Obama breaks another campaign pledge

By Tom Quiner

The media warned us about Mitt Romney.

Lobbyists were chomping at the bit to make a “comeback” if Romney got elected. Politico led the charge with a piece on October 15th last year.

On the other hand, candidate Barack Obama proudly claimed he would never hire any lobbyists in his administration. He was adamant, as you can tell from his remarks here in Des Moines on November  10th, 2007:

“I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.”

He doubled down on his commitment to keep lobbyists out of his administration with these comments during a campaign speech:

“When I am president, they won’t find a job in my White House.”

The USA Today exposed his boast as a fraud. They reveal that his campaign fund-raising team included 38 lobbyists who had been paid $138 million to lobby the federal government in 2007. President Obama proceeded to appoint two lobbyists to his administration.

No one made candidate Obama hire lobbyists to raise money for his campaign and appoint them to his administration. Barack Obama made the choice even though it contradicted his campaign promise.

He hired another one yesterday, as reported in today’s Des Moines Register:

Congressman, ex-lobbyist get federal nominations

President Barack Obama has nominated a veteran Democratic congressman to direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and a top fundraiser and former lobbyist to head the Federal Communications Commission. Obama tapped Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., to the housing finance post, a job charged with regulating lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

No reference was made to campaign promise candidate Obama made to the Register some six years ago.

In fairness, Mr. Obama has broken so many campaign promises, that it’s not even news anymore.