ECONOMY - Sorry, No More Salivating at the Public Trough

"THE INFLUENCE GAME: Obama to lobbyists: If you want to lobby on stimulus, put it in writing" by ALAN FRAM (AP), Newsday

Excerpt from 2-page article

President Barack Obama says lobbyists pushing for projects in the stimulus package can't utter a word about them to administration officials. But lobbyists are hardly staying mum about this latest affront and are looking for ways to cope with the extraordinary speaking ban.

The restrictions, which began taking effect unevenly this week, have angered lobbyists already upset with Obama's repeated shots at them for wielding too much influence. Critics contend it may be unconstitutional to bar certain people — registered lobbyists — from speaking to government officials.

"What disqualifies lobbyists from exercising their First Amendment rights?" said J. Keith Kennedy, a top lobbyist for the Washington firm Baker Donelson.

William Luneburg and Thomas Susman, co-authors of the American Bar Association's manual on lobbying laws, said they knew of no previous administrations curtailing lobbyists' conversations with government officials.

The new Obama rules bar lobbyists from conversations or meetings with federal officials about specific stimulus projects. They can talk generally about the measure's policies if projects are not discussed.

Lobbyists can submit written statements about stimulus projects that federal agencies must post on the Internet within three days.

"Basically they've said, 'Look, why don't you just put that in writing and we'll look at it,'" said Dave Wenhold, who heads the American League of Lobbyists, the profession's trade group. "That to me is clearly saying, 'Your input is not wanted here.'"

Wenhold has received hundreds of e-mails from irate lobbyists demanding action and is seeking a meeting with White House lawyers. One hurdle: The public's profoundly negative view of lobbyists gives them little clout in a showdown against a popular president.

To rally his fellow lobbyists, Wenhold e-mailed them Wednesday with a message that said: "This is your profession, and it is being targeted solely for political gain. What are you going to do to protect it?"

Since the prohibition applies to registered lobbyists, some firms are considering having some of their lobbyists rescind their registrations, which could let them pitch stimulus projects to government officials. That, however, would severely limit the time they could spend lobbying each year while undermining disclosure laws requiring registered lobbyists to publicly report their activities.