BURN DOWN THE ABRAMOFF “SCHMOOZE CULTURE”
TKS
jim geraghty reporting
An interesting exchange between NR’s Byron York and Hugh Hewitt on Hugh’s radio program, while discussing the Abramoff indictment:
<<<
HH: And the key here is that you cannot promise to do an official act in exchange for any kind of consideration of any value whatsoever. That's illegal, and we hope they find it and run those people out of town. But Byron, Washington, D.C. is full of checks that have never been picked up, and skyboxes full of people who've never paid for a ticket in their lives.
BY: Right. Now that's what's going to be interesting, and what you're getting at is where is the line between criminal bribery and just kind of...
HH: The schmooze culture.
BY: The lobbying and the schmooze culture, and all of that. And we're going to find that out. And my guess is that what we're going to find out is that we're going to find a lot of kind of stinky, non-criminal behavior that went on. For example, I've seen a couple of references to Abramoff had a big box at the Redskins stadium, and of course, would take people to see Washington Redskins games. And that included, I believe, some journalists. I'm not going to name any names, because I don't know any. But I think that's been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal.
HH: I'd be surprised...wouldn't you, Byron, if a single elected member of Congress has ever paid to see a Redskins game?
BY: It's just hard to imagine that...reaching into their pocket and paying for it. So we're going to see, and then we're going to have, as I'm sure you know, we're going to have a big push for lobbying reform.
>>>
If the GOP minds don’t realize that the American public’s repulsion with the “schmooze culture” was a big part of their 1994 revolution, they’re on their way to an electoral disaster.
I don’t care if you have an R after your name and you have a 100 percent rating with the What Jim Wants Assocation, taking free stuff because of your elected office emits a stink, and ought to be avoided as much as possible. I know the other guys do it too. That doesn’t make it right.
Plates of cookies from constituents? I’ll let it slide. Redskins tickets? Now you’re talking about access to a scarce resource because of your public office. And if the guy giving you the cool stuff is a lobbyist, is it so unimaginable that he isn’t just your generous friend because of your sparkling personality?
I’ve enjoyed the schmooze culture. Back in 1998-1999, when I worked at Congressional Quarterly and was spending ten to twelve hours a day in the House Press Gallery, I recall groups like restaurant lobbyists putting on huge free buffets in House meeting rooms, open to all. I learned a couple lessons of that, including, don’t stand between Rep. Jerold Nadler and the shrimp plate. Of course, I justified my multiple plates of free food by telling myself I didn’t have any influence to peddle. My beat didn’t really give me the option of saying, “Let’s hear it for the National Plates of Shrimp Association, whose fine work is worthy of attention.”
So I know it will never go away completely. (Although I guess any lawmaker willing to alter his or her vote based on a buffet is a pretty bad legislator.)
Another thought about an Abramoff client, this time, Doug Bandow. He’s a former Cato scholar and former syndicated columnist who admitted taking bribes of up to $2,000 from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff to write Op-Ed pieces favorable to some of Abramoff's clients. Copley News Service properly suspended his column, and then Bandow resigned.
There are a lot of folks who submit op-ed pieces, and get them rejected. I’ve been there. A lot. Part of the business. There are a lot of writers who would like a syndicated column. Thought has crossed my mind, too.
When you’re among the lucky few who achieve a nationally syndicated column, you’ve got a really valuable commodity – regular space, or at least regular consideration by a newspaper’s editor. There will always be more folks wanting to write columns than space on the op-ed page. A column is power – and as Spider-man’s Uncle Ben told us, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
When you rent out your column space – that is, you write about what somebody pays you to write about – well, it reminds me of the old joke that ends, “we’ve established what you are, ma’am, we’re just haggling about the price.”
I just can’t imagine striving to get to the level where you have “your voice” on a newspaper's op-ed page, and then selling it to somebody else to represent their clients. Why bother? Why not just hang it up and quit?
UPDATE: This has been brewing for a while, but AnkleBitingPundits, RedState, Rich and the editors have been loud voices demanding that the GOP remember its reformist roots and the values it once stood for.
anklebitingpundits.com
redstate.com
nationalreview.com
nationalreview.com
ANOTHER UPDATE: Boy, Abramoff even dresses like a bad guy. Is it just me, or does the black fedora and black trench coat scream, "You'll never take me alive, copper!"
cnn.com
YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Why do I bother making these jokes? Ace is going to beat me to it anyway - with photo comparisons.
ace.mu.nu
Meanwhile, Bandow tells "The lesson Jack Abramoff taught me" in the Los Angeles Times. The piece also informs us, Bandow's commentaries and essays will be published in two collections by Town Forum Press in 2006. I wonder if the pieces Abramoff paid for will be included.
latimes.com
tks.nationalreview.com |
