Business lobbyists flock to Centrist Democrats

. . .

Previous affairs drew at most 20 lobbyists, but the “meet-and-greet” at Nortel’s Washington office two days after Democrats swept to power drew around 60 mostly high-tech lobbyists looking to build a relationship, according to Kevin Lawlor, the spokesman for New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.).

Worried about what the Democratic Congress may mean for their business clients, to say nothing of the new limits on member access Democrats may impose as part of an ethics reform package, lobbyists have tried hard in the weeks following the election to build new links to the new majority.

One favored path has been through moderate to conservative blocs like the New Democrats and the Blue Dogs, who are a group of budget-minded conservative Democrats mostly from Southern states.

And it’s not just lobbyists. The people who want to talk to these groups include President Bush, who last week invited nine members — four Blue Dogs and five New Dems — to a White House meeting that also included Vice President Dick Cheney and senior adviser Karl Rove.

Eric Wortman, a spokesman for the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of budget-minded conservatives, said Bush talked in broad terms about No Child Left Behind, Iraq, Social Security reform and other efforts during the 45-minute meeting.

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Business/121206_dems.html

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