Disclose your bundlers, Mitt

Current law requires that candidates only reveal the names of registered lobbyists who are bundlers. That means a lot of players–government contractors, “government strategists” who can act like lobbyists but are not registered lobbyists, and others—avoid detection.

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President Obama has chosen again this year to disclose who his bundlers are. Mitt Romney needs to follow suit.

Why does this matter? Because knowing who bundles for a candidate is likely to help voters determine who is going to help any president govern. And personnel is policy. As the Washington Post points out, many Obama bundlers from 2008 ended up with “plum jobs” in his administration. According to the Post report, over half his biggest fundraisers ($500,000+ bundled) wound up with jobs in the Obama administration. Nine others were given slots on presidential boards or committees. At least 24 were given ambassadorial appointments…

I believe people have a constitutional right to work for a candidate they believe in, whether that means making phone calls or raising money. But the key is transparency. We need to know who these people are.

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