Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid running around with lobbyists? I'm shocked! Oh wait. No I'm not.

Politico has the story about lobbyist Chip Barclay of the American Association of Airport Executives:

Barclay will join Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer of New York, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Maria Cantwell of Washington to discuss the need for Congress to pass a long-stalled Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which the Senate is expected to consider this week. The American Association of Airport Executives lobbied lawmakers on nearly identical legislation last year, records show. Barclay specifically will talk about how the bill will create airline jobs, according to a news release. Democrats, who are billing the legislation as their first jobs bill of the 112th Congress, contend it will create or save hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Democrats often get away with it when they walk hand-in-hand with special interests asking for money. Here it's about jobs, but often it's about "green tech." I wrote a column from Columbus, Ohio, about then-Gov. Ted Strickland:

At least two of the pro-Strickland executives had driven to the event in hybrid cars, and the Design Group's headquarters had a funky, modern look. But strip away the superficialities - including Strickland's green tie - and you had a governor, standing in a corporate headquarters side-by-side with corporate executives, fighting for subsidies for these businesses.