Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks to the media after the second night of the first Democratic presidential debate on June 27, 2019 in Miami. (Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Feb 27, 2020
Federal government lobbyists told The Hill Friday that they are increasingly concerned that a Bernie Sanders presidency could be "uncharted waters" for their clients given the Vermont senator's history of antipathy toward big business and the role of corporate power in U.S. politics.
"In our lifetime we have not had a [presidential candidate] so openly hostile towards corporations," said lobbyist Kevin O'Neill, a partner with D.C. firm Arnold & Porter.
Sanders, the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, regularly rails against big business and American capitalism on the campaign trail. The candidate has suggested raising taxes on corporations and instituting a wealth tax to pay for large public service plans like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
"That's the whole crux of his message," Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbyist Al Mottur toldThe Hill. "Washington is rigged and it's rigged in part from the wealthy and the powerful. You would expect businesses to have concerns with him."
The senator also plans to change how K Street, Washington shorthand for the city's massive federal lobbying infrastructure, does business.
According to The Hill:
Sanders has vowed to shake up how the influence world does business, with proposals to ban donations from federal lobbyists and corporations and to prohibit the corporate funding of party conventions.
Lobbyists panned those ideas, but they could gain new momentum with Sanders as the Democratic party's standard bearer in 2020.
In a memo (pdf) to clients on Sanders' rise in the polls, lobbying firm Monument Advocacy warns that the senator's fundraising model, volunteer army, and popular national surrogates were a potent weapon against corporate interests.
"Senator Sanders is breaking the mold in presidential politics with every gain he makes in the primary process," the memo explains. "And, like another unconventional candidate who today sits in the Oval Office, you can throw out the typical playbook for what American businesses should expect over the coming months or more."
At least one strategist, an unnamed Republican lobbyist, felt the Bern--if only because a Sanders presidency would be good for business.
"You also have to remember that a Sanders presidency could simultaneously be terrible for corporate America and great for K Street," said the lobbyist. "Nothing drives our business like being on defensive 24/7."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Federal government lobbyists told The Hill Friday that they are increasingly concerned that a Bernie Sanders presidency could be "uncharted waters" for their clients given the Vermont senator's history of antipathy toward big business and the role of corporate power in U.S. politics.
"In our lifetime we have not had a [presidential candidate] so openly hostile towards corporations," said lobbyist Kevin O'Neill, a partner with D.C. firm Arnold & Porter.
Sanders, the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, regularly rails against big business and American capitalism on the campaign trail. The candidate has suggested raising taxes on corporations and instituting a wealth tax to pay for large public service plans like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
"That's the whole crux of his message," Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbyist Al Mottur toldThe Hill. "Washington is rigged and it's rigged in part from the wealthy and the powerful. You would expect businesses to have concerns with him."
The senator also plans to change how K Street, Washington shorthand for the city's massive federal lobbying infrastructure, does business.
According to The Hill:
Sanders has vowed to shake up how the influence world does business, with proposals to ban donations from federal lobbyists and corporations and to prohibit the corporate funding of party conventions.
Lobbyists panned those ideas, but they could gain new momentum with Sanders as the Democratic party's standard bearer in 2020.
In a memo (pdf) to clients on Sanders' rise in the polls, lobbying firm Monument Advocacy warns that the senator's fundraising model, volunteer army, and popular national surrogates were a potent weapon against corporate interests.
"Senator Sanders is breaking the mold in presidential politics with every gain he makes in the primary process," the memo explains. "And, like another unconventional candidate who today sits in the Oval Office, you can throw out the typical playbook for what American businesses should expect over the coming months or more."
At least one strategist, an unnamed Republican lobbyist, felt the Bern--if only because a Sanders presidency would be good for business.
"You also have to remember that a Sanders presidency could simultaneously be terrible for corporate America and great for K Street," said the lobbyist. "Nothing drives our business like being on defensive 24/7."
Federal government lobbyists told The Hill Friday that they are increasingly concerned that a Bernie Sanders presidency could be "uncharted waters" for their clients given the Vermont senator's history of antipathy toward big business and the role of corporate power in U.S. politics.
"In our lifetime we have not had a [presidential candidate] so openly hostile towards corporations," said lobbyist Kevin O'Neill, a partner with D.C. firm Arnold & Porter.
Sanders, the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, regularly rails against big business and American capitalism on the campaign trail. The candidate has suggested raising taxes on corporations and instituting a wealth tax to pay for large public service plans like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
"That's the whole crux of his message," Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck lobbyist Al Mottur toldThe Hill. "Washington is rigged and it's rigged in part from the wealthy and the powerful. You would expect businesses to have concerns with him."
The senator also plans to change how K Street, Washington shorthand for the city's massive federal lobbying infrastructure, does business.
According to The Hill:
Sanders has vowed to shake up how the influence world does business, with proposals to ban donations from federal lobbyists and corporations and to prohibit the corporate funding of party conventions.
Lobbyists panned those ideas, but they could gain new momentum with Sanders as the Democratic party's standard bearer in 2020.
In a memo (pdf) to clients on Sanders' rise in the polls, lobbying firm Monument Advocacy warns that the senator's fundraising model, volunteer army, and popular national surrogates were a potent weapon against corporate interests.
"Senator Sanders is breaking the mold in presidential politics with every gain he makes in the primary process," the memo explains. "And, like another unconventional candidate who today sits in the Oval Office, you can throw out the typical playbook for what American businesses should expect over the coming months or more."
At least one strategist, an unnamed Republican lobbyist, felt the Bern--if only because a Sanders presidency would be good for business.
"You also have to remember that a Sanders presidency could simultaneously be terrible for corporate America and great for K Street," said the lobbyist. "Nothing drives our business like being on defensive 24/7."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.