From The Whitehouse, “Administration Officials Continue Travel Across the Country for “Recovery Summer” Events, Project Site Visits“:

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, President Obama and other Administration officials are continuing to hold “Recovery Summer” events and visit Recovery Act project sites as part of a focus on the surge in Recovery Act projects underway across the country this summer. The Recovery Act has already funded tens of thousands of projects and put about 2.5 million Americans to work, but this summer is the most active Recovery Act season yet, with thousands of new projects breaking ground that are helping to create more jobs for American workers and economic growth for businesses large and small.

President Obama
President Obama will travel to Kansas City, Missouri to visit Smith Electric Vehicles, where he will tour the facilities and deliver remarks on the economy to workers. Smith Electric Vehicles is an all-electric, zero emissions commercial truck manufacturer that received a $32 million Recovery Act grant to build all-electric trucks. The award, which is part of the $2.4 billion in Recovery Act advanced battery and electric vehicle grants the President announced last August, is helping Smith Electric establish operations at a re-purposed jet engine overhaul facility at the Kansas City International Airport, the first of as many as 20 regional assembly plants Smith Electric plans to open in the U.S.

Smith Electric Vehicles’ website is here.

• The Detroit News, “Obama touts battery power in Mo.“
• NPR, “Obama Pushes Jobless Relief As Debt Concerns Mount“
• Kansas City Star, “Obama stop planned at KC electric car maker“
• New York Times, “Obama Returns to Missouri, Site of Slim 2008 Loss“
• St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “Obama visiting Missouri Thursday“

We’ve been reading governors’ state of the state addresses to see if and how they mention “manufacturing” or “industry” and their cognates as a very rough measure of their interest in their state’s manufacturing sector. In the President’s case, the term arose during his defense of the stimulus bill.

Today, it’s the same exercise for President Obama’s State of the Union.

The plan that has made all of this possible, from the tax cuts to the jobs, is the Recovery Act. (Applause.) That’s right -– the Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus bill. (Applause.) Economists on the left and the right say this bill has helped save jobs and avert disaster. But you don’t have to take their word for it. Talk to the small business in Phoenix that will triple its workforce because of the Recovery Act. Talk to the window manufacturer in Philadelphia who said he used to be skeptical about the Recovery Act, until he had to add two more work shifts just because of the business it created.

And…

Next, we can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. (Applause.) From the first railroads to the Interstate Highway System, our nation has always been built to compete. There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.

Tomorrow, I’ll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. (Applause.) There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help move our nation’s goods, services, and information. (Applause.)

 For earlier posts on state of the state addresses, go here.

The Hill ran a story, “White House eases stimulus lobbyist restriction,” with this thesis:

In a significant change, the Obama administration will now allow lobbyists to meet and have telephonic discussions with government officials regarding economic recovery projects…[snip]

In March, President Obama announced that government officials would not be allowed to consider the views of lobbyists regarding specific stimulus projects unless the requests are put in writing. The materials also had to be posted on an agency’s website within three business days of receipt. Lobbyists have said that the policy was one more example of the administration’s disdain for their industry.

Now, the just-revised rules will allow government personnel to accept meetings and calls from federally registered lobbyists on the implementation of stimulus projects. The head of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, issued a new guidance late Friday regarding the administration’s communications with registered lobbyists about economic recovery funds.

The release of the guidance on the cusp of a summer weekend tells you that the Administration did not want to draw attention to the memo, probably for fear of being accused of hypocrisy or yet more OBama è mobile. Glenn Reynolds gibes, “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”

We wanted to congratulate the Administration for realizing it went too far. But in reading the guidance, we see many continued restrictions on free speech and the ability to petition the government for redress of grievances. The Obama Administration is still being cavalier about the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens, including but not limited to registered lobbyists.

During the period of time commencing with the submission of a formal application by an individual or entity for a competitive grant or other competitive form of Federal financial assistance under the Recovery Act, and ending with the award of the competitive funds, you may not participate in oral communications initiated by any person or entity concerning a pending application for a Recovery Act competitive grant or other competitive form of Federal financial assistance, whether or not the initiating party is a federally registered lobbyist. This restriction applies unless:

(i) the communication is purely logistical (Part A above);
(ii) the communication is made at a widely attended gathering (Part B above);
(iii) the communication is to or from a Federal agency official and another Federal Government employee;
(iv) the communication is to or from a Federal agency official and an elected chief executive of a state, local or tribal government, or to or from a Federal agency official and the Presiding Officer or Majority Leader in each chamber of a state legislature; or
(v) the communication is initiated by the Federal agency official.

So this remains forbidden: “Hi, John? I do hope you’ll take a look at Project 42. It will save the taxpayers $10 million. Thanks!”

And from the FAQ:

Q: I have received a request to meet with representatives of a corporation that has filed an application for a competitive grant. The representatives want to discuss the merits of the corporation’s proposal. The representatives are not federally registered lobbyists. May I speak with them?
A: No. Because the corporation has filed an application for a competitive grant, its representatives may not initiate communications with you orally about the merits of the application or proposal.

Bottom line: The White House forbids legitimate advocacy as improper. And, it’s depriving itself of useful information.

Earlier posts:

• “How Dare You Petition the Government, Expanded”
• “Shut Up“

UPDATE (5:24 p.m.): The anti-business activists at Citizens for Reponsibility and Ethics in Washington, which protested the original rules, call the revised guidelines “smart policy.” They don’t really say why, though: “It is just good policy that once an application for a competitive loan or grant has been filed, no one – registered lobbyist or not – can lobby the government official responsible for handing out the taxpayer funds.” That’s just an assertion, which in effect endorses this position: One someone applies for a grant or loan under the stimulus, they no longer can petition the Executive Branch.

And they call that policy smart?