Kathleen McCaffrey, Associate Editor
Ideology: Libertarian | Writing from: Budapest, Hungary
In the months leading up to November of 2008, Barack Obama took a hard line against lobbyists in his rhetoric. Notably the President declared that former lobbyists “won’t find a job in [his] White House.” (Despite this, an analysis corroborated by Politico shows that at least a dozen former lobbyists have found top jobs in his administration.) Though the activities of Andy Stern, the President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who is being accused of illegally lobbying through his frequent visits to the White House, could stand as the best testament towards how this promise has been perverted.
For those who aren’t already acquainted with the name, the SEIU is a particularly influential group in Washington. As several publications have reported, “the huge union spent $60 million to help Obama get elected.” The SEIU also ties to the (disgraced) activist group ACORN, which has also been implicated in a number of fraudulent voter registration schemes. “SEIU and ACORN have long worked closely together, with the union paying the association more than $3.6 million in the past three years and sharing some office locations and leaders with the group.” Moreover, they have a vested interest in the ongoing healthcare debate as a May 2009 Politico article quoted Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer, announcing that the union would sponsor 100 events on health care reform – saying that Congress “will be hearing from us in big ways.” As the current President of the union, one can assume that Mr. Stern holds a similar objective.
Andy Stern delisted himself as a lobbyist for the SEIU about two years ago. Ergo his actions within the past year constitute unregistered lobbying in violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), 2 U.S.C. 1601. A letter written by ATR President Grover Norquist and AWF Executive Director Brian Johnson presented the case against Stern best: “A “lobbyist” is someone whose job includes talking with or writing to two or more “covered” officials in Congress or the White House and who spends more than 20% of his or her time in any given calendar quarter on such communications as well as on efforts to prepare for such communications and to coordinate with other individuals who are engaged in their own lobbying activities. In effect, if an individual spends on average one day per five-day work week in a calendar quarter engaged in lobbying activities and communicates with covered officials, that person is a lobbyist. There are approximately 13 weeks in a quarter. Therefore, spending more than 13 days on lobbying activities strongly indicates that the individual is a lobbyist and should report his or her activities as required by federal law.
Based on the White House Visitor Logs, public reports and Mr. Stern’s own public statements, he lobbied actively and extensively on behalf of SEIU during 2009. In the second calendar quarter of 2009 Mr. Stern visited the White House 10 times on 9 different days, and in addition conducted “regular legislative meetings,” had meetings over two days “with many Senators,” had on another day “good free choice meetings with key Senators,” and on additional separate occasions met with Senator Conrad, Senator Specter, Senator Snowe, and Congressman Sestak. All of these meetings which appear to cover at least 16 days constitute lobbying activities under the LDA.
Mr. Stern’s lobbying activities during the first calendar quarter seem to have been as extensive as in the second quarter, even though the White House logs cover fewer than three months due to the January 20 inaugural date. Mr. Stern visited the White House more frequently (12 times on 11 days) than in the second quarter (10 times on 9 days) and presumably maintained his “regular legislative meetings.” He Twittered and on February 18 noted “…had cocktails with Prez and VP.”
One can imagine that they were not discussing White Sox games at these meetings. In conjunction with having someone lobby the White House, the sneaky means of attempting a dash through a loophole seems particularly disgraceful. Since February, President Obama has signed various a refusals to accept lobbyists’ campaign contributions, bans on employing current lobbyists, and public disclosure of every lobbyist who visits the White House. Of course, this paper is meaningless if the President himself will meet with his various campaign donors, who happen to have a strong interest in influencing his legislation, and appoint former lobbyists into his administration. This is a new, deceptive brand of pay-to-play politics under the guise of transparency.
The administration feigned a hard line against lobbyists in the election campaign. Though, despite their promises, they are still operating a political machine. Of course this is crept around through limiting or circumventing facets of activities and having certain people deregistering (but still meeting). This has decreased “openness” and is, in my opinion, a bit of a step backwards. I can advocate government honesty, but it starts with a focus on the influence of money on the policy-making process. Disadvantaging professional lobbyists would not be a bad way to go, if they neglected finding ways to give campaign contributors a free pass. However, they have not, and it is bad policy.
When he says lobbyist he means the evil big corporate ones. Labor union presidents are nice, fun people.
It should dishearten the millions of independent minded voters who went out and voted for Barack Obama that he is so openly embracing Andy Stern and groups like the SEIU. The SEIU is a relic in the American marketplace, just like the premise of unions themselves. Unions at one time were essential to protect the rights of workers, but now endanger the rights of workers and loot from their own employees. The Obama administration was supposed to be forward looking, not backwards looking. Having Andy Stern as a frequent visitor is backwards looking, and will certainly be used in campaign ads throughout America in 2010.
The SEIU has the ability to fire up the conservative base more so than ACORN, especially once they are made aware of the group’s antics. I understand Obama counts organized labor as part of his coalition, but a MUCH BIGGER part of his coalition is the voters who want him to help reform organized labor.
I can already envision the EFCA battle in Washington, Obama better hope it comes after November of 2010.