Making Government Transparent and Accountable
The Sunlight Foundation uses cutting-edge technology and ideas to make government transparent and accountable. Underlying all of our efforts is a fundamental belief that increased transparency will improve the public's confidence in government
The Sunlight Foundation Blog
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K Street Sees Mixed Opportunities
The 2008 presidential campaign featured blistering attacks, particularly from the eventual victor Sen. Barack Obama, on Washington’s chief money-making industry. Lobbyists are now trying to assess where they stand in Washington with a reformer in the White House and an economic downturn that is now actually stretching onto K Street.
Most of the change that will occur on K Street relates to the partisan makeup of firms. With Republicans falling further into the minority, lobby firms will need fewer GOP lobbyists and more Democratic ones. Some changes are already underway with Comcast replacing a Republican as chief lobbyist with a former staffer of prominent Obama supporter Tom Daschle.
Despite the Politico’s suggestion that, “The repositioning highlights how little Washington is likely to change, despite all the anti-lobbyist rhetoric tossed around in the campaign,” lobby firms certainly fear what kind of access and what new reforms they could face under President Obama’s administration. If we had the sense of smell of a lion, we could smell the fear emanating from the monitor when reading this Congressional Quarterly article from today. This article is ridden with quotes from lobbyists not only attempting to sell themselves and their business to a new administration, but also trying to prebut the coming reforms and changes.
I sincerely hope that the promises of reform do not end at the ballot box as so many on K Street seem to be projecting. Further transparency requirements are needed to reel in the influence industry. A good place to start would be to enact the reforms contained in the Transparency in Government Act, available at PublicMarkup.org.
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In Broad Daylight: Rangel’s Disclosure Discrepancies
Like a man sinking in quicksand, Rep. Charles Rangel continues, with every flailing day, to sink further as more discrepancies are revealed in his personal financial disclosures. New revelations show Rangel’s disclosures to be in complete disarray. Some assets and transactions are listed at high values one year and then listed at no value the next. The Associated Press compiled a list of the erratic disclosure listings.
The New York Times called on Rangel to temporarily step down from the chair of the Ways and Means Committee barring an ethics investigation. It looks like too many are having flashbacks to the Democratic scandals of the ’80s and ’90s that felled numerous congressional leaders.
The Washington Post takes a look at how business connections fuel bundled political contributions. One major Bush and McCain bundler, John Vogt, calls it the “favor arbitrage business,” where, “You’ve got to know who to ask, how to ask and more importantly, you have to be prepared to return the favor.”
Rep. John Doolittle has been under investigation for a long time – longer than this presidential election – and it looks like Kevin Ring’s indictment brings that investigation that much closer to his door step. Ring is accused of hiding Doolittle’s attempts to find a job for his wife from federal investigators. As McClatchy Newspapers reports, “[Ring's] apparent desire to protect the Doolittles is now figuring very prominently in his legal troubles.”
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In Broad Daylight: Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit
- The Detroit Big Three are seeking $50 billion in government loans. Their big lobbying push begins as Congress comes back in session this week. The Wall Street Journal looks at the lobbying numbers. This gives a whole new meaning to “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit.”
- As if Sen. Ted Stevens needed any more trouble. Roll Call reveals that a lobbying firm specializing in procuring earmarks for defense companies hired someone to handle fundraising and money management for Sen. Stevens’ PAC when Stevens was chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Of course, the lobbying firm’s receipts increased by 400%, moving from $1 million annually in 2002 to $4 million in 2007.
- Presidential hopeful John McCain is pulling in corporate executive contributions at a steady pace after trailing in the CEO money race to his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.
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Just Words
With saturation convention coverage, how could I not post something about what is going on inside the convention halls? Here are some word clouds breaking down the speeches of the four prime time speakers from the Democratic convention. Guess which one goes with which speech: (Continue reading…)
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McCain Fundraiser Nixes Reed
Twice this year I’ve been astonished to see Ralph Reed’s mug appear in election coverage. After the New Hampshire primaries the man who received over $4 million in Indian casino cash from Jack Abramoff was talking politics on CNN. Viewer reaction was intensely negative and CNN, embarrassed, canned him. While his campaign is not answering questions about it, it looks like John McCain decided that it wasn’t the best idea to appear at a fundraiser with a participant in one of the biggest corruption scandals in history. Or perhaps Reed decided that he didn’t need to be an undue distraction.
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Abramoff Crony Hosts McCain Fundraiser
Really? Not to pick on John McCain too much, but couldn’t you find someone in Atlanta to host a fundraiser who didn’t receive $4 million from Jack Abramoff to run a phony religious campaign against an Indian casino that was actually organized by another Indian casino to reduce competition?McCain headed the Senate investigation that uncovered these payments. I know he has to raise money and patch up relationships in Republican quarters that have opposed him in the past. But Ralph Reed? Really?
Even CNN was embarrassed after they let Ralph Reed appear on television to cover the New Hampshire primaries.
The guy was involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals in American history. And it isn’t even history yet, the investigation is ongoing. I hear Bob Ney’s getting out of jail, maybe he can host a fundraiser too.
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Bundlers Galore
Three makes a trend, right? Today, there are three news stories on presidential bundlers – campaign contributors who solicit money from other contributors and bundle it together – and their activities. All of these stories highlight the need for bundling disclosure rules from the Federal Election Commission. But two of these stories pinpoint the potential for abuse in the bundling system.
The Washington Post looks at the odd practices of one Harry Sargent III, the owner of an oil trading company with billion dollar defense contracts. Sargent has raised over $50,000 for Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid from a collection of Arab-Americans who refuse to discuss why they gave money to the Republican’s campaign: (Continue reading…)
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In Broad Daylight: Will You Be My Sponsor?
The Pfizer-General Motors-Northwest Airlines-United-Coors Democratic and Republican conventions are looking for more sponsors; Dodd doesn’t understand acronyms; sometimes it’s not really disclosure; bad campaign donations; ethics complaints; angry foreigners; and our favorite frozen food fan, William Jefferson. Only the Sunlight Foundation sponsors this news: (Continue reading…)
