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Sit-In in Front of the White House, August 25, 2011 (photo: Ben Powless/tarsandsaction/flickr)
In 2010, Jeff Berman, a prominent member of the 2008 Obama election team and the Democratic National Committee, was listed in the US lobbyist registry as working on behalf of the Transcanada Pipeline, the company behind the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline project.
The firm Brian Cave LLP, where Berman works in the Public Policy and Government Affairs group, was paid $240,000 for Berman to ”monitor climate change legislation and presidential permit process for TransCanada Keystone.” Berman is listed as the lobbyist working on this piece of work and has him representing the views of Transcanada to the Executive Office of the President, State Department, House of Representatives and US Senate.
The Keystone pipeline project has been a political hot potato for US President Obama, with the progressive community and many of his supporters publicly opposing the pipeline that would greatly increase the import to the US of unrefined tar sand oil from Canada.
The controversy around the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline came to a head in August 2011 last year when over a thousand protesters were arrested out front of the White House.
According to his official bio, Berman served in 2008 as the National Delegate Director for the Obama presidential campaign and is “an active member of the Democratic National Committee, and served on the Democratic Change Commission, which was established to improve national Democratic Party rules following the 2008 presidential election.”
In 2008 Politico article, Berman is described as “pivotal to Obama’s success” and the Obama campaign’s “unsung hero.”
The Keystone XL pipeline project was postponed in early 2012 when President Obama denied the permit for the XL construction to proceed stating that further assessment of the pipeline’s impacts were required.
In February, 2012 the environmental group Friends of the Earth sued the State Department citing campaign connections (including Berman) as possibly biasing the final decision on the Keystone project.
24 Comments
And yet 350, the Sierra Club, Bill McKibben and others continue to make excuses and give Obama a pass.
Recommended by the way!
Thanks for the report, Kevin.
Looks like we all got took. The President is a crook!
I’ve been telling the Obamabots I know that a vote for Barry is a vote for the Keystone XL (their howls of denial have been deafening). I’m sure after rec’d this to them they will insist that Barry wants a kinder, gentler, Kompasionate Keystone.
You can tell them they’re already building the pipeline. Just not the portion that requires President approval. Yet.
Jane pointed out a while ago that the Sierra Club has been in the Veal Pen for quite some time.
Anyone who thinks that, if Obama wins, the Keystone pipeline project won’t get built has rocks in their head. Keystone is happening, whether RMoney or DMoney “wins.”
Why is voting Third Party “wasting” my vote? Anyone got anything?
Not me! The only wasted votes are for democrats and republicans.
There was a report earlier this year that a prominent member of HRC’s 2008 campaign was pimping for Transcanada as well. Is anyone really surprised that we have more confirmation that the Democratic party is, like the Republican party, just another mask for the corporate agenda?
Indeed, including less than 100 miles north of where I sit now that he HAS approved. (Yes, they are in denial of this is part of Keystone as well.)
Hear, Hear, vote your conscience not your fear.
It makes the old Lite beer commercials of people having serious arguments about “taste great, less filling”, look like a political documentary.
Meanwhile Mitt Romney is out on the campaign trail, touting Keystone as contributing to America’s ‘energy independence’.
It was long ago reported that keystone is necessary to deliver Alberta tar sands crude to Gulf Coast refineries for shipment to overseas customers.
Keystone is necessary for obscenely rich fuckers to become even more obscenely rich, nothing more.
How long are we going to keep making believe that Oilybomber and Mittens have different agendas?
How long are we going to make believe that the Republicans give damn about whether Mittens wins or loses?
The only reason they’re going through all the motions in this fake campaign season is there is no other way to deliver the promised $Billion to their co-conspirators in the media.
If you can’t see the difference than you must have just arrived from Mars.Mitt has consistently changed his mind on several opinions and has outright lied about others.If that is the man you want as Pres.you are seriously brain washed.,and NO they are not equal liars,Romney is far worse!
Why don’t you address the point the commentor made; that he had no argument with voting for a third party candidate?
He didn’t say anything about not being able to tell the difference between Mittens and Obama?
Since you replied to a comment on voting third party, maybe you could share your views on that?
Many people are deciding to vote for third party candidates, not because they can’t see the differences between Obama and Romney, but because they believe that for the good of our country, that is the best use of their vote.
How so?
Many people will vote their conscience, which means neither Dem nor Repub will get their vote. I happen to be one of those people.
But, if you kidnapped my first-born, and the ransom was that I had to vote for either Obama or Romney, I’d pick Romney.
For you see, I believe that Obama is the more effective evil. I also believe that if Romney were president, Democrats, unions, and so-called progressive organizations would put a lot more effort into resisting him, unlike the free pass they have bestowed upon Obama.
Good point.
Also, a Romney Prez will put the teeth back in the media. They already look to BBQ him at every turn, while Obama has had a free ride for 4 years.
Well said.
X2. It appears that goldenboy suffers from the mental illness of partisanship, and is probably willing to be “fooled again”.
Sorry to inform you that the MSM is a corporate entity that will gladly promote the propaganda of either corporatist party. Their purpose isn’t to promote the facts and inform the public. They have become little more than Weapons of Mass Distraction.
In the final analysis, the tar sands are already here. The reason for the pipeline is that Transcanada and Koch can make a lot more money selling the refined tar sands to China. For people with investments in China, it is a great deal. Basically, pitting us against the Chinese for the tar sands and making the price of gasoline climb higher here in the US. This will keep the cheep products comming from China, instead of putting Americans to work. It is bigger than just the environmental issue.
Vote no BO. Too many insults to popular causes.
And so, even more insulting to hear Mitt pitching the ‘Energy Independence’ angle.
Should have guessed.
They can never settle for a just a lie, it’s got to be a God-damn-lie.
No, I go by facts and verified references rather than gut feelings. For over 700 references see below. If you would rather not read or think, don’t bother.
Civil Rights – http://newprogs.org/blog/2011/11/09/civil-rights-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Economy – http://newprogs.org/blog/2011/11/10/economy-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Economic Graphs – http://newprogs.org/blog/2012/03/02/economic-graphs
Education – http://newprogs.org/blog/2012/01/14/education-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Environment – http://newprogs.org/blog/2011/11/08/environment-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Health Care – http://newprogs.org/blog/2012/04/03/health-care-under-democraticrepublican-uniparty
Transparency – http://newprogs.org/blog/2012/02/27/transparency-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Unions – http://newprogs.org/blog/2012/02/05/unions-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
War – http://newprogs.org/blog/2011/11/11/wars-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party
Whistleblowers – http://newprogs.org/blog/2011/11/09/whistleblowers-under-democraticrepublican-uni-party