Obama's Lobbyist Ban Haunting Him

That way, they're not seen in visitor logs

(NEWSER) - Apparently Barack Obama’s opposition to lobbyist influence isn’t as strident as advertised. Obama’s aides still consult with lobbyists, Politico reports—they just do it across the street from the White House. These chats, held in meeting rooms just off the White House campus, aren’t recorded in the visitor logs that have, under Obama’s orders, become public knowledge. “They’re doing it on the side,” said one immigration reform lobbyist, adding, “It’s better than nothing.” More»

President-elect expected to move 'quickly, but not hastily' to fill top jobs

(NEWSER) - The president-elect has offered the job of White House chief of staff to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Jake Tapper reports this morning. Emanuel, who Tapper calls a "sharp-tongued, sharp-elbowed, keenly intelligent veteran of the Clinton White House," hasn't given his answer, Tapper's source says. Meanwhile, campaign insiders tell the Washington Post that Cabinet announcements are expected to start trickling out as soon as next week. More»

Embrace Mac, appoint Repubs, work free, urges Slate scribe

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has promised a new kind of presidency, and John Dickerson of Slate has six ways for the president-elect to transform that promise into action.

• Embrace John McCain. A meeting with McCain would show graciousness in victory and could gain Obama a powerful ally for bipartisan action.
• Appoint Republicans. Obama now has the chance to turn his admiration for Abraham Lincoln's "Team of Rivals" into practice.

Obama's 2008 effort gives party an edge in 2010 Senate races

(NEWSER) - Senate Democrats have a silver lining heading into the 2010 election: their party’s made huge gains in voter registration. The last time this crop of senators was on the ballot was 2004, when George W. Bush’s field operation, then the most sophisticated ever, was registering hordes of Republicans. But Barack Obama’s 2008 effort “made the 2004 Republican model look antiquated,” writes Tom Schaller on FiveThirtyEight.com . More»

White House ban bars experts, policy suffers

(NEWSER) - Nonprofit groups have launched a new campaign on behalf of their own lobbyists, the New York Times reports. Barack Obama’s current anti-lobbying rules don’t make any distinction between corporate influence peddlers and public interest advocates; all are barred from administration jobs. Case in point: Tom Malinowski, the Human Rights Watch director passed over for a human rights chief position many thought was his for the taking. More»