272 Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biographylobbyists are raising money for both Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain. Obama
fundraisers who work for law firms that lobby and share the fees include:
•Allan Katz, a Florida lawyer who chairs the government relations practice of Akerman
Senterfitt. The firm took in $3.6 million for Washington lobbying last year, according to public
records compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. The firm touts on its
website “an enviable level of access” for clients.
•Mark Alderman, managing partner of Philadelphia’s WolfBlock law firm. The firm’s lobbying
subsidiary earned $930,000 in Washington last year representing clients including defense
contractor Lockheed Martin, records show.
•Scott Blake Harris, managing partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis, a Washington
telecommunications law firm. Harris withdrew as a lobbyist for Microsoft and Cisco in June,
but his partners still lobby, he said. (Ken Dilanian, USA Today, April 16, 2008)
As could be expected, most of these lobbyists claimed that their hefty contributions had nothing
whatsoever to do with their lobbying practice, but this was obviously eyewash. Obama is obviously
living a lie. This article was accompanied by the following highly instructive chart, which ought to
be required reading for the Obama cultists who still believe that their Savior is going to reform the
way Washington works, despite the fact that he is beholden to an immense array of interest groups,
including some of the most predatory ones in town. The chart shows contributions to the Obama
campaign from law firms that also do lobbying work. Either we assume that Obama is getting all
this money because of his pretty face, or else it is clear that these lobbyists are paying for access and
influence in the usual Washington mode, but on a vastly expanded scale.
OBAMA FUNDRAISERS: LOBBYIST TIES
These 38 fundraisers for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign work for law firms that have
lobbying operations in Washington, D.C. The dollar figure reflects the minimum amount each has
pledged to raise for the campaign.
Bundler Min. pledge Location Firm
Scott Harris $200,000 DC Harris, Wiltshire and Grannis
Allan J. Katz $200,000 FL Akerman Senterfitt
Michael Lawson $200,000 CA Skadden, Arps
John Levi $200,000 IL Sidley Austin
Karol Mason $200,000 GA Alston & Bird
Thomas J. Perrelli $200,000 VA Jenner & Block
Thomas A. Reed $200,000 VA Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis
Christina Tchen $200,000 IL Skadden, Arps
Tony West $200,000 CA Morrison & Foerster
Mark L. Alderman $100,000 PA Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen
Timothy M. Broas $100,000 MD Winston & Strawn
Peter Bynoe $100,000 IL DLA Piper
Gregory B. Craig $100,000 DC Williams & Connolly
Norman Eisen $100,000 DC Zuckerman Spaeder