Dem. senators spent weekend with bank, energy, tobacco lobbyists

[Joanne98]

Twelve Democratic Senators spent last weekend in Miami Beach raising money from top lobbyists for oil, drug, and other corporate interests that they often decry, according to a guest list for the event obtained by POLITICO.

The guest list for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's "winter retreat" at the Ritz Carlton South Beach Resort doesn't include the price tag for attendance, but the maximum contribution to the committee, typical for such events, is $30,000. There, to participate in "informal conversations" and other meetings Saturday, were senators including DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez; Michigan's Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow; Bob Casey of Pennsylvania; Claire McCaskill of Minnesota; freshmen Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Begich of Alaska; and even left-leaning Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Across the table was a who's who of 108 senior Washington lobbyists, including the top lobbying officials for many of the industries Democrats regularly attack: Represented were the American Bankers Association, the tobaco company Altria, the oil company Marathon, the Edison Electric Institute, which has battled climate regulation, several drug manufacturers, the defense contractor Lockheed, and most of the large independent lobbying firms: Ogilvy, BGR, Quinn Gillespie, Heather Podesta, and Tony Podesta.

The retreat's guest list is a market contrast to Menendez's recent rhetoric, which has echoed the White House denunciation of "special interests" and "fat cats."

continued>>>
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0210/Dem_senators_spent_weekend_with_bank_energy_tobacco_lobbyists.html?showall

GUEST LIST
http://www.politico.com/static/PPM143_100201_dscc_miami.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. 'Nuff said. nt

[upi402]

2. Yay! Go "our team" Yay for Democrat team! yay

McCaskill, Stabenow...
Get ready for a third party challenge.

[Enrique]

3. Vermont DUers, contact Bernie Sanders

ask him to give a detailed report on everything that was said there.

[cali]

Will do.

[dionysus]

4. Bernie?!?!

[Orsino]

10. What can I say? Socialists need love, too. n/t

[Karmadillo]

5. It's good for politicians to rub elbows with the people. They were probably talking about

FDR and how to finance a public works program.

[blueworld]

6. they can't spend every weekend with Big Chem, Big Pharma & Big Insurance

People will talk.

[cali]

7. can we keep in mind that this is Ben Smith and politico?

[salguine]

8. Well, those lobbyists aren't gonna blow themselves...

[ShockediSay]

9. Trouble is this lobbyist $ works out to be tax deductible

to some corporation ultimately, IMHO

[saracat]

11. Yeppers.And they own the WH too.