Advocacy is part of the business of being a nonprofit in a democracy–part of, you should pardon the expression, mission. It shouldn’t be confused with the legalized bribery which passes for lobbying in the for-profit world.
The argument that the President’s anti-lobbying rule can’t be applied only to for-profit lobbying–that citizens wouldn’t understand the distinction being made–is nonsense. And it’s shocking to hear it being made by the same people who, as campaign officials, operated on the assumption that the American people are smart enough to hear the truth and make decisions based on it. Usually it’s a good thing when senior officials move from campaign mode to governing, but in this case–not so much.
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