Pirate's Cove

Obviously, we cannot rely on this information, since it comes from Fox News

Despite a pledge not to take money from lobbyists, President Obama has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid.

At least 15 of Mr. Obama’s “bundlers” — supporters who contribute their own money to his campaign and solicit it from others — are involved in lobbying for Washington consulting shops or private companies. They have raised more than $5 million so far for the campaign.

Because the bundlers are not registered as lobbyists with the Senate, the Obama campaign has managed to avoid running afoul of its self-imposed ban on taking money from lobbyists.

But registered or not, the bundlers are in many ways indistinguishable from people who fit the technical definition of a lobbyist. They glide easily through the corridors of power in Washington, with a number of them hosting Mr. Obama at fund-raisers while also visiting the White House on policy matters and official business.

How mean of Fox News to point this out. They’re making a mountain out of a molehill, especially since these bundlers are not registered as lobbyists. As usual, Fox News is a bit overwrought and hysterical, trying to impugn the president who hasn’t technically done anything wrong.

Really, this is just typical of Obama: style over substance. He makes some grandiose pronouncement, then fails to actually keep it.

He said that while Republican candidates were actively raising money from special interest groups, Mr. Obama “drew a bright line” by rejecting contributions both from political action committees and from “Washington lobbyists whose job it is to influence federal policymakers.”

It’s all in the nuance. He will surely take money from MoveOn, the Center for American Progress, the ACLU, SEIU and other unions, and any company/group that lobbies the federal government. These donations will certainly be hidden, much like he did with so much of his 2008 money.