We're delighted to be noticed by some of the folks on the cutting edge of online citizen journalism and old fashioned investigative muckraking. As we were getting our act together we followed, in particular, the development of Josh Marshall's TPM Muckraker site. In fact one our initial "projects" - which has become our daily feature "In Broad Daylight" - was actually hatched before the Daily Muck. But he got out the door faster than we did! We don't mind the competition and I doubt he does either. Others, like David Sirota, have a similar feature, and we all have a slightly different take on the news we glean.
And we're intrigued by groups like Muckraked! that turn up some really good stuff. I mentioned this morning to our staff that I'd like to develop a list of investigative bloggers and organizations (like Center for Public Integrity and the Center for Investigative Reporting) that do this kind of shoe-leather reporting. When we have it, we'll be glad to share it. In the meantime, check out Bill Allison's blog roll for the places he checks into every day.
Continue readingReform Loophole:
Just saw this in the afternoon chat with Washington Post correspondent Jeff Birnbaum:
Hyattsville, Md.: Good afternoon. I've been following the latest ethics reform bills, and one thing has struck me.Although the proposal bans registered lobbyists from picking up law makers tabs, it allows corporations to do so. This seems like a loophole big enough to drive an 18 wheeler through. What would stop a corporation from just giving a lobbyist a credit card, instead of having the lobbyist bill after the fact? To me it seems that it's just another case of congress pretending to make major reforms, when actually doing nothing. Jeffrey Birnbaum: You've caught one of many loopholes. Labor union or corporate execs could still pick up the tabs even if the Senate passed version of the ethics bills is enacted. The ethics legislation is more notable, in fact, for what it does not include than for what it does include. Lawmakers are not hearing from the constituents that a sweeping overhaul is needed and, as a result, lawmakers are not planning to provide them with one.Continue reading
Names:
I was asked in the comments of a couple of posts regarding the oil and gas industry to provide names of those who received money from the industry. There is a place where you can go to find out that information rather easily: www.opensecrets.org. Here is their list of top recipients of oil and gas industry money for the current 2006 election cycle:
- Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) $140,911
- DeLay, Tom (R-TX) $112,490
- Santorum, Rick (R-PA) $110,050
- Barton, Joe (R-TX) $109,450
- Burns, Conrad (R-MT) $101,575
- Allen, George (R-VA) $92,500
- Hastert, Dennis (R-IL) $92,000
- Cornyn, John (R-TX) $86,000
- Pombo, Richard (R-CA) $66,200
- Bode, Denise (R-OK) $63,700 (not currently in the House)
- Talent, James (R-MO) $63,150
- Sullivan, John (R-OK) $62,500
- Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) $60,850
- Cole, Tom (R-OK) $52,796
- Sessions, Pete (R-TX) $50,300
- Thomas, Craig (R-WY) $49,000
- Inhofe, James (R-OK) $48,200
- Pearce, Steve (R-NM) $44,700
- Tiahrt, Todd (R-KS) $43,650
- Thomas, Bill (R-CA) $41,500
As you can see there is quite a trend here. So far this election cycle 84% of all oil and gas contributions have gone to Republicans. To be fair the Democrat who has received the most oil and gas money during the current cycle is Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) with $40,700.
If you want to learn more about Open Secrets and how to use it my colleague Larry Makinson has made a couple of online tutorials that show the viewer how to search for information on this great research resource.
Continue readingMatson: Shooting Gallery:
Book Discussion:
Over at TPM Cafe David Sirota is discussing his new book Hostile Takeover. The book is about a "hostile takeover" of government by "Big Money interests", according to Sirota. Go join the conversation.
Continue readingNot Just Background Noise
Today’s nationwide immigration boycott – in which untold thousands of legal and illegal immigrants will be taking up position in the streets instead of their accustomed supporting roles in the background – is a rare example of unscripted politics in modern America.
Most political discourse these days is so predictable that insiders can recite the lines of both sides on the Sunday-morning talk shows even if the sound is on mute. Professionals handle these sorts of things: you’ve got your Astroturf campaigns, your grass-tops campaigns, email campaigns, talk radio campaigns – all tuned just so for maximum impact on Capitol Hill. Whole armies of specialists take up position inside the Beltway to manage such campaigns every working day of the year. The hoi polloi is often recruited for these campaigns – every army needs an infantry – but the battle plans tend to be drawn up on K Street.
Continue readingWide Probe of Ney:
At the end of last week the statute of limitations expired for prosecutors to bring charges in Florida against Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) for his alleged exchange of favorable language inserted into the Congressional Record for gifts from Jack Abramoff and Adam Kidan. The Washington Post explained this weekend that federal prosecutors are looking at a wider investigation of the congressman:
Federal prosecutors signaled this week that they have decided to pursue a wide range of allegations about dealings between Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, rather than bringing a narrowly focused bribery case against the congressman. ... Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, said he has been in talks with Justice Department officials and expects to know within a month or two whether Ney will face criminal charges. He said the department asked for another extension of the statute of limitations in recent days, but this time Ney declined. ... Court papers filed in recent months show that prosecutors have lined up at least four cooperating witnesses against the Ohio congressman: Abramoff, former congressional aides Michael Scanlon and Tony C. Rudy, and businessman Adam Kidan. All have pleaded guilty to various conspiracy, fraud or public corruption charges. The court filings that accompanied the plea agreements of Abramoff, Scanlon and Rudy accused Ney of accepting "a stream of things of value" in exchange for official actions.Ney's lawyer was touting the expiration of the statute of limitations in Florida as a win for the congressman. This report shows that Ney has a long way to go before he has a chance to clear his name. Continue reading
Weekend Wrap:
- The Washington Post covered the "play-for-pay" allegations that have surfaced in the corruption scandal of jailed former Rep. Duke Cunningham.
- According to the Associated Press, the FBI has opened an investigation into the administration of Missouri Governor Matt Blunt (R), the son of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO).
- A grand jury has opened an investigation into the former head of the FDA Lester Crawford for selling "more than $50,000 in shares in a company regulated by the agency" before he resigned. Continue reading
Pork puzzler
In Sunday's Washington Post, Michael Grunwald wrote a thoughtful piece on the roots and routine of pork, suggesting that earmarks aren't necessarily the problem, wasteful spending is:
Politicians have always cared about pork, but in the past, federal transportation bills at least tried to address major transportation problems. In the 1950s, the interstate highway system was created to bolster national security as well as individual mobility in the automotive age. In 1991, Congress passed a transportation bill with funding for buses, trains and bicycle paths as well as traditional highways, a response to car-dependent trends in American culture and federal policies. Continue reading
Influencing Congress Conference:
So, I went to the Influencing Congress Conference today and found a lot to bring back here to you, the readers. One of the more fascinating panelists was Andrew Stark, a law professor at the University of Toronto and the author of the book The Conflict of Interest in American Life. He had a lot to say about lobbyists and their relationships with legislators - much of the views he stated I had not heard before. Continue below the fold to read about it.
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