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Making Reform From the Abramoff Scandal

By Joshua Holland, AlterNet. Posted January 9, 2006.


The Abramoff scandal gives the grassroots a chance to push for changing the way government works.
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The American system of pay-to-play governance has been thrown into a moment of turmoil by the perverse greed of Jack Abramoff and the lobbying network in which he played the ringmaster. This is a window of opportunity to talk about political reform. But, as citizens, we face three hazards: demanding too much, settling for too little and leaving the whole thing to the two dominant parties to deal with.

Without a grass-roots effort putting heat on congressional members from their districts, the scandal may very well fade into pseudo-reform.

What's needed is a one-two punch: Graphically lay bare the infection of corruption among the current crop in Washington, while calling for realistic changes to the system itself.

Some will argue that pushing the Democrats' electoral advantage is all that matters. It's better to run against a corrupt party, they'll say, than it is to make repairs to a broken system. But by pushing the Democrats to call for political change that is at once focused and pragmatic -- and is also far more than the Republicans could ever accept, the grassroots can take the initiative.

The fact that we won't see Tom DeLay back at the helm as House majority leader suggests that even the rank and file in the GOP are wary of the impact of corruption's taint in the 2006 election. Conventional wisdom is that it is nearly impossible to swing the Congress given how gerrymandered the seats are to protect both parties. But every once in a while, as happened in the Gingrich-led sweep of Congress in 1994, the conventional wisdom can be stood on its head, and the Republicans are nervous.

This tale of corruption reflects just how much the federal government is creaking along on outdated 18th-century gears. Yet it is not going to be easy to move an agenda calling for a complete overhaul.

The public has historically strong support for campaign finance reform, and there is strong support for changing our lobbying system. But reform can take one of two courses. The 1970s Cointelpro scandal, for example, led to a fundamental re-examination and reworking of the laws that govern intelligence gathering in the U.S. The other course is that of placebo reform. Despite all the smoke and fury around the Enron and WorldCom scandals, they resulted in only one good but narrowly focused piece of legislation, Sarbanes-Oxley, which basically addressed one element of business corruption, double accounting standards. And ever since it passed, the business community has been chipping away at it systematically.

If progressive groups and concerned citizens don't get engaged and express their outrage, the Abramoff investigation may well become just another forgotten scandal. In pressing that case, grass-roots activists should keep in mind that the Democratic establishment needs the base on this issue. Some fresh opinion research by DriveDemocracy, a Texas-based progressive group, found that:

… where coverage and personal conversation have been intense (West Austin Republican-leaning suburbs, DeLay's district near Houston) embarrassed and shamed moderate voters are fleeing the GOP and considering Democrats for the first time in years. But in other areas of the state, where coverage, conversation and grassroots activity have been less extensive, voters are clinging more tightly to the legs of their abusive GOP daddies. GOP numbers are actually going up.

Both parties are jockeying for position, trying to become the "party of reform." If the Democrats have a broad reform movement behind them, they'll win the day. But that movement can only coalesce behind demands for substantive change. And if left alone to do it, we will get thin gruel indeed. Rahm Emanuel, the man charged with overseeing the Democratic takeover of the House in 2006, has given lip service to the notion that Democrats will be the party of "change," without elaborating quite what he means.

And Emanuel, the former Clinton insider is known more as a player than a reformer.

Here's a one-two punch for reform we should all rally around: The left jab is debunking the myth that the Abramoff and related scandals are little more than business as usual.


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Joshua Holland is an AlterNet staff writer.

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View:
agitator church and state
Posted by: eileenflmng on Jan 9, 2006 3:08 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"We have it in our power to change the world."-Tom Paine

What is need is PASSION and Grassroot action for only then will politicians follow the winds of change.

International's and Israeli and Palestinian Grassroots efforts in Solidarity for Human Rights and to End the Occupation are physically standing up to the Israeli Defence Force's tear gas, tanks, clubs and rubber bullets with nonviolent resistance against The Wall that is stealing Palestinian land and water rights.

In the village of Budrus, Palestinian women, children, farmers, Internationals, and Israelis said NO to The Wall that was being built on Palestinian property.

In Budrus The Wall is now on the Green Line.

The villages of Billin, Aboud and many others are now actively resisting, in SOLIDARITY and in unity using the ways and means of ACTIVE NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE.

Christ, MLK and Gandhi all did it, and Marley and the Wailers sang it:

"Stand Up, Get Up,
Stand UP for your rights
Stand Up, Get Up,
Don't give up the fight."

If we do not Stand Up and exercise our human rights and freedoms of conscience, thought and speech we will loose them indeed.

much more on WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org

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SteveBreeze
Posted by: SteveBreeze on Jan 9, 2006 4:18 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We have to have a clear agenda for reform.
Clean Money, Clean Elections is the way to go. http://www.publicampaign.org/ Has more information.
We need a believable standard bearer for that message, and I don't think we can do better then Russ Finegold. He has been at the forefront of campaign reform. We could possibly regain some control just on the basis of the GOP scandal, but it will be slight and fleeting.

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» RE: SteveBreeze Posted by: Lincoln fan
Reforming the money tree
Posted by: robchapman on Jan 9, 2006 6:23 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The author is right in stating that there is a need for a two step effort. The first effort is refuting the GOP contention that the Abramoff affair is business as usual. The second is reform.
I find the author's reliance on reform through legal and institutional arrangements wrong headed and dangerous.
Senator Lieberman made the point last week that the law has not covered some areas in the corruption scandal. Lieberman makes this assertion in the face of the FACT that Abramoff faces ten years in prison, reduced from thirty. I may be missing something and will listen if someone wants to explain, but LAWS THAT WILL PUT ABRAMOFF AWAY for thirty years seem sufficiently comprehensive and strict to me. Hence, I question the need for more laws.
Second, the Abramoff scandal required interaction between TWO bad actors. This is not a case in which one party commits a crime against another, the Members of Congress enmeshed in this scandal are culpable as well. The voters also bear criticism. The tolerant attitude of Congressman Bob Ney's constituents is indicative of the problem. Abramoff pleaded guilty to a crime that involved another blameworthy conspirator. Ney is one of those conspirators. Even if he is successful in defending himself against the legal charges in court he has betrayed the public trust.
A public that tolerates Ney's behavior and hides behind the court system to justify their indifference to wrong doing, is a huge part of the problem. We will never be able to make the laws restrictive enough to control the behavior of people who want to do bad things.
The electorate must hold the Congress to higher standards than just staying out of jail. Voting the rascals out and installing a cohort of honest, energetic and idealistic new congressmen in the place of these corrupt careerists WILL MAKE THE TANGIBLE REFORM THAT IS NEEDED.

Robert Chapman
Lansing, New York

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» Voting the rascals out Posted by: Lincoln fan
Golden Opportunity
Posted by: Lincoln fan on Jan 9, 2006 6:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
With both parties vying to be the party of reform we have a rare opportunity. With a grassroots effort we can take control to make them both parties of reform.

I think that we have to try a little different tack than the usual "put pressure on your elected officials". There is a chain we have to break. The true power is the "corporatocracy". They work through both parties to control the government. The elected officials in turn are pretty much controlled by their party. The logical point of attack is at the party level because that is where economic power is traded for political power.

My proposal is not complicated and does not require an organization. The issues that are enumerated in the article are vital. With a powerful grassroots effort we can force both parties to support these issues.

The plan is for each member to write to both parties national campaign headquarters and to his/her Republican and Democratic campaign headquarters. The letter states that he or she will not vote for a party or candidate who doesn't support the issue that is most impotant to him/her. If neither party supports this issue the member will cast a write in protest vote. I suggest a vote for "Honest Abe" as a reminder to our politicians of "government of the people, by the people, and for the people".

You may think that this threat is empty but it isn't. The low turnout at the polls is already an embarassment to our government. The politicians know that much of this apathy and the votes for third parties are a sign that citizens realize that their votes only decide which party serves the needs of the establishment. They would never risk having a million votes cast for "Honest Abe".

As a bonus, support for the most popular of these issues would be assured before the election. They would not be campaign issues and the voter would be free to cast his/her vote based on lesser issues. All we need are the people who are fed up with the system to join. Today's patriots can end the tyranny of "taxation without representation". It only costs four postage stamps and a half hour of your time.

For sample letters and the addresses click on join up

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» RE: Golden Opportunity Posted by: Charaud
» RE: Golden Opportunity Posted by: Lincoln fan
Return to the Electoral College
Posted by: Sojourner on Jan 9, 2006 7:38 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Rohrabacher is my congressman. I look forward to his attempts to justify his sympathy for Abramoff. I assume he will say that he did not know the extent of the violations at the time. And I doubt that I can expect a reply to my letter other than whatever boilerplate his office will be cranking out.

My worst fear is that the mess in Washington is so wide-ranging and deep that it will be impossible to do more than address the tip of the iceberg. We also have a war to deal with. And just as corporate accounting is able to dodge the reforms instituted after Enron, etc., so will the next GOP-dominated Congress and administration ignore whatever new laws may be put in place in response to Jackgate. A law is only as good as its enforcement.

We need a Constitutional amendment to return to the Electoral College. The election of the President by popular vote gives that office overweening power. Put more power back in the hands of the Congress and the courts. At least some discussion and debate are going on there. And depending on the Electoral College would encourage multiple parties.

BushII has showed us how easily our President can become a dictator. It’s time for us to put an end to that.

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Same old Pirates
Posted by: jeffrey7 on Jan 9, 2006 8:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This guy isn't new,neither are the methods. The whole kittin-caboodle needs to be flushed. Conservatives only want to conserve their wallets,NOT the Constitution. Neither Party is worth the eggs thrown at them. We as a People have to come toghther and disband this abomination of a ruling system. The
Jolly Roger flies over D.C. and it's time to repel all borders.
We have these snakes in our garden because we let the wealthy run things. The Big A is no different.

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Lobbying in D.C. should end. Political Johns, Pimps, Prostitutes need to find employment elsewhere.
Posted by: ABetterFuture on Jan 9, 2006 8:48 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Our representatives are sent to Washington to vote on laws and conduct the business of governing our nation. We DO NOT elect them to leave our states and communities and run around with their hands out, discussing our nation's legislative policies with anybody "informed" enough to be holding chic dinner reservations and/or a stack of crisp $100's.

However, lobbying "reform" will accomplish the same zero-sum result as campaign finance "reform" did. The people who are good at gaming the system may have to get a little better, they may have to hire a few more like-minded "experts" and--voila: business as usual with a few new terms, a few new arcane rules, and newly redefined terminology. Lobbying will go the way of "soft money"; "hard money"; "PAC's", etc.

No. I'm not interested in adding a layer to the onion. The lobbying "industry" needs to be shut down in our nation's capitol. It is a perversion of our republican form of democracy to allow our legislators to solicit funding and special favors while in Washington on public business.

I wouldn't tolerate a secretary (male or female, for you pc buffs out there) who uses company time to book appointments for prostitution, neither should we tolerate a system that allows--encourages--our public employees to whore themselves while on the public payroll.

...regardless of party affiliation.

The unfortunate thing is that Democrats have very little of a core consensus to drive "grass-roots" efforts. Democrats in California, New York, Denver, etc. can't talk about the South without giggling over the terms "in-bred" and "trailer park", and (of course) Democrats in the South can't talk about affairs in the California and New York and not giggle about how they aren't dying from the "gay disease" and haven't experienced "rolling city and statewide blackouts" due to poor energy policies.

I hope I'm wrong. It's possible that I've been victimized by my own perceptions.

...Except that cute little phrases like "Christian Taliban" keeps popping up. Hard to build a consensus when you start by ideologically marrying the predominant faith (perhaps as high as 80%) in our country with a political group that ruled by cutting people's body parts off.

Gorsh, I expect it's going to be hard to get a grass roots effort together from the vantage point of riding lawnmower.

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» The Lincoln web site. Posted by: ABetterFuture
» RE: The Lincoln web site. Posted by: Lincoln fan
clinker
Posted by: cottontail on Jan 9, 2006 8:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Grass roots, smashroots! The days of the people influencing Washington, D.C. are long gone. The national and multi-national corporations run this country and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The culprit is unbridled capitalism, which ain't gonna go away, folks.

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» RE: clinker Posted by: Lincoln fan
You think reform is possible?
Posted by: SDres11 on Jan 9, 2006 8:57 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I don't. Then again, this kind of shit happens all the time in South Dakota and yet the Republicans are never held accountable. In fact, regardless of party, if that politician is honest, he or she usually gets punished. The day that problem gets corrected is the day more states and eventually the nation will be on the path to less corruption if not none.

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Turn off your TV
Posted by: ScottP on Jan 9, 2006 9:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Where's all that political campaign money going? To TV ads. If nobody watched that garbage, then there would be no use for the money besides stuff that everyone could easily recognize as corrupt (like mansions and golf junkets). TV is almost universally designed for 3 purposes:
- self promotion
- priming people to buy the junk the advertisers want to sell
- propaganda

Even so called educational TV is more of the same. If someone says something about one of those stupid shows, tell them the truth that you've never seen it. If someone states as fact something from TV news, ask if it was the same TV news that claimed Iraq was armed with WMD and ready to attack.

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» RE: Turn off your TV Posted by: NDnative
Could Josh Holland try visiting Montana and the Dakotas for once?
Posted by: NDnative on Jan 9, 2006 9:30 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
He might realize how folks like Abramoff get their power. If they can get the local and statewide politicians in a game of lobbying, it should be no surprise with the D.C. skunks. At least in Montana, governor Brian Schweitzer and the Democrats have pushed for cracking down on lobbyists and even in Colorado, no one's giving up yet despite the GOP governor having the power to veto. Schweitzer sure has a point when he'd say that as soon as one leaves D.C., they'd have to take a bath that's just as thorough as taking one after being with a skunk. Sadly, no such force exists in the Dakotas yet.

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Readers write
Posted by: JoshuaHolland on Jan 9, 2006 9:37 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I just got this from Common Cause and thought I'd share.

What we consider to be the five main points needed for real reform:

Reform the Ethics Process

Create an Office of Ethics Counsel to investigate ethics allegations in the House and Senate. For decades, the ethics process in Congress has been stymied by the fact that it is very difficult for Members to judge their colleagues. Peer review simply is not the answer when it comes to a fair, firm process that ensures that Members live by ethics rules on the books.

Impose an Effective Gift and Travel Ban

* Ban registered lobbyists from giving gifts to members of Congress and their staffs - and prohibit Members of Congress and their staffs from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists. (Gifts are anything of value including dinners and trips).

* Ban all privately financed Congressional travel. (Some official travel is important - but is should be paid for with public funds.)

Slow the Revolving Door

Extend the moratorium on taking jobs as lobbyists for members of Congress and senior staff from one year to two years, and expand the definition of lobbying to include providing strategic advice on legislation, Members of Congress, and the legislative process.

End The Campaign Money Chase

Attack the Root of the Problem: The Campaign Money That Makes Lobbyists, and the Contributions They Solicit from Their Clients, So Invaluable

This year, a scandal spurred Connecticut to approve public financing for its state executive and legislative races. The Abramoff scandal should be the catalyst for enactment of publicly-funded campaigns for Members of Congress, and a revamped and strengthened public financing program for presidential campaigns.

Shine a Light on Lobbying Activities

Real-Time Reporting of Lobbying Contacts and Real Enforcement of Disclosure Rules

The multi-billion-dollar lobbying industry operates almost entirely in secret. Lobby reports are filed on paper in Washington, and housed in the offices of the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. The Clerk and Secretary were designed to be repositories for the forms, but have no powers to enforce that they are filed on time, completely, and by all those who register. This has to change.

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» RE: eaders write Posted by: Lincoln fan
Read this article - "Welcome To The Machine"
Posted by: Kalliope on Jan 9, 2006 11:12 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Welcome to the Machine
How the GOP disciplined K Street and made Bush supreme.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/
features/2003/0307.confessore.html

Alternet would not allow the whole url, you'll have to cut and paste.

After reading this article, it appears that we are dealing with a whole new species of humanity. They do not think the same way we do, nor do they play by the same rules. They are deep, dark and insidious. Every person from the bottom to the top will have to be fired -- even then, would we be able to root everyone out?

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Same old Potomac Two-Step
Posted by: Llama11 on Jan 9, 2006 1:21 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The story is the same it seems. Yes, we all know politicians are corrupt. Yes, we know lobbyists give them lots of money. But nobody (other than people who read the news and give a shit) really cares. I only know a few people personally who are paying attention to this story. Everybody else is consumed with MTV and the latest cell phone. This scandal will likely go no where. Why? Because Americans don't give a shit.

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» RE: Same old Potomac Two-Step Posted by: JoshuaHolland
» RE: Same old Potomac Two-Step Posted by: Lincoln fan
illit
Posted by: illna on Jan 9, 2006 8:30 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I can see from these blogs that it is not as bad as I thought, I actually was under the impression that most American people actually support these corporate thugs, now I realize that the corporate thugs have done a tremendously good job of bullying the public (and the Democratic politicians) of going along or else. If we give up and don't speak out, we will be giving these corporate thugs exactly what they are wanting, but that one comment I read is right, the people may have to have their noses put into a pile of rotting corpses into a pile of rotting corpses in order to smell the coffee, but that has already happened with Huricane Katrina, you can see how well the policies of the GOP "work", it is undeniable, now if enough people would make up and smell the coffee and quit putting these idiots in office, it would be all that is necessary, but there are too many idiots that go so gung-ho for corporate-funded puppets that do anything but represent the interests of anything that represent their interests, and I don't understand it, nobody sees what lever you pull in the voting booth, yet they pull the Republican lever, I'll put it this way, I will admit I shop at Wal-Mart, but I will also state very loudly and proudly that I have never ever have and never ever pull a Republican lever, because I despise everything they represent, so what the hell is wrong with America, I think
America is going to go down hard, I really do.

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tryin
Posted by: tryin on Jan 9, 2006 9:33 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My own Senator, Bingaman, has a wife who is a lobbyist. He is also one of the wealthiest Senators, even though the majority of his life has been spent in "public service." his wife was a lobbyist for Global Crossing just before they bellied up. They took in over 3 million, I've read, in lobbying fees and stock options. So who's the bag man, who's the front man?? So if a Dem. is playing this game so well, what can we really ask for? Here's my wish list.

No employment with a lobbying firm for 5 years after serving.
Not allowed in the halls of congress, private gyms, etc. after serving.
Public monies for official travel and campaigns. Then they could have time to study legislation and issues instead of fundraising.
Free mandated air time on TV & radio for campaigning.
No gifts, meals or anything from a lobbyist.
No family members employed by a lobbying firm while serving and for 5 years after.

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