How Low Can They Go?

In ways subtle and overt, Republicans and corporate lobbyists in Washington have never been closer in collaboration. Consider a few recent anecdotes reported by The Hill newspaper: A Republican congressman calls and asks a lobbyist to take his family out to dinner; a Senate staffer, eating and drinking at a bar, walks over to a lobbyist and hands him the bill; an ex-Congressman, Brian Bilbray, now lobbies in the House chamber; a senior aide to Alabama Republican Spencer Bachus is known as the "Mayor of Capital Hill" for his frequent appearances at corporate-sponsored events, fundraisers and trips.

This is all part and parcel of the K Street Project--named after the DC row housing many of the city's high-profile lobbying firms--run by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and GOP leaders Rick Santorum and Tom DeLay in Congress. Since its founding in 1995, the K Street Project has been remarkably adept at convincing, forcing or blackmailing the lobbying community into hiring Republicans and firing Democrats. "We don't want nonideological people on K Street," Norquist tells journalist Elizabeth Drew in "Selling Washington," her remarkable New York Review of Books dispatch. "We want conservative activist Republicans on K Street." To that end, thirty-three of the thirty-six top lobby shops now have Republicans at the helm, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt boasts a "formal, institutionalized" alliance with K Street and Santorum holds closed-door meetings with lobbyists every Tuesday.

"There are no restraints now," a friend who works closely with K Street tells Drew. "Business groups and lobbyists are going crazy--they're in every room writing the legislation. You can't move on the Hill without giving money." The Republican purge manifests itself in legislation like the Medicare reform and energy bill written for big business; the retribution against firms like the Motion Picture Association of America who still hire Democrats; and the lavish trips lobbyist Jack Abramoff sponsored for DeLay. A recent study by Congressional Quarterly found that disclosure forms filed by members of Congress "frequently show a direct correlation between a member's legislative interest and the sponsors of his or her trips." Needless to say, the poor and middle class don't enjoy similar privileges. Abramoff is simply an extreme example of a widespread practice.

Ironically, Republicans rose to control in 1994 vowing to clean up this cesspool. Instead, they've turned Congress into a "transactional institution" where lobbyists hire Republicans who write the legislation passed by the Republican leadership. "The arrogance that brought Republicans into power is arrogance that will take them out of power," says a former GOP aide-turned-corporate lobbyist.

Democrats Rahm Emanuel and Marty Meehan in the House have recently introduced legislation to overhaul Congressional lobbying laws by cracking down on privately-funded travel, weak disclosure rules and a revolving door culture. Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain will soon bring a similar bill in the Senate. Don't expect many Republicans to sign on.

Comments (2)

1. Attempting to keep money out of American politics is like trying to keep people from putting milk in their cereal, it isn't going to happen. Most Americans (at least the abstract thinkers) understand that the dollar has corrupted the political system, and that legislation is bought and sold on a daily basis. The Democrats are just as guilty as the Republicans when it comes to this issue, and this is the real outrage today in Washington. However, it is interesting that we act as if it's a new issue. Wealth has always played a role in politics, and always will. We will never see an "average" American representing us in the highest government positions. What we need to realize is that we MUST find a leader with whom the "average" American can relate, and someone who is willing to put corporate interests aside and fight for the underclass in this country. It is imperative that we move the Democratic party in a new direction; one that encompasses the wishes and desires of the masses, not the elite.

   Posted by jpolston at 06/13/2005 @ 9:39pm

2. Amen

   Posted by Ari Berman at 06/13/2005 @ 10:53pm