Obama Pushes Lobbyists Off Advisory Boards

By now most of you should be aware of the sweeping Lobbyist Reform President Obama has ordered, but not surprisingly it has yet to be covered on mainstream news outlets like CNN.

In case you missed this big piece of news, here are some highlights:

In a little-noticed blog post published on the White House website in September, President Obama's special counsel for ethics and government reform Norm Eisen announced that the administration no longer wanted federally-registered lobbyists appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions.

This is a big victory for taxpayers, and an important reform to one of the biggest conflicts of interest existing in our government. When lobbyists sit on advisory boards, how can their advice be trusted? They are getting PAID to give certain advice, they don't give that advice out of the goodness of their hearts!

On Friday, the Washington Post reported that the move "may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama," resulting in "hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists" being ejected from federal advisory panels.


Not surprisingly, lobby groups, corporations, and other K Street influencers are up in arms."

What amazes me is how long this practice has been going on. Every previous administration has simply allowed paid lobbyists to influence advisory boards on important issues facing taxpayers. And yet these boards get advice not in the taxpayers interests, but in some wealthy corporation' interests instead!

I'm proud of our President for making this change. It is yet one more example of how Barack Obama is living up to his promise to change Washington.

The most ironic thing about all of this? Those lobbyists who are being kicked out of influential positions will now probably turn to the Tea Partiers, in an attempt to support their opposition to Obama on every front.

Its really sad to see these Tea Party members acting like they are standing up for taxpayers by going against the President. This President has done more in his first year to support taxpayers than any president in the last 30 years.

I'll be most of those Tea Party member don't even realize that Obama gave the largest Middle Class Tax Cut in history when he took office. That tax cut is part of the Recovery Act that Tea-baggers just love to whine about.

Will this story eventually make it to major networks like CNN, FOX, or ABC? We'll see. In the meantime its up to us to spread the word!