Saturday, August 4, 2007

The Lighter Side of Lobbying

I was watching the Democratic candidates debate at the YearlyKos Convention (I wasn't there; it was streamed online), and of course, the question about lobbyist contributions came up. I was pleased with Hillary Clinton's response, because she was *gasp* honest! She said that yes, she would continue to accept contributions from lobbyists, because as some Democrats seem to forget, there are lobbyists for all sorts of causes, not just oil and military contractors.

She also said that she wouldn't promise to visit all 50 states in her campaign. While this isn't really anything to be proud of or to rally behind, it's refreshingly honest. For all the political calculation that Hillary has been accused of, she has not given the answers that Democrats want to hear; she has given honest answers. She'll take lobbyist money, she won't promise to visit all 50 states, she won't promise to meet with the leaders of Cuba, Syria, Iran, North Korea, etc.

I'm still an Obama supporter, but I've been extremely impressed with Hillary lately. She isn't making empty promises just to get applause from a liberal crowd. I can really appreciate that.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yes, it't refreshing. I think the "reality-based" community need to be less willing to latch on to "pure" candidates who tell them what they want to hear but are no more liberal or progressive than HRC. Hope she will the nom and the election. I think she's honest with people, she knows her stuff, is capable of nuance and all in all has come out of all the debates as the grown up. She'll be a great President.