Thread: Fred Thompson: First Lobbyist for President

By Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296339,00.html

There’s a new first in the 2008 presidential campaign.

We’ve already seen the first woman candidate, Hillary Clinton and the first African American with widespread support and a serious chance at winning the presidency.

But now there’s another groundbreaker: the first lobbyist candidate — Fred Thompson.

Thompson was a lobbyist for 20 years before he was elected to the Senate, representing the Tennessee Savings and Loan Association, the deposed Haitian President Aristed and the National Planning & Reproductive Health Association.

Although Fred bills himself as strongly against government interference and handouts, he also lobbied for Westinghouse in its bid for government subsidies for a nuclear power plant in Oak Ridge. After retiring from the Senate in 2002, Thompson went back to lobbying, earning $750,000 since then from Equitas, the British insurance company that wants to limit payments to the families of those who died due to asbestos exposure.

Now Fred’s campaign is attracting other lobbyists, who are bundlers and donors to the Thompson campaign.

Most Americans feel strongly that a presidential candidate should not accept any money from lobbyists. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 75 percent of Americans find it unacceptable for candidates to finance their campaigns with contributions from lobbyists — and 80 percent want candidates to return any contributions they do receive from lobbyists.

But Fred definitely doesn’t agree with them. His promising campaign is positively overflowing with advisers and donors who are lobbyists, former lobbyists or employees of lobbying firms. Aside from Thompson, there’s his wife, Jeri, who worked for the PR/lobbying giant Burson-Marsteller and law firm/lobbyists DLA Piper after she met Fred. Then there’s Ken Reitz, a senior campaign adviser, who works for 360Advantage — owned by two lobbying firms Burson-Marsteller and Quinn Gillespie & Associates. Reitz is the former CEO of Burson and became famous for creating the National Smokers Alliance — a faux grassroots group opposing tobacco regulation that was funded by the tobacco companies.

Fred’s first campaign manager, Tom Collamore, was a former tobacco lobbyist. He is one of the many Thompson staffers who was shown the door after disagreeing with Mrs. Thompson. Fred’s chief counselor is Michael Toner, an adviser to Bryan Cave Strategies, which represents Shell Oil and other corporations. Then there’s Tom Daffron, COO of the Jefferson Consulting Group that lobbies on homeland security issues. Ed Gillespie, co-founder of the Quinn Gillespie & Associates lobbying firm is also a close adviser.

Then there are the bundlers and donors. Public Citizen identified six Thompson bundlers as registered lobbyists, but the number associated with lobbyists significantly increases when the names of employees of lobbying firm, who are not necessarily registered lobbyists, are added:

Bundler/Lobbyists (amounts collected are not available)

• Richard F.Hohlt, a lobbyist for tobacco, nuclear energy, Chevron, and Fannie Mae
• Rachael Jones Hensler, lobbyist for the Nickles Group
• William Hilleary, lobbyist, Sommerstein, Nasy & Rosenthal
• Robert L. Livingston, lobbyist, The Livingston Group
• W. Timothy Loche, lobbyist, Smith-Free Group
• David Lugar, lobbyist, Quinn Gillespie
• Mach F. Mattingly, lobbyist
• Tom Collamore
• Michael Toner

Registered Lobbyist Contributors:

• Katie Huffard
• Chris Lamond
• Jeffrey Bloemaker
• Patrick O’Donnell
• William Timmons
• William Hilleary

Sources: Washington Magazine, Center for Responsive Politics

Other:

• Johanna Hardy, Dir., Legislative Affairs, Rolls Royce
• Kirk Clinkenbeard, Potomic Advocates
• John Dowd, partner Akin, Gump which has lobbying practice
• Sarah Newman, employee, Cassidy and Associates

Sources: Washington Magazine, Center for Responsive Politics

So the "Fred Thompson for President" campaign — based on his promises to shake up Washington — is being run by and paid for by corporate insider lobbyists.

Do you think Fred will make any big changes if he’s elected?

Interesting


Total Lobbying Spending

1998
$1.44 Billion

1999
$1.44 Billion

2000
$1.56 Billion

2001
$1.62 Billion

2002
$1.82 Billion

2003
$2.04 Billion

2004
$2.19 Billion

2005
$2.47 Billion

2006
$2.61 Billion

2007
$1.24 Billion



Top Spenders, 1998-2007

Client
Total

US Chamber of Commerce
$338,324,680

American Medical Assn
$157,227,500

General Electric
$149,730,000

American Hospital Assn
$138,059,035

Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America
$115,008,600

AARP
$112,732,064

Edison Electric Institute
$111,552,878

National Assn of Realtors
$103,890,000

Business Roundtable
$101,660,000

Northrop Grumman
$101,350,474

Freddie Mac
$93,370,648

Lockheed Martin
$92,061,965

Blue Cross/Blue Shield
$88,679,317

Boeing Co
$82,038,310

Verizon Communications
$80,986,522

General Motors
$77,620,483

Philip Morris
$75,500,000

Fannie Mae
$73,857,000

Exxon Mobil
$71,262,941

Ford Motor Co
$71,232,808


Top Lobbying Firms, 1998-2007

Lobbying firm
Total

Patton Boggs LLP
$251,252,000

Cassidy & Assoc
$247,255,000

Akin, Gump et al
$205,105,000

Van Scoyoc Assoc
$167,038,000

Barbour, Griffith & Rogers
$126,480,000

Williams & Jensen
$123,004,000

Ernst & Young
$112,871,560

Hogan & Hartson
$109,213,907

Greenberg Traurig LLP
$96,708,249

Quinn, Gillespie & Assoc
$95,637,500

PMA Group
$92,380,132

Preston, Gates et al
$88,720,000

Verner, Liipfert et al
$88,595,000

PriceWaterhouseCoopers
$85,534,945

Holland & Knight
$74,969,544

Alcalde & Fay
$70,290,660

Clark & Weinstock
$69,605,000

Timmons & Co
$69,068,000

PodestaMattoon
$68,955,000

Washington Group
$68,472,000




http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/

Doesn't Fred also have a former NCLR/La Raza rep working for him?

Originally Posted by Sam-I-am

Doesn't Fred also have a former NCLR/La Raza rep working for him?

It wouldn't surprise me. It seems all "top tier" candidates have La Raza in their midst. The only candidates I trust when it comes to immigration are Tancredo, Hunter, and Paul. Personally, I think Ron Paul is the most well rounded candidate and even though he only gets a B on his immigration report card, he's the one for me. Tancredo is #1 on the immigration issue, no doubt, but he loses me with foreign policy.