Political Punch

1) As of today Obama has moved closer to McCains first response to this crisis..I guess he had to first Google Georgia to figure out what side we're on

2)Obama's lead campaign strategist, david axelrod, is a partner and founder of the lobbying firm ASK public strategies which was the firm that helped cablevision block the NY Jets from building a new stadium and coming back to NY..something I'll never forgive him for.

There is a distinct differenc, Sen Gramm and other McCain Campaign members has lobbied for and enacted laws that put the lobbyist positions ahead of the American peoples welfare. Mortgage crisis, Energy Crisis, Banking crisis for example. McCain has stated before that he has not enough knowledge about the economy, however his economic guru "Gramm crafted McCains economic plan. Given these facts, and the lobbyist past modus operandi, I would trust them or Sen McCain. Who would really be running McCain's presidency?

If you want to see who really is beholden to lobbyists, go to opensecrets.org, click on the the candidate, then the industries tab. Scroll down and look for "Lawyers and Lobbyists."

What you will find is that Obama has take $20+ million from Lobbying Firms and Lawyers...

McCain..$7M.

It seems like this is the only message I hear from Obama anymore..."McCain has a a former lobbyist...blah, blah" Half of Washington are lobbyists, and the other half are former lobbyists.

Axelrod is a "consultant" to Exelon among many others.

You want to tell me what the difference is? There is none.

McCain has been in beholden to lobbyist since the time of his banking scandals as part of the Keating 5. Mccains believes in the one hand washes the other style. Former Sen Gramm " America is a nation of whiners" fame who is one of the biggest lobbyist there is. Gramm, Mccain & the Republicans when they were in the Senate Majority, created and passed laws which deregulated & loosened controls of the Banking and Energy industries. Which resulted in the current crisises now befalling America such as the mortgage crisis, uncontrolled speculation in the Energy resulting in the collapse of Enron and the of astrnomically high cost not to mention the current bank failures. McCain is to beholden to lobbyist, I am not convinced he would put America's intersts ahead of his lobbyist friends. Take for example McCain's help in overturning the largest Military Aircraft tanker contract awarded to Boeing and awarded it to EADS (European). According to lobbying records filed with the Senate, Loeffler Group lobbyists on the project included Loeffler and Susan Nelson, who left the firm and is now the campaign's finance director. The Ogilvy lobbyist John Green, who was assigned the EADS work, recently took a leave of absence to volunteer for McCain as the campaign's congressional liaison.

And now McCains son is involved in his own banking scandal. The apple never falls to far from the tree!

The fallout from the Silver State Bank fiasco continued on Friday as the company announced a wider-than-expected quarterly loss and CEO Corey Johnson resigned. Johnson’s resignation follows the resignation of Board of Directors’ member Andrew McCain, who was on the bank’s Auditing Committee. McCain is the son of presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain. McCain and Johnson's departures came on the heels of resignation of one of the bank’s executive vice-presidents, who left just two months ago.

Silver State Bancorp (SSXB.O), the bank’s holding company, announced a net loss for the second quarter $62.7 million, or $4.15 a share, compared with a profit of $6.2 million, or 44 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected a loss of 65 cents a share. The company also said that it was suspending its share repurchase program, not a huge surprise since they announced that they need to raise another $40 million in capital just to survive. Since the share price has dropped over 95% in the past year (almost 90% since McCain joined the bank), and is down another 15% just today (trading at just over one dollar), raising capital through the sale of shares could be disastrous for shareholders who have already been hit hard by the bank’s financial problems.

Although the bank today blamed most of their financial woes on loan losses, which ballooned from $1.9 million a year ago to $58.6 million during the last quarter, it was their involvement with one of the largest financial frauds in history that has raised serious questions about the bank’s business practices. An article on The Faulking Truth, entitled Silver State Bank: What's Deposited in Vegas Doesn't Stay in Vegas details the bank’s shady involvement in the defrauding of over 50,000 shareholders in the CMKM Diamonds scam. The story has since been widely circulated on the internet, including news sites such as What Really Happened and the Huffington Post.

It will be difficult to find any conflict going on in the world that McCain lobbyist advisers have not profited from. If he's elected, how many favors will the USA owe and to WHO?

Thank you, thank you....for pointing out some of the problems with the McCain candidacy.

Amazing.....after months of fun on the "Straight Talk Express", we're finally getting to some truths. BAM! WSJ's Market Watch article today on the mediocrity of McCain; Newsweek article today slamming McCain's lies about Obama's tax plan (http://www.newsweek.com/id/151621).

Too bad so many people have swallowed the lies whole hog. It's all they needed to justify their discomfort with voting for anyone non-white, non-male.

That some good foreign policy coming from the CROOKED TALK EXPRESS. It is nice to know that this countrys foreign policy can be sold to what ever country can afford a high priced lobbyist!No I mean Whore!No I mean Lobbyist!No I mean Whore!

Hey Patriot,,, 200,000 pn their own tUrf,,, THEY WENT TO SEE A FREE CONCERT!
Get clue besides why is he running a campaign in Europe? Trying to look Presidential? If he was really doing that he could have gone to see the 100+ injured military in hospital in Germany,,, Didn't want to see them,,, wanted to exercise,,, What a loser

Obama is a Harvard Lawyer who graduated at the top of his class, without any strings being pulled.

McCaint is the beneficiary of nepotism who graduated at the bottom of his lesser class, yet is allowed to rise far up in the ranks over others more qualified.

Obama should welcome the celebrity status of a highly intelligent, highly educated and natural born leader WORLD LEADER. lol

McCaint is just envious that he IS NOT a natural leader, not someone that could command a crowd of 200,000 FOREIGNERS on their turf!

You're right, Kellie Ann Rivera: We're not all stupid, except when we resolve to vote for a confused fossil who proposes his own wife for topless contest.

I think we should go easy on John McCain when it comes to the fact that his campaign is run by lobbyists - even by lobbyists that, yes, have written all of his policies.

1) Lobbyists work for MUCH less money, as they can be certain to receive legislative gifts for their clients once the candidate for whom they draft pro-business policies is elected.

2) Just because John McCain will be forced to enact SOME legislation for the lobbyists that are drafting that legislation right now, we cannot be certain - in fact, I don't think we should be certain - that he will not also do some good things as president.

Yes, John McCain has changed on his core issues. He used to be against tax cuts for the rich. Now, he supports them. He used to support policies to protect soldiers from torture. Now he supports violating the Geneva Conventions. He used to believe that "offshore drilling will only supply approximately 6 months of US oil consumption at current levels - so, it's a bad idea when compared with very real energy alternatives like wind and solar." Now, he supports offshore drilling, but only because (and I hope people don't condemn him for this, because they shouldn't) his campaign was strapped for money.

Besides, we can't be sure all of his position changes aren't just a ruse to get elected. Then, once he wins, he'll go back to being a maverick and being true to his real vision - which he can't afford to share, because Republicans wouldn't support him if he did.

Sure, McCain SEEMS to be hewing to the standard Bush positions. And, yes, he's supported Bush over 90 percent of the time.

But all of his is only because he wants to win so that he can do things differently.

And that might require making deals that look bad, even paying back a few lobbyists.

But that's how the game is played.

And, remember, John McCain is a war hero. That should almost be a requirement for becoming president.

So, I don't know, but I think everybody should just lay off McCain, because at least he cares enough to make sacrifices - even of his ideals or true opinions - if that will make a difference down the road a piece.

Martin, you've received a lot of false facts about Obama from somewhere, my guess would be fox news.
Obama isn't lying about his past, to suggest so without facts sounds like slander to me.
I have bought and read both of his books. No real journalist has found fault with his facts, not for lack of trying in a political season.
As for the taxes you mentioned, Obama wants no income tax for retirees who make under $50,000. He believes people should be able to retire with dignity. You can read these plans and his other plans on all the issues at his website.
By the way, I am not paid to write any comments I make. I have read a lot about the two candidates, I've read their plans in detail and there is just no comparison. Obama's ideas aren't just better, he gives real details and they make sense for right now and to change things to make a better future for the country as a whole.

Thought McCain threw all the lobbyists in his campaign under the bus. Why is Davis still around. By the way, Obama's running a pretty tough radio ad on this matter in Ohio...you can hear it over at Politico.

Nice little post, but seems there is more 'there' there.

Although you say he no longer 'works as a lobbyist for foreign entities', my guess is that Scheunemann is still registered individually (or at least should be) as a 'foreign agent' with the Justice Department.

The docs you linked to are for his company. As the president of the company he'd likely be required to be registered as a 'foreign agent'. I don't know how the president (and owner/part-owner) of a company could not be registered and receive profit/income from foreign governments. It doesn't make sense.

Since Orion is an LLC that means Scheunemann, as an owner/part-owner, directly receives income(profits) from the Georgian government, as well as Macedonia (LLC has pass thru profits, unlike regular corporations).

So, whatever foreign governments and companies are funding Scheunemann's company are also paying money directly to Scheunemann. So whatever percentage of ownership he has in the company he will get that share of the profits of the $240,000 that the WSJ reported that his firm will get this year from Georgia and Macedonia (which apparently is part of the $2.6 million he has earned in recent years from clients that he has directly lobbied McCain about).

Which leads to a follow up question...How many lobbyists running your campaign does it take to become the champion of the special interests?

I am ,like sen.schumer,frustrated at the timid replies from the Obama campaign against the vicious character assassinations coming from the republicans.At first I thougth it was a fantastic Idea for Obama to take the "high road";I thougth it would be easy for any voter to pick the bestcandidate,esspecially since the dishonesty and incompetence of too many republican "leaders"was out for all to see.I was wrong!Judging by what I'm hearing and reading way too many americans do indeed take pride in their ignorance.They don't like to be bothered by facts.Disturbs their picture of life.Well,america,how did you get to this point?do you really want to replace your lying,war-mongering ,incompent president with pretty much the same?As for McCains character-lets ask his first wife.Or better yet,listen to his sick jokes.P.S.It is NOT big business that employs the majority!It has allways been the small and medium size business that has been the backbone of the economy.Big business is what the government has to bailout with our money!

McCain is a fraud, and just a puppet. It is amazing how easily his campaign lies can be knocked down. The really frightening thing is that McCain really doesn't seem to be aware of what he says most of the time, which is why he ends up contradicting himself every other day.

Still waiting for McCain's Keating 5 and Iran/Contra antics to be exposed.

"You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"

You can hope that people will change and become better, or you can change and become worse to fit in. The choice is completely in your own hands.

No response PV?

I guess I was right in my theory:

The only people who are voting for McCain, are the people who have done little to no research on the candidates. These people treat the Presidential election like a popularity contest, and vote for whoever sounds more fun. These people actually beleive that McCain is a good, experienced leader, because McCain told them so. They also beleive that Obama is a racist/muslim/anti-american because that is what their friend said, who also has no idea about any facts on these two candidates.

So when America is in complete shambles, turn and thank these soldiers of ignorance for marching us towards certain doom. These "Heros of opinion" who parrot every smear they hear without even searching google to see if it was true.

As john below pointed out, McCain also employs Rick Davis. Rick Davis is still a lobbyist for a foreign company.

Here is a quote:

"And that's not all: McCain's campaign manager was the top lobbyist for the DHL deal…helped push it through. His firm was paid $185,000 to lobby McCain and other senators. Now 8,200 Ohioans are facing layoffs, and foreign-owned DHL doesn't care…. John McCain. Same old politics. Same failed policies."

That is 2 examples now of lobbyists running McCain's campaign, not to mention the few that he fired in the very beginning because of direct clash of interests.

Is two examples enough to prove that McCain only wants to help out lobbyists and not the American people? I really dont want to have to google "McCain lobbyist campaign" again to find more.

"That is because McCain's policys are written by his lobbyists. McCain's job is to try to make these policys seem like they are good for America, when really they are just good for his lobbyists

There is a radical idea with no proof. Any evidence of what you speak?"

Sure, here is a great example. McCain's former cheif advisor is a lobbyist. He also wrote most of McCain's budget plan. Then he called us all "whiners" and stepped down.

Proof:

“Countdown with Keith Olbermann” reported Tuesday night that lobbying disclosure forms, filed by the giant Swiss bank UBS, list McCain’s campaign co-chair, former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, as a lobbyist dealing specifically with legislation regarding the mortgage crisis as recently as Dec. 31, 2007.

There is proof that some of McCain's policies are directly written by lobbyists. In this case, the lobbyist is the same man that created the Enron loophole.

That was easy! I am still waiting on you to prove to me that Obama doesn't like American citizens...

Hey PV, Here's some evidence: JOHN MCCAIN'S CAMPAGIN MANAGER IS A LOBBYIST! His whole campagin is run by big business Washington lobbyist that don't care about Ohioans.

"That is because McCain's policys are written by his lobbyists. McCain's job is to try to make these policys seem like they are good for America, when really they are just good for his lobbyists"

There is a radical idea with no proof. Any evidence of what you speak?

awkward is right. Camp McCain, where DC insiders go to play (at your expense).

I have yet to meet an Obama supporter that doesn't know that Obama is a politician. Yet, right wing always go on and on about how Obama supporters and delusional, cultish, etc. In politics, you just have to pick the best one. And when your representative draws support from a broad-based, national coalition of voters... a reasonable person expects some compromise. I guess it is because their candidate isn't really worth talking about. What a bummer.

I'd like to think that the election was going to be a choice between good and better. And, I kind of thought it was. But McCain has just fallen so flat. Sure, he's got some funny people writing ads for him, but besides that, he's totally out of touch. A sad way to end a career.

I never met or seen a republican who puts humanity above money and power. I would not vote for McCain if he was running for dog catcher.

I don't think people are looking for a straight talker... They prefer someone who can act.

The GOP is full of "straight" talkers. But you leave them in a room with boys, and it's a whole different story.

LOL

"That is because McCain's policys are written by his lobbyists."

And Obama's policies are written by ad executives. Who do you trust to be better informed?

Paris Hilton, of course.

It's a bizarre world...

The GOP has gotten so desperate that they are marketing failure as the true mark of success.

People like Obama, so he is bad.
Obama speaks more clearly, so he is bad.
He did too well in college, so he is bad.
Obama raises more money from a wider base of donors, which proves he is bad.
His ads are, on the whole, more honest, which is another way of hiding something.
His plans are more ambitious, which should scare you.

McCain is an underachiever, short on new ideas, with an obviously nasty character, and a blatant preference for the rich and powerful... This means he is the best!

No wonder the GOP elects loser candidates.

"I notice nobody could name a McCain policy that went against the clients of the paid lobbyists on his campaign payroll."

That is because McCain's policys are written by his lobbyists. McCain's job is to try to make these policys seem like they are good for America, when really they are just good for his lobbyists

McCain's use of the term Maverick reflects negatively on both the NBA team and the old James Garner TV show.

I notice nobody could name a McCain policy that went against the clients of the paid lobbyists on his campaign payroll.

I think old Gaspy must be using the World Atlas McCain uses. Georgia is no closer to Afghanistan is than Iraq is to Pakistan. But McCain would not have known it was someone other than William Tecumseh Sherman invading Georgia is the lobbyist for the Republic of Georgia wasn't his chief foreign policy adviser.

So do you think McCain will help you if you vote for him?

Or do you think McCain will help out the rich people who paid him to run for president?

Think logically now.

The McCain machine isn't waiting for the white house. They've got their hands in everything early.
He gets Oil money from the corporation, not dedicated employees. He sides with the Military machine so that Arizona can make More Apache Helos.
We also don't know how he'll treat Cuba, as his wife has a brewery interest there.
Where there's smoke . . . .

I do not care how or why McCain joined the Navy or how he got shot down. He joined and he fought. It is his constant hypocrisy from the days of the Keating Five S&L scandal to the K-Street rumpus room he calls a campaign
that concerns me.

"Bigger issue at hand is what is Russia up to. That country they invaded next doot to Afghanistan. Maybe Russia wants to take back Afghanistan and fund terrorist to strike America again. Pay back is a BlTCH. We did it to them during the CLINTON ERA"

Read into the stories some more. Russia was actually fire upon first. They are defending themselves.

Also, AMERICA is the country who funded the Afghanistan terrorists. We trained them and gave them weapons.

I'm the one who know Obama is proposing a tax cut for most Americans. McCain is advocating keeping the tax cuts for the rich he once denounced. You know, the ones making our deficit so large and our economy so weak.

Hey didn't Obama and his goonies start the RACE BAITING. All Obama had to do was say the Clintons are not racist and that would of been the end of it

McCain put his life on the line for our country. He put his campaign and his policies in the hands of paid lobbyists for other countries.

I am going to hate paying more taxes that Obama wants. My paycheck is taxed enough. I know these new taxes will just fund more ghetto blasters like REZKO

Bigger issue at hand is what is Russia up to. That country they invaded next doot to Afghanistan. Maybe Russia wants to take back Afghanistan and fund terrorist to strike America again. Pay back is a ##### We did it to them during the CLINTON ERA

"Stop being idealistic and get real. This is how politicians get elected - he'll take from $ individuals but doesn't care at about citiznes b/c they have no power. It is has always been this way. Time to stop being naive about Obama."

Honestly, where does this stuff come from? You have no facts to backup your opinion. You just say whatever radical idea pops out of you head.

Show me facts that Obama doesn't care about citizens, that will prove to me that you are not a complete moron. Till then, you are a moron.

uhmmmm.... I am wondering why you guys aren't mentioning the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Obama raises from the average person off the street.
Maybe if you will donate to McCain he can back off some of those lobbyists. It is called believing enough in him to give him your money. If you have any left.

The truth is

Raymond Hunter Geisel Threatened President Bush and Senator Obama. But he was only charged with the threat against Obama. WHY. Did Obama camp make an issue out of nothing to make Obama look like a victim after his bad weeks of being exposed of playing the RACE CARD against first Hillary now McCain

So all these people supporting McCain are concerned about Obama's lapel pin
instead of the Mcain foreign policy staff being on foreign government payrolls? Pride in ignorance or abject stupididty?

It's just incredibly ignorant to think Obama is not tied to big business, lobbyists, and all of the power brokers in Washington. In fact he is better at forging relationships with these types than McCain and that is why he is winning. Stop being idealistic and get real. This is how politicians get elected - he'll take from $ individuals but doesn't care at about citiznes b/c they have no power. It is has always been this way. Time to stop being naive about Obama.

Name a single policy McCain is advocating that goes against a client someone connected to his campaign is not paid to lobby on. Give you until
2:00 EDT.

Kellie Ann: and McCain is what???

Campaign manager-lobbyist
Foreign Policy Adviser-lobbyist
Economic Adviser(ex?)-lobbyist
Anybody high up In Mr. Maverick's campaign not lobbying now or in the near past?

Hope you Obamanians write the same sort of harsh posts when your man gets caught again with Lobbyists in his campaign! If memory serves me right - it is the case of pot telling the kettle.... They both get caught eventually! Stay tuned for B0's turn! It is like playing tennis!

Why do you hate big Business so much - they employ most of us! You just got to find someone to vent your anger on! Always the victim!

I am 23 years old. One of my friends, an Obama supporter, urged me to register to vote - something I never cared about before. She lectured me on how important it is to vote. You should have seen her face when I told her I had already registered, and I did it just so I could vote against her idol, Obama. She looked like she wanted to slap me! What’s wrong with you Obama people? The man’s a politican, not the second coming. I’m not that interested in politics, but I can recognize a slick operator when I see one. I’m embarrassed that so many people my age are acting like this man is the second coming or something. Not all young people are voting for The One. We're not all stupid!

Speaking of lobbyists - David Axelrod is a lobbyist by most standards-but Chicago doesn't go by "most" standards.

His other business- set up a "fake grassroots" group to scare IL residents into accepting a huge electric hike not long ago - but ComEd isn't through - they want MORE money. Makes one wonder if electric cars are going to cost more than gasoline powered cars...

My electric bill is 100 percent higher than it was...and is going up.

ComEd, Ayers, Axelrod, and Obama all have common friends.

Its about time the media starting reporting on mccain i just wonder what fox news will do now that obamas on vacation spend their air time bashing him for going, but will keep quiet about this story or fox news will lie and twist they are really really good at that!!!!!!!

that last comment should show why McCain once again has screwed up with future foreign policy ...how can he ask Russia to stand down when he has a lobbyist for Georgia's govt. who has as recently as April been saying things like this on european radio?

John McCain’s foreign policy spokesman Randy Scheunemann recently gave an interview to Radio Free Europe about the growing tension between Russia and Georgia. Scheunemann took a hard line against Russia’s “undermining of Georgian sovereignty” by moving to establish direct ties with breakaway regions of Georgia.

Interestingly, neither Scheunemann nor the interviewer mentioned that Randy Scheunemann used to be employed as a lobbyist for the Georgian government. That’s right, the person who’s giving John McCain advice on Russia and Georgia was “registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent working on behalf of the government of Georgia.”

The Republicans in Washington are mavericks! They frequently break the rules and morals that they tell everyone else to follow.

It is really important to look at who has built each campaign. McCain cannot raise funds well with individual donors. McCain would be nowhere without his big business donors.

Obama, on the other hand, started with tons of small donors. And big businesses started trying to give the maximum legal amount because he is most likely going to win... and they want to curry favor.

Obama would not have even won the primary without grassroots support. Back when all this started, the big business interests had lined up behind Hillary and called her inevitable. Obama only broke through this because of people like you and me.

When Obama moves into the White House, he may very well be the only candidate in recent history who actually owes his success primarily to ordinary folks.

He owes us everything. McCain, on the other hand, owes the big businesses that ponied up the cash. And given their stated loyalties, Obama with poor and working class people, McCain with the rich. This election ought to be a no-brainer for anyone bringing in less than a hundred thousand dollars a year.

and I think an even bigger problem for McCain is the plain hypocrisy he will be called out on when he is telling Russia and Georgia to stand down...

he and George Bush and D!ck Cheny and Don Rumsfeld and Condi Rice...

have destroyed our ability to give that statement from us...any credibility with anyone.

sad...sad...and so goes the rabbit hole... John mcCain still late for a very important date. At some America needs to wake up to the stupidity of chasing that rabbit.

Charlie Black the head of his campaign
Randy Scheunneman - President for the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (a lobbyist / PR group for the going to war...whose members received all the billions of sdollars in contracts)

...and the lead foreign policy advisor of the McCain campaign.

Phill Gramm - still a member of the campaign even after he is supposed to not be...McCain's "economic guru" who not only called people in the country whiners but lobbied for the banking indutry and pushed for the energy speculators with the infamous "Enron Loophole" and was the leading force for deregulation in the banking industry.

and the list goes on too long for a single comment

I guess this is how "mavericks" and "straight-talkers" do their business.

about time we focus on the so called "maverick"

McCain claims in an ad released today that "Obama voted to raise taxes on people making just $42,000. He promises more taxes on small business, seniors, your life savings, your family."
But when it comes to promises, it's worth pointing out that, according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center's analysis of both candidates' proposed plans, Obama would cut taxes for those making in the range of $38,000 to $66,000 three to almost eight times more than McCain would.
Under Obama's plan, according to the center, by 2009, those making $37,595 would see an average increase in their income of 3.6%, or a tax cut of $892; those making an average of $66,354 would see an increase in their income of 2.4%, or a tax cut of $1,042.
On the other hand, Under McCain's plan, those making $37,595 would see an increase in their income of only about 0.5%, or $113 tax cut; those making $66,354 would see only an increase of 0.7% in their income, or a tax break of $319.