One of them, Exelon, lobbied Obama two years ago on a nuclear bill; the firm's executives and employees have also been a top source of cash for Obama's campaign, contributing $236,211.

Lobbyists are a reality in American Politics. Nobody should condemn any candidate for taking corporate money. It's not possible to fight any big election in the USA without corporate money. However, Obama should not try to hide this.

From an older article

Obama told the crowd that's why he doesn't accept contributions from political action committees or lobbyists.

"They're not funding my campaign. They won't run my White House," he said.

However, campaign finance records show that Obama has received tens of thousands of dollars from people in many of the same groups and industries he regularly rails against.

"He may not take money from (political action committees) or lobbyists, but he is taking interest money," said Sheila Krumholtz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign finance issues.

"He's getting a lot of money from individuals representing lawyers and law firms, security firms, real estate and Hollywood," Krumholtz said. "You can't say that he doesn't take special-interest money."

State lobbyists and non-wage-earning spouses of lobbyists and lobbying firm employees have contributed $115,163 to Obama's campaign through March 20, according to the center.

People in the oil and gas industries have given $222,309 to Obama. He received $528,765 from the pharmaceutical and health industry, making him the largest recipient of the sector's largesse.

From Commondreams

But the Illinois Democrat's policy of shunning money from lobbyists registered to do business on Capitol Hill does not extend to lawyers whose partners lobby there.

Nor does the ban apply to corporations that have major lobbying operations in Washington. And the prohibition does not extend to lobbyists who ply their trade in such state capitals as Springfield, Ill.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Sacramento, though some deal with national clients and issues.

Obama's biggest single source of corporate money - $160,000 - came from executives at Exelon Corp., the nation's largest nuclear power provider, and its subsidiary, Commonwealth Edison, an Illinois utility.

Exelon spent $500,000 to influence policy in Washington last year. Although Obama took no money from Exelon's Washington lobbyists, he accepted $1,000 checks from lobbyists John P. Novak and James Monk of Springfield. In Springfield, Novak represents Exelon., and Monk is president of the Illinois Energy Assn., a trade group that represents Commonwealth Edison.

Monk and Novak said they do not lobby in Washington. But their clients care about federal issues, including where to store nuclear waste and what restrictions to place on coal-fired plants.

"I'm not going to second-guess his policy," Novak said. "I think it is appropriate for me to support a presidential candidate from Illinois."

Lobbyists from other states also gave Obama money. In California, Obama accepted $2,300 from a partner whose lobbying firm represents AT&T, United Airlines and the Recording Industry Assn. of America in Sacramento.

In Tallahassee, Obama held a fundraiser attended by several statehouse lobbyists, taking checks from lobbyists for trial attorneys, the insurance industry, fast-food chains and sugar cane growers. State and federal issues often are related, as noted by the law firm Akerman Senterfitt, whose Florida-based members donated $7,000 to Obama. On its website, Akerman notes it combines Tallahassee connections with "an involved federal political action committee" to provide its clients "with an enviable level of access."

Jim Cooper, Obama's healthcare spokesperson s in the pocket of health care providers & insurance companines. Jim Cooper was the one who was actively involved in derailing Hillary's healthcare reforms in the 90's.

From A NYT 1994 article

It has also become a pocketbook issue for Mr. Cooper, and whatever the fate of his health plan, he is already a winner.

In less than a year, the mild-mannered Democrat from the most rural House district in Tennessee has become the toast of health care providers and insurance companies, which have channeled tens of thousands of dollars of contributions to his campaign for a Senate seat.

Mr. Cooper is only one of the many politicians benefiting from the fund-raising frenzy set off by the national dialogue over health care.

Since drug companies, hospitals, insurers and doctors have so much at stake in the legislation that may emerge from the Congress, many are investing all they can in lawmakers whose proposals would be most favorable to them -- or the least damaging.

They are showering millions of dollars in donations to members of Congress with prominent roles in the debate, like Mr. Cooper, whose plan is the alternative to President Clinton's proposal most often preferred by business because it neither requires employers to provide coverage nor limits insurance premiums.

X-posted at dKos