Editor's Note: Lobbyists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to influence the health care debate in this country. By some counts, there were six health care lobbyists for every member of Congress. In part two of the American Morning original series, "Lobbying for Your Health," Carol Costello is taking a look at a war room built to steer the debate in their favor.
By Bob Ruff and Carol Costello
What's the difference between a getting a president elected and getting a health care reform bill passed? If you're the Service Workers International Union, the SEIU, there isn't any difference.
"Health care has been our candidate," says SEIU's President Andy Stern, "and we've been trying to win the election and we're closer than ever before."
Stern has a "war room" set up in Washington to push health care reform legislation, by the president, now working its way through the Congress. Nationally, there are 400 full time employees making calls to voters, organizing field workers, dispatching lobbyists to congressional offices, and working the media.
On a frigid December morning we found SEIU members chanting outside the Brooklyn, NY field office of Democratic Congressman Michael McMahon, who voted against the House health care bill. For nearly an hour they chanted: "What do we want? Health care! When do we want it? Now!"
In Connecticut, scores of SEIU workers worked the phones urging people to challenge Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to stop blocking health care reform. And in Pittsburgh, SEIU worker Georgeann Koehler, whose brother died without health insurance, went door-to-door urging residents to sign cards supporting health care reform. She's taking those cards "to Washington, DC and as far up on the ladder as I can get, because our congressmen have to know that people in this country need it."
Back in Washington, SEIU lobbyist Loretta Johnson is sitting down with Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), urging him to change his mind about opposing the health care bill. How much access does Johnson have to the people in power?
"I've probably talked to at least half of the congressmen," she told us, "and about all of the senators."
And why do so many in Congress open the door when she knocks?
"Usually when I say I'm Loretta Johnson with SEIU they go, 'OOOHHHHH! Okay!'"
The union's access doesn't stop there. Stern himself, according to logs released by the administration, has visited the Obama White House 22 times through August 1, although there is no information about how many times he may have met with the president.
But here's the catch: Stern technically isn't a lobbyist, because unlike Loretta Johnson he's NOT a registered lobbyist. He de-registered in 2007.
That has upset organizations like Americans for Tax Reform and the Alliance for Worker Freedom, which say that Stern's access to the White House is a violation of the "Lobbying Disclosure Act." They've asked the U.S. Attorney to investigate Stern for illegal lobbying activities.
Carol Costello asked Stern about the charge. He says, "We're going to send them a letter and tell them the truth, which is we've complied with the law, and we assume whenever the investigation is done, it'll be fine."