|
The ‘Culture of Corruption’ |
|
Friday, 05 May 2006 |
|
With all the hand wringing and tooth gnashing that preceded Wednesday’s House passage of “lobbying reform” legislation, you’d think it was a big deal.
But the bill, which squeaked through on a 217-213 vote largely along party lines, would leave the “culture of corruption” pretty much intact. Here’s what the bill will not do: …It won’t ban gifts to members of Congress or free flights on private jets from lobbyists. …It won’t close the revolving door for ex-members of Congress who move on to lobby their former colleagues. …It won’t eliminate “earmarks”–pork projects inserted into spending bills, often to please generous lobbyists. …It won’t create meaningful enforcement for ethics violations. …It won’t restore integrity to the legislative process or shut down lobbying excesses. Now look at what the bill will do: …It will require representatives and their aides to attend ethics training (the bad guys must be shaking in their boots about that provision). …And most incredibly cynical, it will restrict nonprofit groups that engage regular working people in the democratic process. Generally, says AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel, “it does nothing to curtail the disproportionate influence that corporations and wealthy special interests exercise in the legislative process.” The House vote to limit individual donations to so-called “527 nonprofit groups” (named for the tax law section under which these groups incorporate) restricts “independent political activity by organizations representing workers, consumers and other ordinary Americans,” Samuel says. He calls the provision “an excuse to discourage grassroots participation” in politics. Republicans have been gunning for the 527s, which tend to support progressive candidates. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) slammed the watered down “reform” legislation: When the energy companies write the energy bill, we have gasoline that costs $3 a gallon. When pharmaceutical companies write the Medicare prescription drug bill, we have a bill full of giveaways to cronies, but nothing for America’s seniors. When lobbyists write the lobbying reform bill, we end up with a ruse that winks at reform and does nothing to curtail the culture of corruption. Republicans in Congress have been trying to look like reformers to shed the “culture of corruption” image acquired when ethical scandals involving uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.) erupted. They had a heck of a time passing the bill, however, as members scrambled to protect their privilege to add earmarks to spending legislation. The final House measure would require disclosure of earmarks but not restrict them. Twenty Republicans voted against the House bill, and eight Democrats voted for it, according to The New York Times, which picked up this great quote from Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.): “We are cleaning up Congress the way teenagers clean up their bedrooms. And the result will be the same mess.” Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen president, was even more pointed, according to The Washington Post. She called the measure “a fraud on the American public.” The Senate has passed a somewhat less lenient version of lobbying reform. The two measures will have to be reconciled in a conference committee. |
