Ethics

Meet the New Boss: Lobbyist Ban Edition

By Ed Brayton

Here's another way that Obama's promise of change has turned out to be a load of crap: those infamous rules against lobbyists working in his administration. On his very first full day in office, Obama issued an executive order declaring that no one in his administration would be allowed to work on any issue on which he had been a lobbyist in the previous two years. In doing so, the White House declared:

President Obama has consistently made clear that he will strive to lead the most open, transparent, and accountable government in history. Whether it is reigning in the influence of lobbyists in Washington, bringing unprecedented accountability to federal spending, opening doors to engagement with the American public, or shutting down the "revolving door" that carries special interest influence in and out of the government, the highest standards will be sought in every thing the federal government does.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on September 11, 2009 (boomark / email).