Residual Forces

In addition, in a move that is raising ethical questions, some Democratic lobbyists are planning to take congressional staff jobs, attracted by the chance to wield real clout.

You see, if they have people working for the Democrats in Congress, they aren’t lobbyists. The companies and industries they worked for will have the inside track.

Democratic lobbyists prospected for new clients on the very night last week that House Democrats elected their leaders on an anti-lobbyist platform. Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) and Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (S.C.) were feted on the 10th and ninth floors, respectively, at 101 Constitution Ave. NW, a premier lobbying venue at the foot of Capitol Hill. Some of the city’s top firms are in that building, including the lobbying arm of Goldman Sachs, the American Council of Life Insurers, Clark Consulting Federal Policy Group and Van Scoyoc Associates.

Hoyer’s political action committee financed his reception in a room routinely used for lobbying and other events, but Clyburn’s was paid for by Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, a South Carolina-based law firm that lobbies extensively in Washington on health care and other issues and has offices in that building.

Dozens of lobbyists attended both functions and shuttled from one party to the other. “The elevators were jammed,” said Gwen Mellor, a Democrat at the lobbying firm PodestaMattoon, who collected business cards that evening.

Well, isn’t that nice, 2 Democrats who campaigned against lobbyists, couldn’t even wait one month before they cozied up and through the for sale sign up on their backs. Yep, they are so desperate to get close with those lobbyists, that they went to them and held their parties on lobbyist turf.

But not every lobbyist will cash in. A sizable number of Democrats plan to take lower-paying staff jobs in Congress as a way to serve in the government and to exercise the power of the majority for a change. On one important panel, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, both top aides will be ex-lobbyists.

But wait, aren’t the aides hired by the leaders? Yep. Pelosi’s Democrats are hiring lobbyists.

Dennis Fitzgibbons, the panel’s incoming chief of staff, has worked for DaimlerChrysler since 2000 and before that was on the committee’s staff for 12 years. The panel’s new chief counsel, Gregg Rothschild, is also a former congressional aide and was a lobbyist for Verizon for two years.

Well, gee, there is a revolving door for lobbyists in Congress, and it seem sthey are going full circle. Yep, once Congressional aides, then lobbyists, now aides again. And thanks to Democrats in power. For all the demonization of lobbyists, it is pretty darm disgraceful for Democrats to run out and open the bidding on themselves, not to mention actually hire lobbyists to help craft and work on laws.

“This is an historic opportunity,” Rothschild said about his return to Capitol Hill. Watchdog groups, however, are concerned about the trend. “I worry that they might not be as tough on the industries they used to work for,” said Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Oh, well, isn’t that nice. Yep, you watch to see which industries get reforms and new beneficial legislation. Oh and in case you think that GOP leaning lobbyists aren’t gonna try to buy Democrats.

But interest groups, in general, are not concerned about the changes the election has brought. “We lost many friends in this election,” said Steven C. Anderson, president of the Republican-leaning National Restaurant Association. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t make new friends, and that’s what we’ll do.”

And why do they feel confident? Because they know that the ‘culture of corruption’ the Democrats made such a big deal about includes the Democrats too. Just ask Democrat HArry Reid how clean his hands are. Corruption is rampant in Congress, and it could very well get out of hand with Democrats in power.

My solution for all the problems with lobbyists is quite simple and fair. Term limits. No one can serve more than 13 years in any office. That way all these lobbyists can’t become best buds with these lobbyists. Oh and once you register as a lobbyist, you are not allowed to work for Congress or Government, let alone hold office, and vice versa. Former officials would be banned from ever becoming a lobbyist, and so would their immediate family.

Until we get a handle on the revolving door between Congress and K-Street, we will never get rid of the corruption.