both candidates is peppered with campaign operatives, policy advisors and others who have clear links to the long-standing but often scandal-tinged practice of making money by trying to influence politicians.
The campaigns have begun attacking each other about lobbyist ties -- and who is doing the most to limit them -- after the resignation of several senior McCain advisors in the last two weeks due to their lobbying involvement, including work for foreign regimes.
Two McCain staffers who have lobbied on behalf of controversial foreign clients are leading the high-profile drive to rid his campaign of lobbyists. And Obama's reformer image has been fostered in part by a Chicago political consultant with a sideline in so-called grass-roots lobbying for corporate clients -- though the consultant vehemently denies being a lobbyist and says he never provided access to nor approached an officeholder.
Both candidates can boast of accomplishments in passing ethics reform legislation. Yet the challenge they face in separating their campaigns from lobbyists illustrates how difficult it is for any ambitious national politician to declare independence from Washington's K Street culture and the interests that underlie it.
That's especially true of politicians seeking the White House. After all, it's the lobbying firms and related enterprises -- politically oriented law firms, research organizations and advertising shops -- that know how to run a high-tech voter mobilization drive, develop a hard-hitting radio spot and raise the millions of dollars necessary to wage a strong campaign.
The revolving door connecting politics and interest-group advocacy is a Washington institution. For aspiring Democrats and Republicans alike, serving as a senior aide to a prominent politician is one of the main career paths for a lucrative career in lobbying -- and vice versa.
