GM Keeping In-House Lobbyists

by Edward Niedermeyer

June 3rd, 2009 8:43 PM

So reports the Detroit Free Press. For some perspective, The Center For Responsive Politics says GM spent $500,000 in the first three months of the year on independent lobbyists, compared with $2.8 million on its in-house lobbying corps. This “may cause some unique situations,” says to the president of the American League of Lobbyists. And that’s a hell of an understatement, considering that GM will soon be owned by a government led by a man who vowed to limit the influence of lobbyists in his administration. A GM spokesman declined to say whether the administration has given it guidance on lobbying activities.

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4 of 19 comments

Apt34 on Jun 04, 2009

As has been alluded to, there is indeed a legitimate role played by lobbyists. However, the excess that some lobbyists do is what we often hear about.

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T2 on Jun 04, 2009

Paul Hogan once quipped that the police regard a member of the general public as being either a perp or a possible perp. I feel the same way about the paid lobbyist.

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PeteMoran on Jun 04, 2009

Not sure who used it first the other day, but the noun Quagmire is starting to suit the GM/Chrysler mess spectacularly well.

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U mad scientist on Jun 04, 2009
the idea that the government is making laws on a subject on which it knows nothing and has to be lead by the nose is….um troubling. The problem is that world has been getting more and more complex, but the way government has handled it lagged behind. If congress (in both federal and state level) actually informed themselves through real education sessions, they would be able to make more meritorious decisions. Unfortunately that's not the kind of people we elect because voters are idiots. Hell, look around you, how many people do think vote for candidates because they are well educated and capable of enunciating nuanced positions?

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