"Sham" ethics reform stalls… and rises again
Swamped by a tidal wave of opposition from within and without, Rep. David Dreier (R-Cal.) withdrew the Republican leadership’s ethics and lobbying reform measure earlier today – right in the middle of floor consideration. They did some quick huddling in the Republican House caucus, and it was just announced, at 4pm this afternoon, that they are going to bring it back to the floor starting at 5pm today. We urge you to contact your Representative immediately to stop this abomination.
How bad is this bill? Here’s what papers around the country are saying about it:
“a cynical approach”… “ethics reform in name only” (Birmingham News)
“a snow job”… “a toothless sham… [to] con the public” (USA Today)
“a watered-down sham”… “simply a joke” (Washington Post)
“a charade”… “they should be ashamed of themselves” (Baltimore Sun)
“a self-serving sham”…”stillborn reform” (Houston Chronicle)
“a new feat of cravenness”… “a cadaverous pretense” (New York Times)
We couldn’t agree more. (Click here for the Public Citizen statement)
Unfortunately, the Republican leadership seems to believe that the public won’t care if they pass joke reform, and that’s why they’re bringing it back right now. We bet they’re wrong. Click here to let them know what you think about this state of affairs.And keep coming back to the Clean Up Washington blog, for updates on all breaking news and developments.
-Gordon Clark