Dems Drop Even The Pretense of Fighting Corruption
 

CQ:

The Democrats, as often observed, won a majority in Congress by demanding an end to the "culture of corruption" and undue lobbyist influence. The main beneficiaries of that campaign, the 41 freshman Democrats in the House, now want to form a political action committee to increase their clout on the Hill. So who did they choose to form and run it? Three guesses, and the first two don't count:

The class of 41 freshman House Democrats has selected a registered lobbyist to form its political action committee, in what ethics watchdogs and Republicans are calling a contradiction of their promise to end a "culture of corruption" in Washington.
The custodian of the Democratic Freshmen PAC is William C. Oldaker, 65, whose most-recent lobbying clients include the oil industry, the tobacco lobby, pharmaceutical industries and American Indian gambling interests. Mr. Oldaker also has been removed from several Democratic PACs over conflict-of-interest concerns.

According to a 2005 report by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), "When lobbyist William Oldaker sits down to negotiate with a member of Congress, he brings years of experience working for the federal government to the table, as well as the legislative resources of his own firm. He also brings quite a bit of money."

CPI has publicly referred to Mr. Oldaker as a "rainmaker," for his ability to successfully represent his clients' interests before congressional lawmakers. Many prominent lawmakers, and especially those seeking higher office, form PACs to donate money to other candidates or causes. From Washington times

Oh, I get it. It takes a thief to catch a thief, right? The Democrats want to use a full-employment model for "rainmaker" lobbyists so that they can catch them in the act of benefitting Democrats instead of Republicans -- the better to expose them. That must be the strategy!

Or, perhaps, the Democrats have decided to end even the pretense of fighting corruption and lobbyist influence. Given their rhetoric on and off the campaign trail, the selection of Oldaker specifically rejects their promises over the last two years. Oldaker has represented the betes noirs of the modern Democratic Party: Big Oil, Big Tobacco, and the pharmaceuticals. It's practically the Democratic version of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Leatherface, someone that they would have hauled in front of a televised committee hearing to humiliate rather than hire to add the Democrats to that list of clients.

Congressman Mike Thompson insists that the Democratic Freshmen PAC has followed the law in forming its PAC and hiring Oldaker, but that's hardly the point. Most of the influence that lobbyists have in Washington comes within the law, too. That's what the Democrats -- and especially these freshmen -- promised to change. They certainly never indicated that they would hire registered lobbyists from Big Oil and Big Tobacco as their consultants.

Republicans set themselves up to lose last year by clinging to lobbyists and their money more and more tightly over their 12-year period of control of Congress. The Democrats are setting speed records in making the same mistakes over a 12-week period. It's a betrayal of the Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid rhetoric, one that even Oldaker could have predicted would backfire.

They lie right to your face, counting on your stupidity and apathy(both of which they fervently believe in and need) .

JP

Suprise, suprise.

Replicans are venial, ruthless power mongers. So are the Democrats; they're politicians.

There is NOTHING new here - been this way for going on 250 years. (Come to think of it, more like 10,000 years)

To repeat: they rely on your ... apathy, which they need. If this is NOTHING new, why was it the fulcrum issue on which they took the Congress?

How do they enjoy a pass from our MSM who demonized Republicans for doing, according to you, NOTHING new?

Congress still enjoys a lower approval rating than Bush. That is SOMETHING new.

JP

PS -- BTW, I assume you meant "venal"-- able to be purchased; associated with or characterized by bribery, and not "venial" -- able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong. But maybe you were making a different point?

I'm afraid I have done a poor job of stating my case.

I am not apathetic, just not surprised. A little disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No.

I really do feel that we have had a remarkably corrupt set of politicians in Washington for the past 6 years. The sad fact is, however, that I don't necessarily expect Democrats to be any better just because they’re Democrats.

Corruption is non-partisan.

Good eye, I meant venal :)

Why would a group of legislators need a PAC? Fill me in on this.

Let me make this clear to U all. Its when the Citizenery believes that it is the way Politics are conducted and hardly an eyebrow is raised to corruption or self serving interests that Democracy becomes endangered. Its when the Citizens demand more from their Leadership and are willing to hold them accoutable for their actions that Democracy is florishing. Unfortunately today many Citizens have become apathetic, think that nothing will ever change or are distracted from the business of Government. Why even Al Gore himself has written a book on the danger Democracy in America faces, called "The Assault on Reason" However in my minority opinion Al Gore himself put a nail in the coffin of Democracy in Amercia, by calling the very PROCESS of voting in America into question. When for 200 years everybody knew the process was flawed.

The Democrats had over 60 years of control of the legislative branch prior to 1994, during which they trampled personal liberty, trashed the Constitution and advanced a socialist agenda.

The only difference between 12 years of Republicans and 60 years of Democrats is the length of time in control.

We must revive our Constitution, remove the fascists and replace them with a smaller, less empowered representative government.

YOu try and DOWNSIZE the Federal Bureaucracy and see what happens to U.

That sounds like fear tabby! Hardly the Call to Arms I'd expected from you! If you've resigned yourself to How Things Are, then you've thrown in your lot according to your own prior post!

I'm with you, Lothar! All we need now is about 50 million people with us!

JP

Darn, after this past November, I really thought this time was going to be different.