That's what I figured. Obama will claim a victory, while sliminess and corruption will be greater than ever.
Federal employees have long been forbidden from accepting gifts from propective contractors — not sure if the same rules apply to White House employees.
Now, does the 18000 since January 2008 mean 18000 divided by 7 quarters ~= 2500 per quarter?
On the other hand, they imply that the 1400 in the 2nd quarter of ‘09 is high, so possibly what is meant that of the loss of (15310 - 18000) = 2690 since January ‘08, about half the loss occurred in the 2nd quarter of ‘09?
Have previous recessions incurred a similar loss of lobbyists?