|
Posted on 06/10/2009 7:46:42 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers rarely shine a positive spotlight on lobbyists, much less publicly toast them and rave about their style on Capitol Hill.
But they did just that on Tuesday night for consumer advocate Joan Claybrook, who retired earlier this year as the head of the watchdog group Public Citizen. The organization held a dinner event in honor of her 27-year leadership.
Claybrook has become known as one of Washington's most relentless consumer-interest lobbyists. Her work has influenced rules on auto safety standards, congressional ethics, campaign finance and more.
Among the lawmakers who praised Claybrook's efforts were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Actor and longtime environmentalist advocate Robert Redford also spoke highly of her.
McCain told guests he wants to see Claybrook continue her advocacy. "I think she can be a consumer advocate in this administration, and I guarantee she would have been in mine," last year's Republican presidential nominee said to audience laughter.
McCain formed an unlikely partnership with the liberal consumer advocate when they worked together on campaign finance reform. "If it had not been for Joan Claybrook, we would have never passed that legislation," McCain said at the event, held at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum.
. . . . .
Public Citizen's founder, Ralph Nader, was also there.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
|
Wtf.
“McCain formed an unlikely partnership with the liberal consumer advocate when they worked together on campaign finance reform. “If it had not been for Joan Claybrook, we would have never passed that legislation,” McCain said at the event,”
McCain is still promoting CFR as a good thing? Man, he is off the edge.
she is the reason you cannot purchase a surplus M151 or HMMMV unless its frame is cut.
prototypical nanny for our nanny state.
Joan Claybrook... I remember her. 55 mile per hour speed limits... she was the voice and face of Carter’s national vehicular malaise. In 1979, Joan Claybrook, then the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, claimed that the 55 mph speed limit had saved 9,000 lives during each of the four years it had been in effect, a net savings of 36,000 lives. Yet, in 1987, front-page photographs of Safety Community Activist and Lobbyist Joan Claybrook showed her carrying a sign that claimed 55 had saved 26,000 lives since 1974. A pox ‘pon her, and Carter, and McCain, and ‘pon all governing old-maid nannies.
Up until this moment, I have been fortunate enough to have never laid eyes on that abomination.
[why don’t we all just duct tape ourselves to our sofas? we’ll be a lot “safer”]
I swear...some mornings, it’s just not worth the effort of gnawing through the restraints.
:)
In several western states, where long distances between most anywhere and anywhere else, the trip which took 10 hours driving at 70 now took 13 at 55. More people (arguably) died falling asleep on the road trying to comply with the 55 mph limit than the slower speeds ‘saved’. Montana had some of the best laws, $5.00 cash bond (no points) for going between 55 and 70 mph on dry roads in the daytime, and they really did not push that very hard.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
