Dems threatening lobbyists who back GOP with tax retribution

by Ed Morrissey

 

Democrats must be having a pretty bad fundraising season, on K Street as well as everywhere else.  Normally, a party with a good shot at holding power would expect big-ticket donors to flock to their outside groups and drop lots of money in order to curry favor.  This year, though, Democrats have abandoned a strategy of attracting donors in favor of threatening them, Politico reports:

Democrats on K Street are warning their corporate clients: Give to Republican challengers in the 2012 election, and you’ll regret it come tax reform time.
Lobbyists are getting that message from allies of powerful Democrats such as Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is closely watching support for Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican challenging Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Baucus supporters fear that if Rehberg ousts Tester, Baucus could be next to face a serious Republican challenge in the state.

One K-Streeter close to the Baucus operation said the senator considers a gift to Rehberg a contribution against him. Another Democratic lobbyist told a client to take his name off a Rehberg fundraising event because it would be hurtful to his company, according to sources.

The case K-Streeters are making to their clients: It will be a hard sell next year to get Baucus’s support on business-friendly tax perks set to expire or the Bush-era tax cuts that must get through his committee.

 Read more: http://hotair.com/archives/2012/03/02/dems-threatening-lobbyists-who-back-gop-with-tax-retribution/