Could we for a moment consider what it means for the party to have lobbyists as super delegates?

[Beowulf]

Just think about that. What is the Party saying to the rank and file? Corporate lobbyists as super delegates!?!

What issues are most important to you? Will corporate lobbyists work for or against those issues? What interests are these lobbyists protecting as they choose which candidate to support?

It's one thing to have super delegates as part of the nominating process. But why should corporate lobbyists be selected over elected officials or constituent groups? Unless the DNC sees corporations as part of their constituency. Are we really ok with this?

[JCanete]

1. Because we need big money support if we're going to compete in the general election against the

bad guys! If we're going to have bad policy, then by God we'll have bad policy pushed forward by politicians with D's after their names.

[Buzz cook]

2. Depends on the lobbyists and what they lobby for

All the "lobbyist" I've seen mentioned got to be delegates because they were DNC or former elected officials, not because they were lobbyists.

I think there's a class error when someone uses the blanket statement lobbyist without qualifying that.

[Beowulf]

5. You mean

like Dick Gephardt who lobbies for the government of Taiwan and Peabody Coal or Tom Daschle who lobbies for Japan or Chris Dodd who lobbies for the MPAA or Howard Dean who lobbies for insurance companies. How about Emily Giske who lobbies for Pfizer and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Tonio Burgos lobbies for Verizon. Jill Alper, Minyon Moore and Maria Cardona all work at Dewey Square, a lobbying firm that works with political campaigns as well as the health insurance industry, Citigroup, and the U.S. Telecom Association. Joanne Dowdell is a senior vice president at News Corp. And on and on.

It doesn't matter that some of these people were representatives, senators, and governors. Right now, they are being paid to influence public policy on behalf of companies who are often working against the party's stated goals on health care, child nutrition, financial services, and net neutrality, to name just a few.

[Buzz cook]

7. Each of the people you've named

Got their credentials because of their party affiliations not because they have lobbied.

Howard Dean for instance over saw the 2006 take over of the senate and house by democrats. Looks like he has contributed enough to the party so that he can be trusted to put party before his day job.

[Beowulf]

8. I don't disagree with your first sentence.

But I do disagree with the assumption in the second and third sentences. I don't think Dean or any of the other lobbyist sees any conflict or differences in the interests of the party and those signing their paycheck. They are one and the same.

[Buzz cook]

12. Well if that's what you see

Then you should be able to prove it.

[Lizzie Poppet]

3. The SD system could hardly be designed better for corruption.

The party needs a major housecleaning.

[msongs]

4. benie is super and he is a lobbyist. bad bernie nt

[Qutzupalotl]

6. For whom does he lobby?

[HerbChestnut]

11. Us.

That's not allowed in the Democratic Party, didn't you know?

[Skwmom]

9. It has just become the normal way of doing business in the Democratic Party.

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. Lobbyists aren't all-powerful, just 3000 times more powerful than you. n/t