CBS News wrongly reported that the first efforts to reform lobbying and influence-pedaling in politics were undertaken by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Joe Lieberman, the new “Zell Miller” (D-Conn.). Actually, it was Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) who introduced the Lobbying and Ethics Reform Act, S.1398 this past July, long before McCain and Lieberman acted.
According to The Nation’s, Katrina vanden Heuvel, blogging for the Huffington Post, “The bill's key provisions are designed to reduce the power of special interests by forcing lobbyists to file disclosure reports quarterly instead of twice a year, prohibiting lobbyists from taking trips with members of Congress and their staffs, and requiring former members of Congress and some senior executive branch officials to wait two years after leaving government service before working as a lobbyist. And, as Feingold told The Hill, the bill would prohibit ‘lobbyists from giving gifts to members’ or staff and require ‘members and campaigns to reimburse the owners of corporate jets at the charter rate when they use those planes for their official or political travel.”
Read the Fact Sheet of Feingold’s Lobbying and Ethics Reform Act S.1398 Senate bill filed July 14, 2005 months before Abramoff outed the GOP-controlled Congress and Bush White House corruption.
McCain introduced his bill, S. 2128 just days before Congress recessed for the holidays. Lieberman signed on today – 1/5/06 stating, "Shame on us if, in response to the Abramoff scandals … we do nothing," Lieberman told reporters today. "That is simply unacceptable." Shame on you for doing nothing before the scandal broke.
Thank you Sen. Feingold for acting before the proverbial “shit hit the fan.” Shame on you CBS for not doing your research. Thank god, McCain and Lieberman are no longer “deer in the headlights.” These senators actions are late and forced, but a step in the right direction.
Amanda is a managing editor at OpEdNews and has worked with Rob Kall on the site since 2004. A retired research ethnographer specializing in organization and technological innovation and strategic business development, she now resides in Georgia where she builds and restores wooden and fiberglass boats with her husband, Tom, a retired electrical engineer. Amanda grew up in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the 9AA that runs along the Ohio in an area that gave the world Larry Flynt, the Clooneys, Roy Rogers, Tommy T. Hall, Jesse Stuart, Henry Clay, and some of best bootleggers the Feds never caught. [Amanda is on a medical leave of absence until further notice.]
Amanda Lang, PhD - Virginia Tech '93; US Army Veteran, E-5, 52D20
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