Recently in Boehner at the Helm Category
Meanwhile on the GOP side, the House Republicans decide to stick with John Boehner for now. Great...he's seemed pretty incompetent so far, good choice. And over in the Senate, guess who's back? Think Strom...Yes, the GOP choose Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott as their go-to-guys, prompting a great line (which I'm paraphrasing) on The Daily Show the other night: "Lott's new job is the "Minority Whip"...he should take to that job like white on rice."
And another GOP scalp (chalk this one up to Foleygate): Dennis Hastert -- who's inexplicably the longest-serving Republican Speaker in US history (Joe Cannon is 2nd) -- is leaving the Republican congressional leadership. Current contenders for his position include former Majority Leader John Boehner, Mike Pence, Eric Cantor, and Joe Barton.
Stick a fork in him -- As suspected, former Christian Coalition wunderkind and Casino Jack flunky Ralph Reed is politically finished after being forced to concede the Georgia Lieutenant Governor's race, a campaign he was a mortal lock to win before his Abramoff shenanigans leaked. Almost as sweet as Reed's comeuppance, we now know that, despite the GOP's gamble, the Ballad of Casino Jack does in fact play at the polls this election season. Better start dancin', Boehner...
"The forms show that about 2,300 trips cost $5,000 or more. At least 500 cost $10,000 or more, 16 cost $25,000 or more, and the cost of one exceeded $30,000. There were $500-a-night hotel rooms, $25,000 corporate jet rides and other extravagant perks. Almost three-quarters of all trips were taken by aides, who often influence how their bosses vote, negotiate in committee and interact with other government officials. All told, the travelers were away from Washington for a minimum of 81,000 days -- a combined 222 years." A new report by the Center for Public Integrity scrutinizes the massive epidemic of congressional boondoggles, and, folks, it ain't pretty: "Offices that accepted more than $300,000 worth of trips include (in alphabetical order), Rep. Barton (R-TX), Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Miss) Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX), and Speaker Hastert (R-IL)."
How deep runs the culture of corruption among the GOP? While House Republicans have been sniping at their Senate colleagues of late, most of them have nothing but praise for "dead man walking" Bob Ney. When Ney -- despite having four big-name witnesses arrayed against him -- recently vowed not to resign his seat, "an overwhelming majority of the members present, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), gave Ney a standing ovation." And, in related news, The Hill finds that the anti-earmark provision of the recent phantom reform bill is riddled with loopholes big enough to drive a pork-truck through.
"Their bill...is an insult to voters who the GOP apparently believes are dumb enough to be snookered by this feint. The procedures under which it is to be debated, allowing only meaningless amendments to be considered, are an insult also -- to the democratic process." Neverthless, despite the Post's pleading yesterday, the House makes a bet that Abramoff won't stick and passes the GOP's phantom reform bill 217-213. "Joan Claybrook, president of the liberal group Public Citizen, said the measure is 'a fraud on the American public.'" A fraud...and hopefully a fatal error for the GOP majority, should Casino Jack's travails remain front-page fodder from now through November.
After a deal is reached with irate Republicans on the House Appropriations committee (who were piqued by a rather tame anti-earmarking measure that has since been broadened beyond appropriations bills), the House GOP pass a cosmetic "lobbying reform" bill 216-207 that emphasizes disclosure of donations, gifts, and earmarks rather than outright bans. "A solid phalanx of Democrats and 12 Republicans, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (Wis.) and Republicans pushing for stronger measures, cast votes against the legislation...Rep. Christopher Shays (Conn.) said the bill was less than a window dressing and should be rejected. Later, to reporters, he called the bill 'pathetic.' On the House floor, he added: 'We're losing our moral authority to lead this place.'"
"I wouldn't classify those changes as major...Between charitable events and fundraising events, there will still be lots of ways to get in front of members [of Congress]." Abramoff, Schmabramoff...The lobbying industry remains unperturbed by the GOP reform bill making its way through the Senate. In related news, the Post delves into both the shady use of campaign treasuries by reps in solid seats and the inner workings of MZM's lobbying-bribery machine. And, under its well-traveled new leader, the House plans to meet for less than 100 days this year to accommodate reps' need to beg for money full-time.
"'Listen, this is a very big political problem,' said House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), explaining that he had to give his rank-and-file members a chance to vote. 'There are two things that go on in this town. We do public policy, and we do politics. And you know, most bills at the end of the day, the politics and the policy kind of come together, but not always. And we are into one of these situations where this has become a very hot political potato.'" Content to curl up like lapdogs when civil liberties are on the table, Republicans remain livid over Dubaigate, with House leaders setting up a voice vote to kill the port deal in the next few days. Update: It has begun -- the House Appropriations Committee votes 62-2 to add a block of the deal to a war funding measure.
Surprise, surprise: When it comes to cleaning the money out of Congress, the GOP are playing to form. "The rush to revise ethics laws in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal has turned into more of a saunter...The primary holdup is in the House...[where] progress was slowed by the election two weeks ago of a new majority leader, Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who has a different notion of what 'reform' should entail."
My, what a coincidence. New majority leader John A. Boehner is "renting his Capitol Hill apartment from a veteran lobbyist whose clients have direct stakes in legislation Boehner has co-written and that he has overseen as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee." That's Strike 3: Coupled with his stonewalling on lobbying reform and his passing out Big Tobacco checks on the House floor in 1995, it's becoming abundantly clear that Boehner is just another corrupt GOP party boss in the DeLay mold. I wonder, will that sword of righteousness, John McCain, have anything to say about Boehner's behavior?
"In the past, when these scandals have erupted, what's happened is Congress has overreacted, and two days later nobody knew what happened...taking actions to ban this and ban that, when there's no appearance of a problem, there's no foundation of a problem, I think, in fact, does not serve the institution well." No appearance of a problem?(!) New GOP Majority Leader John Boehner may have brought a new cadre of GOP leaders to the fore, but, when it comes to lobbying reform, they may as well be the Old Guard. And with Boehner, who has his own corporate masters, now actively working to prevent any real changes in lobbying practices, the fate of real reform may now lie in the hands of none other than Casino Jack: "If disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff drops the dime on a bunch of lawmakers and several of them are indicted, Congress won't be able to say no to even the harshest anti-lobbying measures...But if Abramoff dawdles and not much happens, lawmakers will take their sweet time moving legislation through committee."
Behind closed doors, the Republicans talk amongst themselves about lobbying reform, with the status quo beating back a challenge by reformers to vote on new GOP leadership across the board (except for Hastert.) "'All we were doing was asking us to look in the mirror,' Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Calif.), a co-sponsor of the motion, said after the vote. 'The shadow of [Jack] Abramoff is not a mere distraction but a serious problem to address.'" Meanwhile, in the race for Majority Leader, while Blunt might be on the threshold of maintaining the DeLay ring's hold over the House GOP, Boehner apparently proved himself no friend to reform either. Speaking on the GOP's anti-lobbying package, he "scoffed that Congress knows how to do just two things well -- nothing and overreact, according to witnesses." And Boehner leads the candidates in former-staffers-turned-lobbyists.
But, give 'em credit -- the GOP have at least succeeded in kicking lobbyists out of the House gym. "The rule change passed overwhelmingly, 379 to 50, but not before Democrats -- and some Republicans -- ridiculed it as meaningless. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) suggested that lawmakers compromise and change the rules so that lobbyists must yield to lawmakers who want to use the gym equipment they are on. 'I'm a gym guy; I've never seen anybody lobbied there,' said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). 'I've never seen any nefarious plots hatched on the treadmill.'" Just in case, though, Boss DeLay voted against the change.
Update: It's Boehner on the second ballot over Blunt, 122-109. (Looks like the Shadegg-Boehner deal went through -- On the first ballot, Blunt, who will remain Majority Whip, was only 7 votes shy of winning.)
