Candidates on the campaign trail may talk tough about combating special interest influence and cutting ties to lobbyists, those enemies du jour. But the real story is found on the campaign's balance sheets, where lobbyist contributions take up more than their fair share of real estate.

Both Senators John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D) have railed against lobbyists on the stump, but a funny thing happened on the way to second quarter campaign finance report filing: that darn lobbyist money found it's way in. Even Obama, whose campaign has banned donations from registered federal lobbyists got a few bucks:

 

In total, lobbyists and trade groups have reported giving about $10.4 million to presidential and congressional candidates in the first half of this year.


So far, McCain, who has locked up the Republican presidential nomination, has received more than $181,600 from lobbyists and trade groups, while Obama has received just over $6,000. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who ended her bid for the presidency in June, received more than $87,000.


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Employees at Republican lobbying firms such as Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock have made many contributions to McCain and other Republican lawmakers, including the Senate and House minority leaders and the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.


Some lobbyists chafe at being asked for money by the McCain campaign while he disparages lobbyists as agents of "big-moneyed special interests." But they know that such criticism is a staple of politics.


"We are 100 percent behind McCain," said Kathryn Braden Huffard, a lobbyist at Fierce, Isakowitz, whose clients include Fannie Mae, the mortgage giant. "In the wake of the Abramoff affair, it seems, there has to be a villain. But Senator McCain understands that many lobbyists are smart people who have experience on the issues."

And if their influence were limited to their "experience on the issues" that'd be a fine thing, but the fact is that many of these lobbyists pour thousands of dollars into campaigns around the country in order to preserve the special access they receive. Checks are written, then phone calls are taken and policy is shaped by the people who bought a seat at the table.