Friday Too
Did you happen to hear what took place when the House republicans got together to elect a new Majority Leader? Tom Delay resigned his post as Majority Leader because of money laundering allegations so the Republican House Members were determined to project a new image of honesty and to leave behind any taint of corruption. On the first secret ballot more ballots were turned in than there were members in attendance.
posted by Michael at
8:19:00 AM
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ETHICS
Out With the Old, In With the Old
After making Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) the new House Majority Leader, the right-wing immediately began spinning his victory as a call for reform. "There was a feeling, 'We've got a chance to interject a little change here,'" Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) said. "John Boehner represented more change." Boehner touted his reformer credentials in the run-up to yesterday's vote. "I've got a long record of real reform in Congress," Boehner said, "and I think I can lead the effort to bring about the kind of reforms the American people are expecting from Congress." This, coming from a man who once handed out checks from tobacco lobbyists on the House floor, rings a bit hollow. Boehner does not take the Abramoff scandal or lobbying reform seriously and has said the whole push for reform will be over "six to eight weeks from now." The "perpetually tanned conservative" is "an active member of the lobbying-governing culture that has taken hold" in Washington -- so don't expect real change any time soon.
BIG MAN ON K STREET: Boehner, who earlier this month claimed he would scrap the K Street Project, is an odd choice to help push a lobbying reform agenda through Congress. From 1995 to 1998, he held a meeting "every Thursday morning in the speaker's Capitol suite with about a dozen of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington to coordinate plans for pushing their conservative agenda." During his stint as "policy traffic cop for the business community," Boehner "assembled a loyal and effective network of lobbyists" with whom he will undoubtedly coordinate in his new position. These close relationships have benefited those close to Boehner. The Center for Public Integrity documented at least 14 lobbyists who had walked through the revolving door from Boehner's congressional offices to K Street. Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) summed it up best: "The problem John faces is that he's so close to K Street; that's the challenge he's got."
SPECIAL INTERESTS SAY JUMP, BOEHNER ASKS HOW HIGH: Sallie Mae and other loan companies have generously donated to Boehner. In exchange, the former chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce "shepherded through Congress student-loan legislation that will affect Sallie Mae's bottom line and offered assurances that he will protect such lenders' interests." PoliticalMoneyLine examined the 2003-2004 financial disclosure forms from Boehner's Freedom Project PAC. They found that out of $572,719 of individual donations, those "affiliated with the private student-loan industry gave the PAC $220,020, including $52,670 from officers of Sallie Mae." In another analysis, the Center for Responsive Politics discovered that Sallie Mae is Freedom Project's biggest donor, with donations totaling $122,470 since 1989. "Boehner has sponsored legislation strongly supported by private student lenders to restrict the ability of the U.S. Department of Education to make government student loans less expensive by cutting fees," the Washington Post reported. Recently, Boehner supported a bill that "could deal a serious blow to the competing direct-loan program" by making student-aid budgets discretionary (varying year to year), rather than mandatory. Sallie Mae and other private companies are hoping this will allow Congress to reduce funding to their direct-loan competition.
A SPECIAL INTEREST PARTY ANIMAL: Boehner enjoys the lifestyle that being a powerful member of Congress affords. He reportedly "loves golfing with corporate contributors at some of this country's best courses" and "enjoys dining at Washington's fine restaurants, often in the company of lobbyists." An analysis by the USA Today found that in a five-year span, Boehner took 31 trips funded by special interests, 22 of which he took with his wife. Again, Sallie Mae has shown other interests the way to Boehner's heart. A Sallie Mae lobbyist "hosted a fund-raising dinner in her suburban Washington home for his leadership political action committee" and "a majority of the company's top executives wrote checks for the event." The Chronicle of Higher Education reported, "On several occasions, Mr. Boehner was a guest of Albert L. Lord, who was Sallie Mae's chief executive officer from 1997 to 2005 and is now chairman of its board, on the company's corporate jet, primarily for golf outings in Florida."
By
Michael, at 8:57 AM
Sorry, but I meant to add, "from the American Progress Report", to my last comment.
By
Michael, at 10:56 AM
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