Lobbyists, Movie Stars and Bailed Out CEOs

The White House released a visitor's log late Friday that revealed many of DC's biggest Democratic lobbyists have made frequent visits, despite President Obama's stringent new lobbying rules. The record of visitors also looks like a red carpet list of celebrities and Hollywood movie stars. And CEOs of all those Wall Street banks the government bailed out earlier this year came calling frequently, too.

Many of the Democratic lobbyists who frequented the White House this year are also among the highest earning lobbying firms in 2009, including power player Steve Elmendorf of Elmendorf Strategies (five times), Tony Podesta of the Podesta Group, the fourth highest earning lobbying firm so far in 2009 (five times) and his wife Heather Podesta of Heather Podesta and Partners (three times.)

The Podesta family lobbyists must be getting frequent flyer miles for all their trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Tony's brother, John Podesta of the Center for American Progress, who ran the Obama transition, visited an astounding 17 times.

The list of 431 names of people who visited the White House between January 20 and July 31 includes only the names of those visitors who were specifically requested for release by outside organizations and watchdog groups.

Wall Street CEOs who came a-knocking in the months after of the massive government bailout in January are: Goldman Sachs's Lloyd Blankfein , Citigroup's Vikram Pandit, AIG's Maurice Greenberg and JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon.

Alan Greenspan, who is getting a lot of flak for his role in the economic recession, neverthless visited the White House six times this year.

Amusingly, the White House Special Counsel Norm Eisen clarified in a written statement that some names listed are "include a few 'false positives' – names that make you think of a well-known person, but are actually someone else."

Some, such as Michael Jordan and R. Kelly, probably don't mind sharing a name with someone more famous. But it's likely to be tough doing business in Washington for "false positives" Williams Ayers and Jeremiah Wright

The White House gives us enough credit not to put Billy Clinton in the category of "false positives." But is the John Edwards who visited four times this year the former Democratic presidential candidate currently mired in a sex scandal?

The White House records tell some backstories to political events this year. HHS Sec. nominee Tom Daschle visited nine times in January before withdrawing his nomination for unpaid taxes. Daschle must still be in good stead with the White House because he also visited twice this past summer.

Also, while Sen. Ted Kennedy was not seen in public much in the months before his death in August, he made seven visits to the White House in 2009, twice in late July.

Former Vice President Al Gore has visited, as other allies, including Jesse Jackson, Sr. who is known for self-promotion but quietly visited six times, billionaire philanthropist George Soros (four times); and Al Sharpton (twice).

The most frequent visitor? That would be Andrew Stern, who has been to the White House a grand total of 22 times this year so far. Stern is president of the Service Employees International Union. In stark contrast, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has only been to the White House once, in March.

A few Republicans made it through the Northwest gate, such as former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, conservative religious leader Gary Bauer and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who is running for governor of her state.

President Obama, as I've written before, decreed in March that that neither he nor anyone in his administration would meet with registered lobbyists related to the economic stimulus package. The White House calls the visitor log release "a major milestone in government transparency -- and an important lesson in the unintended consequences of such vigorous disclosure." In addition, starting next month the White House will release the visitor logs every three months.

But by releasing the records on its website at 4:31p.m. on Friday, the White House gave many the impression that it was 'dumping' the list after the daily news cycle so it would be overlooked by the public over the Halloween weekend. Also, the names of lobbyists and CEOs who were not specifically requested for release are still unknown. And poor J. Lo; no one seems to care if she visited the White House, except maybe her husband Marc Anthony.

Visitor log...............

http://www.whitehouse.gov/brie...ures/visitor-records

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2...movie-stars-and-bai/

With as much time as Barry spends in front of tv cameras its a wonder he had time to visit with any of those people.

Bush had members of the Bin Laden family...

The left-wing socialist/marxists have all been reduced to liars covering for their messiah, cowardly 0boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't the White House open for all Americans just like Translady's home is open for all illegal Cubans??????

TL...Whats your point?

Another prime example of socialist/marxist testicle swingers of the cowardly 0boy, BALD FACED LIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

TL...Whats your point?

During the presidential campaign, Obama promised several times to open up records of lobbying, including a promise to "Make White House Communications Public.

Why did it take a court order to realease the visitors list?

Hey, it's only 9:10 in Vegas.
The babbling boob has a hard time seeing the keyboard with the testicles hanging in the line of vision!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob its US law that if a Cuban makes it to dry land he can stay. That makes them legal.

quote:

Originally posted by flyingpig:
Bob its US law that if a Cuban makes it to dry land he can stay. That makes them legal.

I know that and have pointed that out in the past.
We should treat them the same as Mexicans crossing our borders.
Do we not feed them a meal and send them back?

Why are not Cubans treated the same?
TransLady complains about illegal Mexicans but puts cubans on her payroll.


No illegal mexicans on WH log, but I bet you could find a cuban hiding in the woodpile somewhere or in TL's house......

The Cubans are escaping from a communist government. The last I checked the Mexicans are voting for their leaders. They are coming here for our money and government handouts. The Mexicans can also come here legally but few go through the proper channels. If they come through the proper channels they are welcome but those that cheat their way in are still illegal. It shouldnt take rocket science to figure that out.

It would be illuminating to see who the cowardly 0boy invited to watch the fawning hbo documentary about HIM as his babbling mouth piece claimed he was doing while the returns were coming in that knocked the wheels off of his administration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People actually claim this clueless bozo cowardly 0boy isn't a narcisist?????????????????????????

quote:

Originally posted by flyingpig:
The Cubans are escaping from a communist government. The last I checked the Mexicans are voting for their leaders. They are coming here for our money and government handouts. The Mexicans can also come here legally but few go through the proper channels. If they come through the proper channels they are welcome but those that cheat their way in are still illegal. It shouldnt take rocket science to figure that out.

So now let me get this straight, we have a policy for any communist that wants to escape from thier country to come and live here and get all the benefits of an American citizen.

All they have to do is set foot on our soil and they are here permanelely as cubans do.

Mexicans are voting for their leaders.

Hmmmm.. Americans vote for thier leaders.

So, according to pig, Communists are welcomed here but not mexicans who come from a democratic state.

quote:

It would be illuminating to see who the cowardly 0boy invited to watch the fawning hbo documentary about HIM as his babbling mouth piece claimed he was doing while the returns were coming in that knocked the wheels off of his administration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People actually claim this clueless bozo cowardly 0boy isn't a narcisist?????????????????????????

First he is a lieing MF'er, watching a movie about himself, what a crock.

Second BH, you don't want to take up for someone you don't know (democrats do that)because they steal you blind and are very corrupt. If you did your homework, or lived with them, you would know. Ask me, I know..

Now start acting like a true American and help not give this country away as you have been doing..

quote:

Originally posted by 78 Cutla$$:

quote:

It would be illuminating to see who the cowardly 0boy invited to watch the fawning hbo documentary about HIM as his babbling mouth piece claimed he was doing while the returns were coming in that knocked the wheels off of his administration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People actually claim this clueless bozo cowardly 0boy isn't a narcisist?????????????????????????

First he is a lieing MF'er, watching a movie about himself, what a crock.

Second BH, you don't want to take up for someone you don't know (democrats do that)because they steal you blind and are very corrupt. If you did your homework, or lived with them, you would know. Ask me, I know..

Now start acting like a true American and help not give this country away as you have been doing..

Does a true American stand with communists who want to live here?

My stance has always been against communists and mexicans who cross our borders.

You seem to like sleeping with mexicans and providing cheap ankle braclets.
You are so cheap and acting like a desperate old man.....
Go figure......

quote:

Does a true American stand with communists who want to live here?

Let me get this straight, you have no compassion for Cubans being oppressed and having their human rights trampeled on by their government. But yet you think terrorists should have the same rights as American citizen?

The leftist/marxist/communists are enamored with fidel, he is their hero so they do not believe that he would torture and murder his people the way he has for 50 years now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Trans Lady:

quote:

Does a true American stand with communists who want to live here?

Let me get this straight, you have no compassion for Cubans being oppressed and having their human rights trampeled on by their government. But yet you think terrorists should have the same rights as American citizen?

Not by me TL.
Ask pig, he seems to think communists have more rights to be here than mexicans.

quote:

My stance has always been against communists and mexicans who cross our borders.

quote:

Not by me TL.
Ask pig, he seems to think communists have more rights to be here than mexicans.

No spin please!

quote:

Originally posted by Trans Lady:

quote:

My stance has always been against communists and mexicans who cross our borders.

quote:

Not by me TL.
Ask pig, he seems to think communists have more rights to be here than mexicans.

No spin please!

TL.... Do you favor cubans over mexicans and why??????