Tuesday, September 23, 2008

McCain Blasts Wall Street, But Employs 83 of Its Lobbyists

The GOP candidate has denounced Wall Street "greed" and pledged to curb "special favors" in Washington. But McCain's campaign is loaded with more than 80 lobbyists who have represented Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG, and other top finance firms—the very sort of game-riggers he's attacking.

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1 comment:

Ani said...

Speaking of lobbyists:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28
/us/politics/28gambling-web.html

For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

The visit had been arranged by the lobbyist, Scott Reed, who works for the Mashantucket Pequot, a tribe that has contributed heavily to Mr. McCain’s campaigns and built Foxwoods into the world’s second-largest casino. Joining them was Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s current campaign manager. Their night of good fortune epitomized not just Mr. McCain’s affection for gambling, but also the close relationship he has built with the gambling industry and its lobbyists during his 25-year career in Congress.
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