In a heated exchange with the AP’s Glen Johnson, former Governor Mitt Romney tried to back peddle on his statement that ‘lobbyists are not running’ his campaign. This YouTube link shows the NBC Nightly News clip that ran last night.
Romney, trailing both McCain and Huckabee in South Carolina’s primary tomorrow, is trying to stay relevant after a much needed win in Michigan. Since the Nevada caucuses are also Saturday, Romney’s lead there is being overshadowed by the press attention that the Palmetto State is getting nationally.
The Las Vegas Review Journal has Romney with a comfortable edge in the Silver State’s Caucuses – leading McCain by an astounding 15 points. Missteps like getting into a petty exchange with an overweight reporter might not help his cause. Keeping your cool in front of the cameras is probably the only thing any of these candidates need to do, given the toss-up that 2008 has become.
Out of shape or not, Glen Johnson’s dispatch from this exchange is well worth the read. I have quoted his first four paragraphs here, given the excellent research he has done in proving the point he so successfully harassed Romney with. What follows is an emphasis-added listing of those lobbyists who actually serve on Mitt’s campaign…
Republican Mitt Romney said Thursday he could govern in the country’s best interest because “I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” although Washington insiders are on his senior staff and registered lobbyists are top advisers.
One of them, Ron Kaufman, chairman of Washington-based Dutko Worldwide, regularly sits across the aisle from Romney on his campaign plane, participates in debate strategy sessions and just last week accompanied Romney to a lunch in Myrtle Beach with Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.
Another adviser, former Rep. Vin Weber, R-Minn., is chairman of Romney’s policy committee. He also is chief executive officer of Clark & Weinstock, and his corporate biography says he “provides strategic advice to institutions with matters before the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.”
A third adviser, former Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri, who was at Romney’s victory party in Michigan on Tuesday, is co-chairman of Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations and
also is a registered lobbyist, according to federal records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Not exactly truth in politics.
This incident has just bought Romney a controversy on top of reinforcing the negative stereotype that he talks out of both sides of his mouth. No quick fix can solve this problem. Watch for interviews, stump speeches, public gatherings and future debates to be laced with questions about his lobbyist ties and how he reconciles saying one thing, while clearly doing another.
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