February 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
On October 6, 2006, the Associated Press reported that then House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would “drain the swamp.” On the first day they would “break the link between lobbyists and legislation.”
Today TheHill.com reports that lobbying revenue is up, up, up. Seven lobbyist firms are over the $20 million dollar mark for 2007. The article shows the top 25 lobbyist firms.
Democrats campaigned in 2006 in part by promising to break the bonds between lobbyists and lawmakers. New lobbying and ethics rules prohibit lobbyists from buying members or staff meals or other gifts or traveling with them on fact-finding trips.What had a bigger impact on K Street, firm partners say, was the increased legislative activity of the new Democratic majority in areas like energy and tax policy.
Lobbyists are merely the middlemen for those who stand to benefit in the exercise of legislative power. They are an effect of the full-time activity of our legislators. What laws can we write today? What earmarks can we write to stay elected?
Trusting Democrats to cut lobbying activity is like trusting Clintons to pay their catering bills.
