GOP Obstructing Clean Government Reform

In recent weeks, we've seen a lot of nauseating evidence about how government officials regularly auction off access and expertise to the highest corporate bidders. Exhibit A was House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and his connections to shady lobbyists. Exhibit B was the White House's top corporate cop announcing that he's cashing in and going to now be defending corporate criminals in private practice.

However, progressives in various states are tenaciously fighting back. And Republicans don't like it. They are doing everything they can to make sure public service can continue to be sold to the highest bidder. But this new editorial in today's Missoulian shows that there's going to be no backing down by Democrats, at least in Montana. Gov. Brian Schweitzer's comprehensive ethics/lobbying reform package may have been killed by Republicans in the legislature, but he's planning to go straight to the people with a statewide ballot referendum. As the Missoulian notes:

"Schweitzer says the initiative he has in mind would go far beyond restricting the ability of elected officials to cash in as paid lobbyists. He wants to include sweeping expenditure-reporting requirements forcing lobbyists to disclose such things as how many meals and drinks they buy individual legislators. His eyes sparkle - perhaps with a bit of mischief - as he envisions newspapers reporting which lawmakers eat and drink the most out of special-interest troughs."

Unfortunately, the Missoulian also notes "Republican legislators with whom we spoke this week bristled at such talk." They want to keep Corporate America dictating public policy like it always does. The problem for the GOP, though, is that "Schweitzer's proposals have public appeal because Montanans are cynical and suspicious about the extent to which revolving doors connect government offices with special interests...any argument that the people entrusted by voters to serve the public interest ought to retain the option to quickly put their government expertise to work as lobbyists is going to leave most people rolling their eyes."

Let's hope more Democrats in Congress and in other states pick up this reform agenda and run with it.