reprinted from Republic Report
Democrats-Turned-Corporate-Lobbyists Hold Event Complaining About "Vanishing Moderate Democrats'
On Wednesday, the Bipartisan Policy Center held a forum on the "Vanishing Moderate Democrat." To demonstrate this supposed phenomenon, it hosted various self-styled "moderate" Democrats as panelists. But besides this supposed centrist ideology, these panelists all shared one other attribute -- they all became corporate lobbyists after leaving Congress.
Here's a list of the panelists followed by the corporate lobbying and advocacy positions they took up after leaving Congress:
- Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR): Lincoln is a "Special Policy Advisor" at Alston and Bird LLP and has helped the corporate lobby the National Federation of Independent Business to fight Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
- Former Rep. Dan Glickman (D-KS): Glickman worked as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America -- which repeatedly worked to restrict Internet and consumer freedom -- from 2004 to 2010 and as a "senior advisor" at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He also currently a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
- Former Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX): Frost worked for a variety of special interests, including the Alliance for American Advertising. He currently works for the law firm Polsinelli Shugart.
- Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL): Cramer is chairman of Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates, which brags that it has "helped Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and other clients impact public policy."
These Democrats-turned-corporate-lobbyists aren't exactly impartial observers in the world of politics. It's possible that they are more concerned that Democrats are becoming more hostile to the corporate special interests they represent rather than they are growing too radical.
