Senators Push For More Transparency For Super Committee

[neoconn]

Source: TPM

Republican Sens. Dean Heller (NV) and David Vitter (LA) are trying to shed some sunlight on all of the deficit super committee's activities -- including fundraising.

Even before the first super committee's Thursday morning meeting began, which was open to the public and aired on C-SPAN, Heller introduced legislation to make all of the panel's meetings, even the most informal, open to the public. Vitter introduced a companion bill that would require super committee members to disclose all campaign contributions within 48 hours of receiving them.

"The reason we're here is that we're opposed to inside baseball, and that's what we're seeing with this super committee," he told reporters Thursday morning at a press conference.

"We want notification on every meeting that they have," he said. "I can tell you right now that there have been private meetings already held. Not with perhaps the whole group but individually. Meetings have already been held , and I want that to stop."

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/senators-push-for-more-transparency-for-super-committee.php?ref=fpb

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Even though I know the repubs want transparency for some evil reason, I do agree with making all meeting and contributions public with this "super committee".

[russspeakeasy]

1. David Vitter wants transparency ?????

:rofl: :rofl:

[dtexdem]

2. We need more than transparency: the people need to smell the shit as well as see it.

;-)

[Owlet]

3. Right..put the whole thing on TV

That will pretty much guarantee that the committee will produce NOTHING! The members will be far too busy posturing for the television audience. Of course, that may well be the purpose behind these calls for 'transparency'. A deadlocked committee means across-the-board cuts, right?

Jonathan Turley has some thoughts on this:

"The back loaded automatic cuts provision is a sword that cuts both ways. Republicans want to cut critical social programs like Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid and preserve defense spending while Democrats want to preserve domestic spending and cut military spending. While the analogy of a sword works to describe this situation, there is one that works better: a gun loaded to play Russian Roulette. There is very little transparency required of this committee. Standing committees of Congress may send suggestions to the “Super Congress”, but there are no provisions to make these suggestions public. Some of those standing committees already operate in closed sessions such as the Senate Armed Services subcommittees. The final recommendations of the “Super Congress”, while to be published, have no specific details as to how they are to be published. The way the committee is structured, they will present a final bill with no chance of amendment or public input. They will be presenting bills to Congress that are little more than a take it or leave it demand. A hostage ransom demand. They have no incentive to reach accord politically. They have no incentive to reach accord structurally. They have no incentive to reach accord outside the eyes of public scrutiny. They have no incentive to reach accord.

Consider the outcomes if this committee does not find adequate budget cuts before the deadline. If the Republicans win at the polls, they get to cut Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid and deny any responsibility. If the Democrats win at the polls, they get to cut military spending without appearing to be soft on defense. There is no real incentive to find a solution with the automatic spending cuts provision. There is only the incentive for more political gamesmanship at the expense of the economy and people’s lives that play to the special interests in the weapons/military logistics industry and the health care insurance industry. This committee is playing political Russian Roulette, but the gun is pointed squarely at the heads of the American people they are supposed to be representing."

super congress or stupid congress?

[elleng]

4. Exactly. Sunshine is a good disinfectant BUT

NEGOTIATING CANNOT be public if it is going to be worth anything.

[ixion]

5. why the hell is fund-raising even allowed in this travesty of democracy?

The super committee shouldn't even exist, much less be able to spend time and the people's money on fund-raising of any sort.

[loveable liberal]

6. Cowards.