In lobbyists we trust

The funniest bumper sticker I’ve seen on the elections so far: “A Leader We Can Invest In.” The sticker refers to Lobbyists for McCain, a spoof site that’s making a lot of fun with the corporations donating to the Republican presidential nominee.

“In the last eight years we’ve shown what can be accomplished when we have unfettered access to policymakers,” the website claims. “In these uncertain times of ‘change,’ John McCain offers us confidence, access, and continuity.”

The Lobbyists for McCain website is more than a very well-succeeded attempt to make you laugh; it’s highlighting a serious issue. After all, for a politician who is famed for bringing down the influence of corporate lobbyists to the presidential election, and who wrote on his own website, “Most people believe that elected leaders are more interested in the perks and privileges of office than in public service, and that too often the special interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when issues of public policy are being decided,” McCain has a lot of lobbyists at work who bring in a lot of money for his campaign, as this website maps out.

The makers of the wonderful Lobbyists for McCain site are the culture jammers that also created Billionaires for Bush, the hilarious “No You Can’t” video clip, and, just recently, Pinocchio Politics, the website “Where Truthiness Grows” and where you can find the “McLiar Bingo” that might be a winner during the two remaining presidential TV debates. I believe these folks exemplify a fairly new trade of activists that I wrote about in Ode’s May 2008 cover story, "Marching to the beat of a different drum".

Check them out, and sign up as a lobbyist, as “you too can be a public servant for private interests.” But first, get your bumper stickers while they last!