With news articles and blog postings about Barack Obama’s lobbying ethics reform bill foundering (yes, yes, I realize lobbying and ethics have never been in the same room, let alone been introduced to one another), I ask why are the vast majority of the D.C. Democrats ignoring the proverbial elephant in the living room?
Sure, there are other reform proposals floating around, some partisan, some bi-partisan, but are the D.C. Democrats showing true colors yet again by not going for broke on yet another issue?
This is one that:
- is a moral issue at that (just how many of those get dumped in the laps of Democrats?)
- would eliminate at least some of the stench of politics as we know it
- carries tremendous political currency for 2006 and beyond
I fear that this is yet another example of the D.C. Democrats wanting to politically benefit from so-called reform (let’s trim around the edges and call it a day) while actually constructing a toothless paper tiger. Is it rearrange, rather than rehab? Hey, the GOP already has cornered that market.
Or is this professional jealousy and over-sized egotism? In the following article, Obama is described as the point man on lobbying reform for the Democrats. Are other presumed Democratic presidential candidates not wanting to create an ‘Obama Express’ for 2008 or beyond? Is it more of me, me, me and screw the people we supposedly represent? I repeat, the Republicans possess the deed to such territory.
Howard Dean is right yet again. Don’t rely on D.C. Democrats for new direction and leadership–create and build it throughout the fifty states. Oh, I forgot, the staid and comfortable powers-that-be in and out of government, throughout the mainstream media, et al, label that radical, leftist, extremist.
I call it progressive.
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/022806/news1.html
