Lobbyists lobby for lobbyists as reform efforts heat up - Rowdy rooftop - Notre Dame shame - Hide your Hummer H2 - All in the family - Lampkin hangs a shingle - Brunswick hires Power - Koch to Chamber Presented by Philip Morris International

LOBBYISTS LOBBY FOR LOBBYISTS AS REFORM EFFORTS HEAT UP: With the nation’s influence industry facing congressional proposals that could further crimp how it operates, leaders are responding as they best know how — by using lobbyists for lobbyists.

“We need a consistent presence, and it seems hypocritical for me not to register,” said Howard Marlowe, president of the American League of Lobbyists who in April himself registered as a federal lobbyist to represent the interests of his members.


Marlowe is joined by Michael Willis, a former legislative aide to Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), in actively lobbying on behalf of the American League of Lobbyists.

Between April and June, federal records show they made contacts with the White House, House, Senate and Office of the Vice President to lobbying on issues including lobbying reform, lobbying disclosure, campaign finance laws and rules governing gifts.

And they could become busier yet with two lobbying restriction proposals slated to course their way through Congress — one in the House, another in the Senate. Dave will have more later today at politico.com.

ROWDY ROOFTOP: While Speaker John Boehner continued to struggle to find an end game on the debt ceiling, weary congressmen, staffers and K Streeters put aside the worries of default and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on Holland & Knight’s rooftop for their annual pre-August recess bash.

Holland & Knight’s Rich Gold, Beth Viola, John Buscher and Lisa Barkovic, among other HK-ers, hosted the event that drew a large crowd.

Attendees included: Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio); Greg Casey, aide to Sen. Scott Brown; Kristen Welsh, an aide on the Senate Finance Committee; Danielle Joos, an aide to Sen. Pat Toomey; and Brianne Miller, an aide to Rep. Doc Hastings.

Gayle Osterberg, president of 133 Public Affairs; Peter Molinaro of Dow Chemical Company; Tom Benjamin of DDC Democracy; and Paul Noe, vice president of regulatory affairs at American Forest & Paper Association, all mingled on the packed rooftop. So did former Rep. Tom Reynolds and Sally Vastola, now at Nixon Peabody; Boeing’s Tillie Fowler; NAHB’s Kedrin Simms Brachman; Kim Olive of Southwest Strategies; and Brian Wild of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti.

It’s FRIDAY! Woohoo! Although, if you’re a member of Congress, or a congressional staffer, or anyone else with direct dealings with debt ceilings, national credit defaults or digging vaults in backyards to fill with gold bullion, your weekend will likely be all work and no play and for that, we extend our deepest sympathies — in part, tomorrow, from FedEx Field, where Dave will be basking in the sports fan’s glory that is a Manchester United vs. Barcelona friendly. Anna, meanwhile, has the heavy task of picking out countertops and appliances — which might be less fun that Boehner will be having trying to persuade conservative Republicans to stick with him.

To lighten your mood, be sure to check out the amazing collection of winning entries from our lobby theme-song challenge, which you’ll find below. And be sure to send all variety of tips to us at [email protected] and [email protected], or tweet with us at @ davelevinthal and @ apalmerdc. We read everything we get from our loyal PI readers. So don’t be shy.

NOTRE DAME SHAME: Not everyone was thrilled with the decision of Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) to invoke his alma mater, Notre Dame, during Thursday’s caucus meeting where he handed out “Play Like a Champion” signs. “This guy is just like our former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie: a spirited yet ineffective blowhard who, at the end of the day, is just going to rack up a bunch of losses for his team,” one embarrassed Notre Dame alum-turned-K Streeter sent in an e-mail missive to PI.

Not to worry, embarrassed alum. The old blue and gold isn’t leaving its Washington representation up to Kelly. Van Scoyoc Associates founder Stu Van Scoyoc, Tom Quinn and Keith Morrison are registered to lobby for the University of Notre Dame. And the Catholic school is paying a pretty penny to influence Washington. The school paid VSA $100,000 during the first six months of 2011.

HIDE YOUR HUMMER H2: Military veteran and environmental lobby Operation Free has launched a radio campaign in Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina. The four-figure buy, which spokesman Ben Lowe tells PI will initially run from today through Wednesday, argues that cars must become more fuel-efficient so that the United States will depend less on oil. The 30-second ads coincide with President Barack Obama’s auto industry-backed proposal to raise fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: BGR Group is representing a newly formed grass-roots organization Partnership for America. The group’s primary target is repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law and to replace it with a market-based solution, according to a release.

Partnership for America is not only using BGR Group’s talents as its consultants, it also counts BGR Group lobbyist Bob Wood as its legislative director.

Other principles include: James Wootton, former president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform; policy director James Capretta, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; and Chuck Cooper, founding member of the law firm Cooper & Kirk, as litigation counsel.

So far, it’s unclear who is putting up the funding for the group. BGR Public Relation’s Jeff Birnbaum tells PI that the organization has a policy of not commenting on its donors.

LAMPKIN HANGS A SHINGLE: Republican operative Emily Lampkin has exited DCI Group after more than five years to form her own public affairs firm, the Lampkin Group. While she will continue to work on two clients with DCI Group, in an email to friends and colleagues early Friday morning, she said her new venture will also allow her to provide "small-scale public affairs advice and counsel.”

BRUNSWICK HIRES POWER: Brunswick Group is bringing on veteran Wall Street Journal reporter Stephen Power as a director.

KOCH TO CHAMBER. Matt Koch, former White House and Department of Energy aide, is joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy to lead its new "Partnership to Fuel America" initiative, which is focused on getting the Keystone XL oil pipeline approved.

GONZO NUMBERS FOR COLBERT SUPER PAC: In an email blast last night, comedian Stephen Colbert announced that a small army of people have joined his federally registered super PAC.

“On June 29th, I sent out a call. A call for all heroes to come together under the banner of Colbert SuperPAC, put some money in a hat, and then leave. And you came: over 120,000 of you joined with the goal of Making a Better Tomorrow... Tomorrow,” wrote Colbert, who signed the message, which doubled as a solicitation, with the title “President and Chieftain of the Dúnedain, Colbert Super PAC.”

Colbert continued: “Your concerns will be scientifically blended with the concerns of other Colbert SuperPAC members, then formed into a nutritious concern loaf for me to cram down Washington's gullet. … It's like a reverse orchestra, where you're all the conductors and I'm the one musician, armed with an FEC-sanctioned violin made of money. Or maybe an oboe — that's up to you. You've made your money-voice heard, now make your mouth-voice heard.”

WINNERS OF THE PI LOBBY THEME SONG COMPETITION! On Wednesday ( http://politi.co/oENZnE), we gave you a simple mission: Propose to PI the most awesomely cringe-worthy theme songs appropriate for any of the thousands of companies, unions and special interests that lobby the federal government.

Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid each wrote in to tell us that they collectively spent no fewer than 47 hours coming up with kitschy entries. That’s a complete lie. But a number of you, who are not directly responsible for the fiscal fate of our great nation did respond to our challenge in fantastic fashion, as we received dozens of entries.

So, without further ado, the contest co-winners, as determined by the unabashedly deliberative and democratic body that is Dave and Anna:

D.C. resident Steve Kolbert (who reminds you to “pronounce the ‘T’” in his last name): Scorpions: "Rock You Like a Hurricane" — National Weather Service Employees Organization

Marcus Baram, Huffington Post news editor: Sugar: "Slick" — American Petroleum Institute

Other highly excellent recommendations:

Nashville resident Chris Walker, a former spokesman for Sens. Bill Frist and Burr suggests Alabama’s "Roll on 18 Wheeler" for the American Trucking Association.

Holly Feraci, government affairs veep at MSL Washington, self-effacingly recommends Velvet Revolver’s "Slither" for the lobbying industry in general.

Kevin O'Neill at Patton Boggs sent us a number of wild suggestions with the disclaimer that they “largely date him to a time when playlists were mix tapes and iPods were boom boxes.” Among them:

Brian Adams: "Cuts Like a Knife" — American College of Surgeons

Elton John: "Rocket Man" — Virgin Galactic

Barenaked Ladies: "If I Had $1,000,000" — Managed Funds Association

Sting: "Every Breath You Take" — American Lung Association

The Fray: "How to Save a Life" — American Ambulance Association

Paul Simon: "Kodachrome" — Eastman Kodak

Sheryl Crow: "Soak Up the Sun" — Solar Energy Industry Association

Steve Winwood: "The Finer Things" — Tiffany’s

Phil Collins: "(Billy) Don’t Lose My Number" — CTIA, The Wireless Association

Uncle Kracker: "Smile" — American Association of Orthodontists

Steve Kolbert has several others, too …

Warren Zevon: "Lawyers, Guns and Money" — National Rifle Association

Bruno Mars: "The Lazy Song" — NORML

Van Halen: "Hot for Teacher" — National Education Association

Pink: "Just Like a Pill" — Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

Nicko Margolies of the Sunlight Foundation came through with several entries, including:

Kanye West: "Late Registration"; Beyonce: "Run the World" — For lobbyists in general

Pitbull: "Give Me Everything" — For lobbying clients in general

Daniel Lippman at McClatchy Newspapers’ DC Bureau filed a number of side-splitters, including:

Lady Gaga: "Bad Romance" — American Heart Association

Jessie J: "Price Tag" — National Retail Federation

Tinie Tempah: "Written In The Stars" — American Astronomical Society

Pink: "Raise Your Glass" — Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

Bad Meets Evil: "Lighters" — Altria

Frank Ocean: "Novacane" — American Dental Association

Pitbull featuring Marc Anthony: "Rain Over Me" — American Meteorological Society

Marcus Baram at HuffPost also has these:

Guru: "Power, Money & Influence" — Financial Services Roundtable

The Lox, featuring Lil’ Kim: "Money, Power, Respect" — Securities and Financial Market Association

ABC: "The Power of Persuasion" — American Electric Power

NEW FEDERAL PAC FILING:

• Americans for Equal Credit Opportunity of Leawood, Kansas. Treasurer: Charles William Bush

• New Urban PAC, Baltimore. Treasurer: Ronald L. Williams Jr.

• American Independent Energy PAC of Ada, Okla. Treasurer: Berry Mullennix

RECENT LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client)

• Arcadian Partners: March of Dimes Foundation

• Hague Associates: TrioMed Innovation

Follow us on Twitter Theodoric Meyer @theodoricmeyer