Lobbyist Influence at the Democratic Forum

Published on August 10, 2007
by Michael Schrimpf

File Under: Faulty Assumptions, Lobbying Regulation

The irony last night at the Democratic forum on LGBT issues was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

For the past week or so, some Democratic candidates have being making an issue out of the so-called "undue influence" of federal lobbyists by highlighting the fact that their campaigns do not accept contributions from federal lobbyists.  Hillary Clinton, alone, has defended the role of lobbyists saying that they represent real issues and real Americans.

No where was Clinton's point more obvious than during last night's LGBT democratic forum on the Viacom-owned LOGO channel.  The forum was co-sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), "America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality," and the LOGO channel. The format of the forum consisted of approximately 20 minutes long question and answer sessions between an individual candidate and a table of panelists which included singer Melissa Etheridge and HRC president Joe Solmonese.

What's all this have to do with the "undue influence" of lobbyists? Turns out that Joe Solmonese is (drumroll please) a registered lobbyist.  Interestingly, none of the candidates told Mr. Solmonese that the issues he lobbies for don't deserve representation.