Arkansas Blog

A$a, who hit it big trading his federal job for lobbying and penny stock riches, unavoidably comes to mind thanks to this Wash. Post article:

The dirtiest word on the campaign trail this year is "lobbyist."

In close contests from Connecticut to California, Republicans and Democrats are attacking each other for getting too close to "special interests" and lobbyists. The accusation, a longtime election staple, is carrying greater heft than usual, election experts agree, thanks to the guilty plea of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in January and the recent e-mail scandal of former representative Mark Foley (R-Fla.).

"The lobbyist has become the prime caricature for having too much power in Washington," said Evan Tracey of TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, a nonpartisan research firm that monitors political commercials. "Lobbyists and special interests are the biggest bogeymen of this election."