WP: GOP Freezes Jobs List, a Vestige of the K Street Project

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR2006012502240.html

GOP Freezes Jobs List, a Vestige of the K Street Project

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006; Page A02

Republican lawmakers yesterday ended their long practice of routinely summoning lobbyists to the Capitol to try to persuade them to hire their aides and colleagues, in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.

GOP lawmakers for years have regularly presented lists of job openings on K Street to lobbyists to encourage them to hire Republicans over Democrats. The program is a remnant of the K Street Project once championed by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) as a way to coerce trade associations and companies to hire Republicans as their top lobbyists and to warn firms that hired Democrats that they would not be welcome.

Yesterday, the staff director of the Senate Republican Conference said that a K-Street-job-vacancies memo -- the heart of Congress's remaining involvement in the effort these days -- will no longer be distributed during high-level meetings hosted by the conference on Capitol Hill between lawmakers and lobbyists. Responsibility for the listings migrated from the House to the Senate several years ago, according to lobbyists.

While lobbyists and others could still obtain the information elsewhere, the change removes the formal involvement of lawmakers from the process and any implied encouragement by them to transform K Street into a Republican bastion.

[ewoden]

1. The rats begin to scurry as the water rises in the bilges

[rodeodance]

2. cosmetic tactic only--as this article points out.

...Yesterday, the staff director of the Senate Republican Conference said that a K-Street-job-vacancies memo -- the heart of Congress's remaining involvement in the effort these days -- will no longer be distributed during high-level meetings hosted by the conference on Capitol Hill between lawmakers and lobbyists. Responsibility for the listings migrated from the House to the Senate several years ago, according to lobbyists.

While lobbyists and others could still obtain the information elsewhere, the change removes the formal involvement of lawmakers from the process and any implied encouragement by them to transform K Street into a Republican bastion.

[tanyev]

5. Yes, we must always avoid

the appearance of impropriety, musn't we?

[stillcool]

3. What they have NASA getting it for them?...

These people never do anything without plan b ready to roll...

[wordpix2]

4. I can't wait til we take back Washington from these Rethuglicans

[brentspeak]

6. If only the Dems as a whole would denounce all corporate lobbying

period, they could gain the loyalty of more Americans than ever before. No more minority party.

[seafan]

7. And here's an interesting tidbit on this from Capitol Hill Blue:

from this earlier thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x187025
"A Ghost Town Called K Street"

snip

With one exception: While members of Congress proclaimed newfound zeal to ban the lobbyists from buying or renting them by wining or dining or junketing them to fun-in-the-sun places, they continue to let answer their telephones. Which means congressional Republicans and Democrats can continue their daily ritual: Dialing for dollars.

snip

But you may be asking: If K Street is now desolate, populated only by tumbling tumbleweeds, who are the senators and congresspersons telephoning for their still-legal shakedown?

Answer: They are calling the same lobbyists they always called. Being cunning and resourceful, the lobbyists figured K Street was giving them a bad name. So they moved on, to a higher-rent street even closer to the Capitol. We haven't found them yet, but the members of Congress _ being equally cunning and resourceful _ have. So the game goes on.

snip

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8046.shtml

[auburngrad82]

8. But the meetings between lawmakers and lobbyists will still go on

And the GOP will still coerce the lobbyists into hiring Wingnuts and directing all of their monies to Wingnuts. Corrupt is corrupt.



Liberal bumper stickers

[deminks]

9. WP: GOP Freezes Jobs List, a Vestige of the K Street Project (Santorum)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR2006012502240.html?nav=rss_politics

Republican lawmakers yesterday ended their long practice of routinely summoning lobbyists to the Capitol to try to persuade them to hire their aides and colleagues, in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.

GOP lawmakers for years have regularly presented lists of job openings on K Street to lobbyists to encourage them to hire Republicans over Democrats. The program is a remnant of the K Street Project once championed by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) as a way to coerce trade associations and companies to hire Republicans as their top lobbyists and to warn firms that hired Democrats that they would not be welcome.

The decision to drop the list comes as Santorum is being disparaged by his opponents in Washington and at home as the "liaison to the K Street Project." Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) last week said Santorum is "as responsible as anyone in the world for the K Street Project." He added that Santorum was unsuited to serve in his current role as the Republicans' point man in the effort to overhaul lobbying laws.

But Democratic attacks on Santorum and the K Street Project will continue, lawmakers said. Yesterday, Reid and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, to ask for an investigation of the project. "What we seek to do is just shine a little sunlight on this K Street Project and have one of our committees investigate what happened so that we can see if there's legislation needed," Schumer said.

Also read Americablog from yesterday regarding Ricky's outburst when a reporter asked him about the meetings.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/santorum-blows-his-stack-at-reporter.html

[MADem]

10. I certainly hope the Democrats are making a list, and checking it twice

They need to remember who these assholes are, the ones that caved, and freeze them the fuck out. They also need to remember the lobbyists who behaved in an even-handed fashion, and continue to give them fair hearings--if there are any of them still in business, that is....

[BuelahWitch]

11. Hee hee, Santorum threw a tantrum

WAAAAAAAAAAH! :bounce:

[meow2u3]

12. GOP Freezes Jobs List, a Vestige of the K Street Project

Republican lawmakers yesterday ended their long practice of routinely summoning lobbyists to the Capitol to try to persuade them to hire their aides and colleagues, in the wake of the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.

GOP lawmakers for years have regularly presented lists of job openings on K Street to lobbyists to encourage them to hire Republicans over Democrats. The program is a remnant of the K Street Project once championed by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) as a way to coerce trade associations and companies to hire Republicans as their top lobbyists and to warn firms that hired Democrats that they would not be welcome

Yesterday, the staff director of the Senate Republican Conference said that a K-Street-job-vacancies memo -- the heart of Congress's remaining involvement in the effort these days -- will no longer be distributed during high-level meetings hosted by the conference on Capitol Hill between lawmakers and lobbyists. Responsibility for the listings migrated from the House to the Senate several years ago, according to lobbyists.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/25/AR2006012502240.html

In related news: GOP shuts barn door after horse escapes

[rodeodance]

13. Wash post has been doing some good articles lately

[Tight_rope]

14. Well...That's the end of that...At least for now.

Where will all those lawyers and consultants work now.:evilgrin: