Lob the Lobbying Bill Out the Window

Today's Washington Post editorial is dead on. The lobbying reform bill about to be brought before the House today is nothing but a joke. It is a feeble attempt to disguise inaction and, thanks to parenthood, I have my share of experiences with feeble attempts at deception from which to draw my conclusion.

House members should reject the diluted snake oil that Mr. Dreier and the GOP leadership are peddling as bold reform. Their bill, which is expected to come before the House for a vote today, is an insult to voters who the GOP apparently believes are dumb enough to be snookered by this feint. The procedures under which it is to be debated, allowing only meaningless amendments to be considered, are an insult also -- to the democratic process.
Source: Washington Post

Here's a catch to the above, to be insulted one has to be aware of the what is happening, to be paying attention. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are not paying attention due to decades of dumbing down.

Democrats tempted to vote for this sham because they're scared of 30-second ads that accuse them of opposing lobbying reform ought to ask themselves whether they really think so little of their constituents. As for Republicans willing to settle for this legislative fig leaf, they ought to listen to Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). "I happen to believe we are losing our moral authority to lead this place," Mr. Shays said on the House floor last week. He was generous not to have put that in the past tense.
Source: Washington Post

Generous indeed. If there is any moral authority remaining in Congress, it is well-concealed. Very few members of Congress speak openly of the sad state of our country and, when they do, know well the high political price they will pay. These same individuals who speak at their own political peril should be concerned about the successful abuse of their position on these 30-second negative ads. Americans nowadays can't handle more than a few seconds of information, the ads making the most appearances will likely be the ones whose messages will be taken as fact.

Yesterday, the CNN Politics page carried a piece by Molly Ivins which made me chuckle. I like Molly. She is down-to-earth and smart. Here's the opening...

Either the so-called "lobby reform bill" is the contemptible, cheesy, shoddy piece of hypocrisy it appears to be ... or the Republicans have a sense of humor.

The "lobby reform" bill does show, one could argue, a sort of cheerful, defiant, flipping-the-bird-at-the-public attitude that could pass for humor. You have to admit that calling this an "ethics bill' requires brass bravura.
Molly Ivins

and here's getting to the heart of the matter...

Come on, people, get mad. You deserve to be treated with contempt if you let them get away with this.

I'm sorry that all these procedural votes seem so picayune, and I know the cost of gas and health insurance are more immediate worries. But it is precisely the corruption of Congress by big money that allows the oil and insurance industries to get away with these fantastic rip-offs.

And therein lies the problem. Nobody seems to give a flip.

Why is no one screaming to get all these other issues under control. The same issues costing the average American additional hard-earned dollars.

Alright, so someone wants to focus on lobby reform as a start. Ladies and gentlemen of the United States Congress, you want to tackle lobby reform? Start with a committee to investigate the Israel lobby.

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