July 31, 2007

Rhetoric vs. Reality: The Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill

Some Republicans Senators such as Senators Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint are attempting to make a mountain out of a mole hill regarding differences between the landmark Democratic reform bill and the bill passed earlier by the Senate. The final bill-- which could not go to conference due to objections by DeMint-- accomplishes the same goals as the Senate-passed bill. Though the language of the final bill is not word-for-word what Senators DeMint and Coburn have called for, the differences are not substantive. The reality is that their complaints are unfounded and the bill marks the most significant ethics and lobbying reform in over a decade.

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