-Caveat Lector-
From
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/abc/20011206/ts/racicotlobby011206_1.ht
ml
}}}>Begin
Thursday December 06 02:26 PM EST
Racicot's Business Ties Extensive
By Marc J. Ambinder ABCNEWS.com
Marc Racicot, the president's choice to be RNC chair, has connections
to business interests, sparking questions from Democrats and good-
government groups.
�
Taliban Agrees to Surrender Kandahar
�
Poll: Confidence Slide Halts in November
�
House Arrest for Hamas Founder
�
More Top News from ABCNEWS.com
�
Add ABCNEWS Top Stories to My Yahoo!
Search ABCNEWS
The man President Bush has chosen as his new Republican National Committee chair has a
raft of personal connections to business and lobbying interests with big stakes in
Bush administration policy, documents and interview
s with his associates show.
Even before Marc Racicot's nomination was cemented with a Wednesday Oval Office
meeting, Democratic party operatives, good-government groups, and media watchdogs
sprang into action, flooding e-mail inboxes with details of
Racicot's lobbying efforts.
There's nothing illegal or unprecedented about a party chair continuing to work in the
private sector � just some questions about appearances, and lots of partisan fodder,
stirred up in some measure by the still-unannounc
ed arrangements between Racicot and the RNC about what type of outside income he'll be
allowed to earn.
Racicot insists that he will maintain the highest level of ethics, and curtail any
business dealings that might cause a conflict or embarrassment for the White House or
the party. However, whether he will scale back or el
iminate direct advocacy of Congress and/or the Administration is not known.
Candidates with superior communication abilities � and a big rolodex of contacts �
often take a big pay cut to join political parties. Given recent inquiries into the
lobbying connections between parties and lobbyists, la
wyers nowadays tend to frown on direct, paid advocacy, particularly since the party
chairs can recruit and assist candidates who might one day be in a position to
influence appropriations and regulations.
According to lawyers knowledgeable with previous arrangements, many party chairs, co-
chairs and operatives shift their responsibilities at their private sector firms,
providing what amounts to strategic advice and openin
g doors for new clients, but not engaging in direct lobbying.
Top Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a quiet game of chicken, with Democrats �
to the professed surprise of some Republicans � aggressively pointing out some of
Racicot's recent business ties and publicly calling
his intentions to continue some of them improper. Among other things, Democrats have
pointed out that conservative activist Bill Bennett turned down being RNC chair after
he decided he thought it wasn't compatible with ea
rning outside income.
Democratic party spokesperson Jennifer Palmeri concedes that past chairs of her own
party have worked simultaneously as lobbyists, but says that evolved ethics standards
make this practice no longer acceptable. Republican
s suggest quietly and indignantly that they are ready to escalate this battle if
Democrats persist, since many of Democratic chair Terry McAuliffe's past business
dealings did not receive prominent media attention when he
took office earlier this year.
He�s in Business
The Racicot-connected business bound to be on the list of Democratic talking points:
Enron., the oil giant that filed for bankruptcy this week.
According to federal disclosure documents and published reports, Racicot lobbied
politicians on Enron's behalf and talked with Vice President Dick Cheney on energy
industry issues.
Federal disclosure documents show that Racicot has also worked on behalf of
agriculture, electricity, mining, and transportation interests at Bracewell &
Patterson. He is a federally registered lobbyist for the National E
lectric Reliability Coordinating Council; for railroad company Burlington Northern
Santa Fe (BNSF); for Wheat Gluten, a confederation of wheat gluten producers; and for
Quintana Minerals, a mining company.
Democrats are looking for evidence that Racicot lobbied Western state governors and
legislatures on behalf of some of these interests, too, because he has not registered
as a lobbyist with any states.
Racicot's work for the wheat gluten industry coincided with a favorable decision on
its behalf by the Bush Administration. In June 2001, U.S. Trade Representative Robert
Zoellick announced that his office would end quotas
on foreign wheat gluten products, but give the industry $40 million to "help it
maintain its competitiveness," according to a government press release. It is not
clear what role Racicot played, if any, in winning this de
cision.
Trade Promoter
In October, the Bush administration appointed Racicot to help resolve a trade dispute
with Canada over timber. American forest product companies had complained that the
Canadian government unfairly subsidized the country'
s soft-lumber business in violation of World Trade Organization provisions. Though
Canada denied the dumping allegations, the United States in late October imposed �
with Racicot's guidance � a 13 percent tariff on Canadi
an timber imports.
Racicot's actions on several issues have won him approval from industry groups.
"Generally, he comes down on the right side of these questions," said John Simpson,
president of the American Association of Exporters and Importers. "I would expect that
that was one of the reasons why President Bush cho
se him." Corbin Robertson, president of Quintana Minerals, praised Racicot's selection
as RNC chair. "I think he's a very, smart, honest, articulate guy." And as a lobbyist,
he was effective. "We have significant interest
s in Montana," Robinson said. "As governor of Montana, he has deep understanding of
that state and its needs."
On Sept. 11, the BNSF railroad company elected Racicot to its board of directors.
Patrick Hiatte, a BNSF corporate relations director, said that Racicot will continue
to serve the company while serving as RNC chair. He declined to say what Racicot's
specific tasks were or will be, and he wouldn't say h
ow much Racicot has been compensated.
"Marc Racicot has demonstrated that he has the highest integrity as two-term governor
of Montana," said Kevin Sheridan, an RNC spokersperson. "He's caught the favor of the
national Republican Party and the president of th
e United States in part because of his ethics."
Precedents for Lobbying
A number of top party officials � from former DNC chair Ron Brown to former RNC chairs
Frank Fahrenkopf and Haley Barbour � have held private-sector jobs while serving as
their party's public face. But they've differed in
their level and type of outside work.
A national party chairmanship is a unique position. It is technically a private job,
but affords it occupant access to members of Congress, the White House, and governors,
and potential access to information and lobbying
opportunities available to only a few.
Brown's lobbying efforts struck watchdogs as particularly egregious. He remained a
principal at the firm of Patton, Boggs and Blow; critics at the time alleged that
Brown's access to the latest legislative vote-count info
rmation as DNC chair could have been helpful to potential clients.
Fahrenkopf worked throughout his tenure for the firm of Hogan and Hartsen. Barbour
kept a stake in his lobbying firm, but didn't do any active soliciting. His firm
temporarily dropped Barbour's name from their title as a
courtesy.
As RNC chair, Racicot would receive a salary of $150,000, but Racicot has said he will
forgo any compensation from the party.
In 1992, before campaign finance and party ethics became a centerpiece of Washington
investigative politics, the CPI released a study that showed that fully half of party
chairs since the late 1970s had engaged in some fo
rm of corporate lobbying.
Still, as even Lewis acknowledges, the budget-conscious parties would have a tough
time attracting top candidates for their chairmanships if they didn't allow them to
augment their income.
While some Democrats have been stoking press interest in Racicot's current
professional portfolio, Republicans counter that current DNC chair Terry McAuliffe has
had several fund- raising and financial ties that have caus
ed controversy, including his ties to labor unions and fundraising for President
Clinton's 1996 re-election.
Given the potential for bad press, party officials tend to be extra careful about who
they talk to and what they talk about. But since leaders of both major parties have
their hands in two cookie jars, they are reluctant
to highlight the other's alleged misdeeds.
"Except for some yammering do-gooders, no one complains about it," Lewis lamented.
ABC News' Mark Halperin and Elizabeth Wilner contributed to this article.
Email this story - View most popular | Formatted version
Advanced
Search: Stories Photos Full Coverage
Home | Top Stories | Business | Tech | Politics | World | Local |
Entertainment | Sports | Science | Health
Questions or Comments
Copyright � 2001 ABCNEWS.com.
End<{{{
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material
is distributed without charge or profit to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information
for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe
simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not
believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do
not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not
believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men.
Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it
agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all.
Then accept it and live up to it."
The Buddha on Belief, from the Kalama Sutta
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled
one is truly vanquished. -Johann Christoph Schiller,
German Writer (1759-1805)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that
prevents us from living freely and nobly. -Bertrand Russell
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Everyone has the right...to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless
of frontiers."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will
teach you to keep your mouth shut."
--- Ernest Hemingway
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
