THE LIBERAL MEDIA
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Lobbyists: Idiots or Troglodytes
    Hey you.  Given our dismal voter turnout in past decades, chances are most of our readership doesn't think too much about politics.  We at GenDFA realize this, and understand that you're probably reading this to get you through PSYC 100 or whatever gen-ed your advisor's been hassling you about. We've all got our reasons for disgust with politics (and believe me, those of us who are active have our share of disgust), but it seems like the biggest reason is that we don't think our government works for us.
    What would give the non-voting public that impression?    Perhaps it's the vast influence that money has on the political process.  Take a good look at the photo above. Do you recognize the man in it? If you don't, we don't blame you. He's a big part of the problem. His name is Jack Abramoff, and recently the American public has seen him cross a number of acceptable boundaries in lobbying. By taking Congressmen such as former House Republican leader Tom DeLay on golf trips to Scotland and exotic islands that were as much pleasure as they were business, this lobbyist succeeded often in bending Congress to his will, getting special exceptions for his clients. Sounds like the sort of guy you want working for you, eh? Not quite. Jack Abramoff treated several of his clients like there was no "Abram" in his name. For his clients in several Native American tribes, Abramoff overcharged more than $80 million for his services, at once lobbying against the casinos he claimed to be helping them build. In private, he derided his trusting clients, referring to them as "idiots" and "troglodytes."  Abramoff, however, has no problem dealing with his good buddies in our Republican-controlled Congress.
    Some may say that this is a bipartisan scandal. I'm sure we all have a friend, let's call him `Leo,' who will claim Democrats are as deeply entrenched as Republicans. Not so, Leo! Some Indian tribes, like most other organizations, gave money to both Democrats and Republicans.  After Abramoff began lobbying for some of them, though, the tribes started directing twice as much money to Republicans, and less of it to Democrats. Abramoff himself, however, never gave a dime to Democrats. He is, after all, good friends with our Republican Congress, and you can bet he isn't alone in uglying up our political process.

(image stolen from Happy Monkey at DailyKos)
    Some Republicans are making empty claims toward lobbying reform, like tattletales with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) - famous for pushing total Republican control of the lobbying industry - is now the Republicans' point man on ethics reform - the worst appointment to a job since they put an Arabian Horse show judge in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You're doin' a heck of a job, Ricky.
    So who do we look to to clean up government? Who can we trust to run a government we care about? Here's a hint: It's not the guys on golf trips.

Taking the Money out of Politics

    Recently, the Democrats have made some valiant attempts at cleaning up the ethics scandals and restoring trust in Washington today.  Democratic leaders got together in January to propose the Honest Leadership & Open Government Act, which would, among other things, lengthen the amount of time before someone can go from being a politician to a lobbyist, increase transparency when dealing with lobbyists, ban gifts and travel from lobbyists, and eliminate cronyism in appointed government positions.
    While these are all great steps towards cleaning up Washington, the root of this problem (like most) is money.  Politicians need it for their campaigns, and corporations, the wealthy, and the powerful are willing to give it in exchange for their loyalty.  That's why the best type of reform possible is to eliminate the need for money in campaigns to begin with.
    To that end, Democratic Congressmen Barney Frank (MA) and Dave Obey (WI) are proposing the Grassroots Clean Campaign Act. This legislation will establish publicly-financed campaigns, which will eliminate the loopholes and contribution laws that allow corrupt lobbyists to buy our Congress.  With this system, no longer will the amount of money one owns be a factor in how powerful their voice is when it comes around to election time.  While this sounds like a radical departure from our current system (and it is), it is also one that is currently in place in the states of Maine and Arizona, with huge success.  There, politicians and the people agree that they feel more connected and their voices better heard.
    How can we help this democratic process along? Well, we can call our Senators and Representatives. Their offices are easily contacted, and after all, if they're going to speak for you, they really ought to hear from you.

Senator Barack Obama - (202) 224-2854
Senator Dick Durbin - (202) 224-2152
Representative Tim Johnson - (202) 225-2371

Call them and ask them to support the Frank-Obey "Grassroots Clean Campaign Act" to get money out of politics. A little pressure can go a long way.

If you think cleaning up the corruption in Washington is important, join Generation Democracy for America. We're working to fix some of the problems in Washington on a local level, and we're having fun in the process!  We meet every other Sunday, and our next meeting is February 28 at 6:00pm in 207 Gregory Hall.

For more info, visit www.dfalink.com/uiuc.