June 15, 2005

Will Phil Drink the Lobbyists' Gall?

SBK, one of my regular commenters, posted a comment to this post about legislative and lobbying ethics reform in the aftermath of the Operation Tennessee Waltz arrests that was so plainly on target that I decided to edit it into a blog entry all its own. SBK writes:

As ethics reform is a subject of self interest to the lobbyists they should have no more access to the process than any other Tennessean who is looking after their own self interest. I agree with you Bill, lobbyists should be banned from the Hill during any ethics special session.

I keep thinking I can't be surprised by anything more the lobbyist do. But once again I find myself gobsmacked by the lobbyists' gall. That they think they have a seat at this table to propose legislation is just as insulting as telling the governor what proposal will be "accepted" and which are "off the table."

As if the Tennessee constitution gives lobbyists the right to "accept" legislation.

Someone needs to remember that Tennessee Waltz was as much of a disgrace to the lobbying profession as it was to the legislature.

But neither should lobbyists have special access to legislators when lobbying ethics reform is being formulated, discussed, debated and voted on. And - certainly - it was improper for Gov. Phil Bredesen's top deputy, Dave Cooley, to sit down with lobbyists and ask them what ethics reforms they would accept.

It is bad enough that lawmakers get to vote on the new ethics rules that will govern the way they do their work - the result, inevitably, will not be as tough as common sense and public desires would choose. But at least we can vote ethically wimpy lawmakers out of office. Not so with lobbyists who right now are planning ways to use their influence and their stash of cash for campaign donations to try to influence lawmakers to water down ethics reforms aimed at lobbyists.

Watch Gov. Bredesen. How he handles the issue of legislative and lobbying ethics reform may well become the defining moment of his political career.

If he allows the lobbyists to take certain reforms "off the table," and doesn't push - hard - for a final reforms package that includes every last proposal the lobbyists object to, you will that he is no more serious now about legislative and lobbying ethics reform than he was prior to the Operation Tennessee Waltz arrests. You also will know that he's more worried about keeping a fat pipeline into the PAC campaign contributions the lobbyists control, for his re-election campaign next year, than he is about protecting you, Joe and Mary Citizen, from an ethics-deficient legislature that is the best the lobbyists can buy.