Obama's 'Special Interest' Problem

Here in New Jersey, you can't turn on the tv or radio without seeing or hearing an Obama advertisement. The candidate's most common theme is his anti special interests pitch. He claim that he is going to change the tone in Washington because he doesn't take money from lobbyists and special interests. But is his standard stump pitch true?

Truth is probably in the eye of the beholder. For example, in the Democratic primaries unions are well represented but not considered special interests apparently. This is despite the fact that over the past 25 years many unions have morphed almost completely into lobbying organizations for their members. The AFL-CIO building in Washington DC is far bigger and busier than many of its counterparts for business on K street. The building's sole purpose is as a center for advocacy in our nation's capital. But Democrats decry 'big business' lobbying on one hand while pretending that union lobbying isn't the same thing.

Obama may get away with this pitch in the more liberal primaries. But he won't be able to hide in the general election when his massive union support is exposed. Especially when some of the unions in question have played a major part in many of the big issues of the day. For example, how can you talk about inner city education problems without discussing the stranglehold the teacher's unions have on the system which rewards teachers for failing schools filled with failing students.

At some point, when we get past all the flowery oratory, the real questions will be asked. Probably not by fawning journalists at CNN or MSNBC but they will be asked. I look forward to Obama's reply.

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