Friday, May 20, 2005

A New Standard

With a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showing that "disapproval of Congress's performance is higher than it has been since 1994," and that "by 65%-17% [Americans] say Congress doesn't share their priorities," Democrats have stepped up to restore public confidence in the House. This week Democratic Leadership unveiled a comprehensive ethics platform to restore accountability and fight pay-to-play politics in the House. These were the six primary tenets:

* Ban Members from accepting any gifts from lobbyists.
* Ban Members from secretly working with corporate lobbyists to write legislation.
* Ban lobbying by Members of Congress and high level staff for two years after leaving Congress.
* Enforce the ban on Members and staff soliciting privately-funded travel.
* Ban lobbyists from arranging and financing travel.
* End the 'K Street Project' - ban Members and staff from threatening lobbyists with official actions.

When Republicans claim that Democrats are not asserting a positive agenda, keep this milestone in mind.

No comments: