GOP scamming on lobbying reforms "That's a big hole" (WaPo)

[kpete]

GOP scamming on lobbying reforms
by Joe in DC - 1/18/2006 07:47:00 AM


Okay, this shouldn't come as a surprise, but the lobby "reform" bill proposed by the House GOP has a huge loophole according to the Washington Post:

According to lobbyists and ethics experts, even if Hastert's proposal is enacted, members of Congress and their staffs could still travel the world on an interest group's expense and eat steak on a lobbyist's account at the priciest restaurants in Washington.

The only requirement would be that whenever a lobbyist pays the bill, he or she must also hand the lawmaker a campaign contribution. Then the transaction would be perfectly okay.

"That's a big hole if they don't address campaign finance," said Joel Jankowsky, the lobbying chief of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, one of the capital's largest lobbying outfits.

The pigs feeding at the trough aren't going to give up all the freebies. They'll just have the lobbyists feed them and take them on trips through their campaigns.

It's classic GOP bait and switch. They're just going to say that they're doing reform -- but not do it. That fits their pattern. Lobby reform doesn't reform anything, like "Clear Skies" doesn't clean the skies and like "No Child Left Behind" leaves kids behind.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/gop-scamming-on-lobbying-reforms.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/17/AR2006011701311.html

[Avalux]

1. Democrats will put their lobbying reform package out today

Hopefully, they'll point out this giant hole, and what a bunch of weasels Hastert & Co. are. It's actually worse, IMHO, than what's going on now. They have to give a campaign contribution???? :banghead:

[rodeodance]

2. good for Wash post, te he

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. REFORMS are a red herring

It wasn't that there weren't already rules in place to restrict lobbying, it just the Repugs refuse to follow the rules.

You can make all the new rules you want and unless these bastards get indicted and go to jail, reforms won't make one bit of difference.

[Atman]

4. And the corporate media will give hours of airtime promoting GOP reforms

You can bet your lobbyist's lunch on it. The GOP will be made out to be heros by the media for doing this. The dems plan will be ignored. After over five years, don't we know how this is played yet?