A lobbyist!?!?! This Dean supporter is thoroughly disgusted.

[eyesroll]

Roy Neel is (or maybe until recently was) head of the U.S. Telecom Association.

I'm sorry, Dr. Dean. I don't care if he's lobbying on behalf of world peace. I don't care if he's Ghandi, or Mother Teresa or Jesus, or all of them rolled up into one.

You can't have a lobbyist as your manager and say you're not beholden to special interests. I'm willing to overlook a lobbyist on your staff, in your "inner circle."

But this isn't sending a good message, Dr. Dean.

I am not happy.

(No, I haven't made any decisions yet. I try not to make them when I'm pissed off.)

On edit: I promised on previous threads to speak up when my guy did something bad. Speaking up now.

[papau]

1. Roy Neel is a long time top Gore aid, and recent businessman -

From 1977 to 1994, Neel served in key roles in Al Gore's Washington operations, becoming Chief of Staff for Senator and later Vice President Gore. Prior to leaving the White House, he served as President Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff, responsible for coordinating all policy and communications activities for the President. Neel also managed the Vice President's campaign in 1992 and was a central figure in the Clinton-Gore transition that followed that successful election.

During 2000, Neel was Director of Vice President Gore’s presidential transition planning. During the post-election challenge in Florida, he managed the unprecedented transition efforts for Gore.

ROY NEEL PRESIDENT AND CEO UNITED STATES TELECOM is the "head of the U.S. Telecom Association" - I do not know that they are the same person.

[goodhue]

5. same guy, remember 1996 Telecom Act? now he lives off it . . .

The story of Roy Neel illustrates the concept of changing the way we work to help build a path for lasting and complete success. Roy's story appeared in the March 6, 1995 issue of Newsweek, which described him as the deputy chief of staff in the Clinton administration. Roy's days were full, with workweeks of fifty-five hours, and always being on call:

"I got downright tired of being tethered to my beeper 24 hours a day," says Neel. A seemingly tame but wrenching episode with Walter, his nine-year-old son, convinced him that work, even for the President of the United States, is not worth the price. Walter and his dad were heading out the door for a long-promised baseball game when the phone rang. It was the President. Little Walter was not impressed. When Neel looked up an hour later, Walter was gone. He had bummed a ride with a neighbor, leaving dad holding the phone. "Our society is schizophrenic," says Neel. "We praise people who want to balance their lives, but reward those who work themselves to death."

Neel listened to his wake-up call. He saw life's big red flag and found a new path to success, one that was wide enough to take Walter and the rest of his family along for the ride. Roy Neel chose to leave the Clinton administration and take a more flexible job as a lobbyist.

http://www.jeffconley.com/MakeRoom.asp

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. it's a desperation move

Sad to see. But Trippi never won anything in his life. At least this can't hurt Dean.

[molly]

22. Trippi was for Trippi - Dean was the pawn - at least I can get

this off my chest now without getting banned!!!

[Renew Deal]

3. Here is Neels lobbying info

The most recent record is from 2001. I don't know if he is still active.

http://sopr.senate.gov/cgi-win/opr_viewer.exe?20014NEEL,$ROY$MEEKSLOB~0

[eyesroll]

9. Thanks, Bleachers n/t

[Toucano]

4. Nice open mind you've got there.

Like a Pavlovian dog, you react to the sound of the word lobbyist on cue.

Do you realize there are good people who lobby Washington to do good things? The HRC, the Sierra Club, etc.

The first step to winning the race is to get in the pool.

[eyesroll]

6. Yes, I realize this.

It's just I don't think you can campaign against special interests and then have a lobbyist run your campaign. It's cognative dissonance.

Look, I knew I was going to get crap for this post. I'm just extremely frustrated, both as a Dean supporter who's lost the last two contests, and then this.

[joshcryer]

11. Um, taking money from lobbyists and having one work for you...

...are two entirely different things.

[Toucano]

14. I understand

And I don't mean to add to your frustration.

But I still think you're over reacting.

This guy is a former lobbyist. Now he works for Dr. Dean. The "special interest" he's promoting now is Dean. So you are the "special interest".

Lobbyists' skills are transferrable, just like marketing directors and (ahem) generals.

Some use their talent for evil, and some use their talent for good. Looks to me like Dean's got one to do some good.

[eyesroll]

20. Thanks for your understanding

I may well be overreacting. That's why I'm making frustrated posts instead of posting "I'm switching my support to XXX" messages. I haven't transferred my vote anywhere. I'm just disappointed in this particular move. What long-term implications it has is unknown.

What I am wondering if all of the admonitions I gave myself over the summer, to not get too carried away in the coolness of the campaign and actually pay attention to the issues, isn't having some effect here. "The campaign is not the candidate."

[Uzybone]

7. Kudos to you

even though I dont think Dean hiring a lobbyist is a big deal. Its exactly what anyone who has followed Deans career expects he will do.

[cthrumatrix]

8. Clark was a lobbyist...should he leave the race?

[goodhue]

12. yes

[poskonig]

13. Don't ask the Dean supporters to answer that!

:beer:

[eyesroll]

17. No

This is a message thing for me more than anything right now.

I've got nothing against lobbyists. As a previous poster said, lots of them do good works. But I don't like the message this is sending for this particular campaign.

[Southsideirish]

10. I'm disappointed, too but Howard must be in desperate need of Roy

Neel's advice regarding the campaign. Sometimes you have to hold your nose to get something critical accomplished.

[goodhue]

15. which one is neel?

[no name no slogan]

16. If Dean wins, what does that say for Media Reform?

He's got a former Bell South lobbyist leading his campaign. Neel was also active in passing the 1996 Telecom act, which has been one of the most destructive laws to ever be unleashed on the country.

This just proves that Dean is not an agent of "change"-- he's just another wing of what's wrong with the corpo-cratic party.

[Sean Reynolds]

21. I don't think it'll re-shape Dean's beliefs one bit.

And it doesn't prove anything. This is the same Dean that we had yesterday.

[goodhue]

23. indeed

a proud member of the corpo-cratic party

[maxr4clark]

18. Thanks for keeping your promise. You're an inspiration to us all. n/t

[genius]

19. What is the U.S. Telecom Association?

Are they good guys or bad guys?

[NashVegas]

24. I'm Not Too Worried About This

If there was *one* thing the Clinton/Gore administration did right, it was their hands-off approach to the internet.

If we've got to have a lobbyist on our team, I'd prefer to have it be someone who was a part of revolutionizing communications, helping us take control out of the hands of corporations, what's allowed to be discussed in the national debate.