Apple Hires Former Senate Staffer as New Lobbyist in Washington

[Chupa Chupa]

Emphasis added:

Apple has hired veteran Washington insider Amber Cottle as its new top lobbyist

Look people. Don't fly off the handle here. It's been a long time since Apple hasn't had a representative in D.C. It would be corporate malpractice if it didn't. Really a "Page 2" story IMHO.

 

[Cmdrx3]

Yay! Another corrupt piece of a larger corrupt, ineffective machine! Cronies for everyone!

Perhaps I'm just being a downer today, but the current political climate -- on both sides of the lot -- rankles me. Our elected officials only care about special interest groups and back door deals to ensure incumbency. Sadly, thus is the current political climate -- the only way you get your voice heard is through money exchange or palm greasing with those in power, ala direct interactions with lobbyists like the person hired here.

Sad.

Then make a change and help get money out of politics

http://www.wolf-pac.com/

Preferably before it's too late.

 

[KPOM]

Tim cook hired a Democrat? That's some real news.

Cook also met with Speaker Boehner last year. If Mitt Romney were president, Cook would have no qualms hiring a Republican lobbyist, his personal political leanings notwithstanding. Corporations tend to follow the crowd in political matters. They just want to defend themselves, rather than advance a particular partisan agenda. Tim Cook is as happy to sell an iPhone to a Tea Party Republican as he is to any Democrat. $650 is $650, regardless of the political affiliation of the customer.

"important experience for Apple's needs on Capitol Hill" - Knows how to help keep the cronies out of the way better than most.

#YouDidn'tBuildThat

Sadly, that's the world today.

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Then make a change and help get money out of politics

http://www.wolf-pac.com/

Preferably before it's too late.

Alternatively, just make it a free for all and drop all campaign finance restrictions. For all the talk about corporations, most are politically neutral. They just want government to stay out of their way if they are ahead, and to put up obstacles for others if they aren't. High profile cases aside, corporations are mostly political independents. After all, why would they want to anger half of their potential customer base?

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Am I the only one who feels the world would be a better place if we just went scorched earth on DC? So many leaches on society would just go up in smoke.

No. I find it reprehensible that 5 of the 10 richest counties in the US are in the DC area.

 

[apolloa]

Tim Cook for president of the United States Of America? hahahaha.... I love how in bed with politicians corporations are, or is that politicians in bed with them? It's so corrupt you can't work out whos sleeping with who to increase their percentage!

 

[Yelmurc]

it's a sad state of affairs that a company needs lobbyists.

 

[vsighi]

...she got hired for July iPhone 6 5.5" relies

 

[patent10021]

Tim cook hired a Democrat? That's some real news.

Do you really think there is a difference? Like the existence of presidents, sides exist purely for bemusement of the 'slaves' (the people). Apple, MS, Google know there isn't a difference and that's why the corporation hires who can get the job done. All the same.

 

[ZOZO139434371]

it's a sad state of affairs that a company needs lobbyists.

Crony capitalism... Nobody enjoys it, but you can't not play the game and expect to come out on top. It is unfortunate that the only way to do business is to lobby, but that isn't going to change without some serious action. What kind of action? Well, there are a few ways. The scenario most likely to work is one where people finally get fed up and demand that Washington ends their crony capitalistic ways. We're not at that point yet unfortunately.

 

[Arcady]

Barf. Time to sell my stock.

Lobbyists are a sign of the end.

 

[dragje]

That's as true as it gets in this land of the free.

land of the free lol

https://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

Can take a while, so here's the hint: El Salvador, and a number 8 downwards.......

Anyway, besides humor, I'm not that surprised by this move of Apple, Apple sure ain't the first company using lobbyist, I'm sure companies like Google and Microsoft are using lobbyist as well, as well here in Europe. One politician once said that there where more lobbyist orbiting around the EU congress then actual members of congress. It's like Britain, there are more pubs then English folks. ;-)

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Anyway, who needs lobbyist when you have the blind slavery apple fanboys approach at your side? As Jon Steward pointed out earlier.

Love the guy....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DLh9qC2izrI

Jon Stewart that is ^^

 

[gnasher729]

if there's anything that house of cards has taught me it's that lobbyists are corrupt.... and politicians are corrupt, but everyone already knew that

What makes you think lobbyists are corrupt? Are you saying you expect this woman to take money from Samsung, Google or Amazon to work against Apple who is hiring her?

 

[armalite]

I thought the Dems were the ones who complain about lobbyists and how it's only Repubs that have them. So funny, so hypocritical

 

[Rot'nApple]

Here we go…

Apple started it! Of course, this board would have been ABSOLUTELY QUIET if the story headline read, "Apple hires Sarah Palin as New Lobbyist in Washington"!

 

[numlock]

This is a practical move to ensure Apple can continue its mission while addressing the potential for political interference in driving forward its strategies for innovation and disrupting markets. Bottom line is I think this is good news for all Apple consumers and should be celebrated as such.

what possible political interference do you see forthcoming for a company that releases computers and phones?

if interference is coming from anywhere its big business.

What makes you think lobbyists are corrupt? Are you saying you expect this woman to take money from Samsung, Google or Amazon to work against Apple who is hiring her?

perhaps he lives in the real world where apple v whatever is not the be all and end all?

 

[TallManNY]

Bahahaha, if you knew me, you'd know that's one of the most ironic thing you could've said. I would've said the same of any male—I just wanted material for my GIF.

It was a good GIF.

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Pretty modest lobbiest budget for a company the size of Apple or even for a company a tenth the size of Apple.

 

[betab]

Remember the 1984 ad?

The BigApple doesn't anymore...

 

[rahhb.riley]

I see this as a way to help fend of things like the BS DOJ witch hunt for Apple in the ebooks trial in the future. Amazon lobbyist helped them remain a protected entity in the grand ebooks circus. A lobbyist in DC is likely more of a defensive move, rather than an offensive one, at this point.

 

[samcraig]

Why is it that every time Apple hires someone or some blogger notices someone's profile changed on LinkedIn its newsworthy? On any given day Apple has 600+ job openings on its site. Unless they hire a new SVP or someone reporting directly to Tim Cook I don't see what's newsworthy about it.

If you were editor of MacRumors, I'm guessing there would be about one story a week since you wouldn't post anything about lawsuits, competitive technology, new hires, etc

 

[mccldwll]

Barf. Time to sell my stock.

Lobbyists are a sign of the end.

I seriously hope that you accidentally left off the sarcasm emoticon. Otherwise, don't know what to make of a claimed stockholder who doesn't realize that lobbyists are essential for large corporations (not that it's good, just that it's a reality).

 

[joneill55]

Tim cook hired a Democrat? That's some real news.

Well if the Republican Party wasn't "brain-dead with a gun to its head by the tea-baggers, maybe he's consider a pubbie!

#beholdentotheteabaggers

 

[oldhifi]

Just another corporation buying another lobbyist to buy another politician.... Nothing else to see here... move along please.

LOL, very true!

 

[Daalseth]

"America has no future until it rids itself of two great falsehoods:
That money is speech and
That corporations are citizens"

Coretta Scott King
(Possibly paraphrased)

 

[sransari]

Apple is doing the right thing for its business by investing in lobbyists that will save Apple money in taxes and give Apple a competitive edge. hating the player is non-sensical. you gotta hate/change the game.

lobbyists exist because government has too much power to grant the wishes of the rich and politically connected. yet liberals complain when the rich get richer, even though liberals keep voting for the big government that continues to enrich the rich at the expense of everyone else

these lobbyists, btw, get paid almost directly by tax payer dollars. companies pay their lobbyists via their tax savings. Of course, that fact is conveniently ignored by embracers of big government who naively think that theft of personal capital (i.e. tax) is justified since most tax dollars go to noble causes, whereas they mostly end up in the hands of already rich lobbyists, banks, bureaucrats that produce nothing, defense contractors whose products are used to kill women and children in other countries, and individuals who elect not to work.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Barf. Time to sell my stock.

Lobbyists are a sign of the end.

If you didn't realize every public company listed on a major exchange has a rep or at least is a member of an industry group that has one then you really have no business owning any stock. Do a little research. Seriously.

And has for lobbyists being a sign of the end, the term in popular usage goes back to the mid-1800s in the U.K. and then in the U.S. around 1870. So much for being a sign of the end.

 

[imageWIS]

Absolute power corrupt absolutely. The system is broken and needs to be fixed ASAP. First vital measure:

Limit ALL campaign contributions to $100. Ban all over monies from elections.