Please, Don't Say "Lobbying Reform"

[sweetm2475]

TPM: Mark Schmitt

That's the other side's frame. This is not a lobbying scandal. It's a betrayal-of-public-trust scandal. Lobbyists have no power, no influence, until a public servant gives them power. That's what DeLay and the K Street Project was all about. What they did was to set up a system by which lobbyists who proved their loyalty in various ways, such as taking DeLay and Ney on golf trips to Scotland, could be transformed from supplicants to full partners in government.

Abramoff did lots of terrible things and should go to jail, but never forget that every single criminal and unethical act of his was made possible by a public official. On his own, Abramoff had no power. At another time -- say, 1993 -- he would have been a joke.

But every time we say "lobbying reform," we reinforce the idea that it is only the lobbyist who is the wrongdoer. Sure, many lobbyists are slimy and aggressive. (Others, in my experience, can be helpful and informative, as long as you understand that they represent only one side of an argument.) But no one forces any legislator or staffer to accept lunches, trips, or favors from a lobbyist. And the reason not to do that is that the legislator risks surrendering some of her power, which is a public trust, to these private interests.

I'll have more to say on specific proposals for reform in a day or two (hint: the best way to prevent these scandals is to put a watchdog on every member of Congress, in the form of an adequately funded challenger), but I just want to get this plea in immediately, to avoid the language that reinforces the idea that congressional leaders are helpless pawns of malevolent lobbyists.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2006/1/9/14932/78999

[stray cat]

1. Good point - they all broke the law on the books

The laws and punishments need to be enforced and the culture of corruption condemned instead of embraced as business as usual by Amercians and the media in particular.

[ixion]

2. it is unconstitutional for corporations to band together (think Big Oil)

and become such a powerful lobbying organization that, gee, the ENTIRE energy policy is a giveaway to big industry.

There is something wrong when this is possible, IMO, and it requires some type of reform.

[yurbud]

3. no, it's both. Tie a rock around the K Street Project and throw it in the

pond along with Abramoff, Delay, and the other shitbags.

[sweetm2475]

4. LOL! I just clicked on this from the fascArt website you have posted!

I especially love this one:

[yurbud]

5. Can you imagine what would have happened if Clinton had gay hooker?

visit him in the White House?

[sweetm2475]

6. ROFLMAO! don't get me started....

The Newter would have LOST his mind!!!!! "What will we tell the children? All children will think it's OK to have gay hookers":rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[yurbud]

7. Oh my lord, I hope the FREEPERS don't see this (LINK)

http://mysite.verizon.net/myk15/bushhugsmanho.html

[yurbud]

8. I haven't finished my Bushback Mountain one yet...

[yurbud]

9. I mean "Bush back-mountin'"

[sweetm2475]

10. you havent finished? are those your websites?

cause they are pretty kickass:yourock: :headbang:

[yurbud]

12. Bushback Mountain is still in production

[yurbud]

13. Mo Gannon pics

[sweetm2475]

14. too funny....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[realFedUp]

11. "Representatives on the Dole"

Good points. Putting David Dreier in charge of "lobbying reform"
is like putting Bob Ney in charge of ethics reform in the House.