DNC Releases New Video Hitting McCain’s Dishonesty on Lobbying

    "Birds of Prey" or an "Honorable Profession?" John McCain Says Both

     McCain's Cozy Relationships with Lobbyists is More of the Same Old

                            Washington Politics



    WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /EMWNews/ -- On the heels of John

McCain's claim in an interview with Politico tonight that lobbyists are

"birds of prey" who descend on a "corrupt system" to "get their share of

the spoils," the Democratic National Committee released a new web video

called "No Kidding" that uses campaign manager (and lobbyist) Rick Davis's

own words to demonstrate how many lobbyists are working to elect McCain.



    In that same interview, McCain said "lobbyists don't come to my

office." Maybe that's because they're too busy working for his campaign.

According to reports, at least 150 lobbyists are working for and raising

money for his campaign, including campaign manager Rick Davis, senior

advisor Charlie Black, top foreign policy advisory Randy Scheunemann, and

McCain's handpicked Deputy Chair of the Republican National Committee Frank

Donatelli. No wonder John McCain bragged in his 2002 book that he "can

claim with gratitude a good number of lobbyists as friends and supporters."

In fact, the John McCain who called lobbyists "birds of prey" today called

lobbying "an honorable profession" in 2005.



    "McCain's rhetoric about lobbyists is so disconnected from reality that

the real 'birds of prey' are the ones descending on his credibility and

former maverick image," said DNC spokesman Damien LaVera. "John McCain has

so many lobbyists running and raising money for his campaign that job

applicants apparently need to show their lobbyist disclosure forms to get

in the door. John McCain's desperate and misleading rhetoric can't change

the fact that he represents more of the same broken Washington politics."



    To see the DNC's new video "No Kidding," click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ1T9oF7W3o



    2002: McCain Grateful for the Lobbyists Among his Friends and

Supporters." "Having worked in Washington for so long, I can claim with

gratitude a good number of lobbyists as friends and supporters, many of

whom supported my presidential campaign." [John McCain, Worth the Fighting

For, September 2002]



    McCain: Lobbying Is An Honorable Profession And I Rely On Lobbyists.

McCain said, "I would like to say another word about lobbyists. Lobbying is

an honorable profession. I have no problem with it. I have no problem with

people working in order to bring the people's interests and agenda and

priorities to the attention of Congress. Almost all of us who I know of

rely on their input on various issues. Many supply us with policy papers,

with data, et cetera." [Congressional Record, 12/16/05]




    DNC Web Video: "No Kidding"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ1T9oF7W3o



    COURIC: "How many lobbyists work here."

    DAVIS: "We don't make it a litmus test for employment at the McCain

campaign."






    TEXT: No Litmus Test?



    TEXT: No Kidding.



    TEXT: John McCain: More of the Same Old Politics.

    Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,

http://www.democrats.org.



    This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's

committee.