March 18, 2011
LOBBYISTS GO BACK TO WRITING LAWS.... When House Republicans were in the minority, they had a steadfast rule in advance of policy debates: do what the lobbyists say.
When Congress worked on a jobs bill, the GOP huddled with corporate lobbyists. When work on Wall Street reform got underway, Republicans huddled with industry lobbyists. When Congress worked on health care reform, they huddled with insurance lobbyists. When an energy/climate bill started advancing, Republicans huddled with energy lobbyists. When choosing candidates for key statewide offices, Republicans even recruited former corporate lobbyists.
But that was the last Congress. Now, Republicans are running the show in the House again, and the GOP has streamlined the process -- lobbyists are no longer lobbying, they're
working directly for Republicans and writing legislation.more...
—Steve Benen 10:00 AM