WASHINGTON, May 9, 2008
The Revolving Door: Lawmaker To Lobbyist
More Members Of Congress Are Making Career Changes - And Taking Their War Chest With Them
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Play CBS Video Video From Senator To Lobbyist Although campaign funds cannot be used for personal gain, they can be donated to former colleagues. And as Sharyl Attkisson reports, some Senators-turned-lobbysts are reaping the benefit.
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Former senator Trent Lott had a whopping $1.3 million left in his reelection fund when he quit the Senate and opened his lobby firm. (CBS)
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Interactive 110th Congress The balance of power shifts and new leadership takes control as the latest session convenes.
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Blog Primary Source Armen Keteyian and his investigative team keep you informed daily on their blog.
Investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson keeps watch on how the government is spending your tax dollars
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• From Lawmaker To Lobbyist
• Flying The Empty Skies
• Fishing For Tax $$
• Millions In Pills, Flushed
• Murtha's Defense Earmarks Questioned
• Bailout Banks Hike Up Charges
• Student Loan Charity Under Fire
• Bailout Money To Tax Havens
• Big Bank's Bailout Spending Spree
• The Impossible-To-Track Bailout
• Where Did The Bailout Billions Really Go?
• Pension System A Runaway Train
• Parking Garage To Nowhere
• Did D.C. Bribery Cost Troop Lives?
• Teach For America Gets Schooled
• USDA Jobs A Day At The Beach?
• From Lawmaker To Lobbyist
• Flying The Empty Skies
• Fishing For Tax $$
• Millions In Pills, Flushed
Then last fall, after 35 years in Congress, Trent Lott, R-Miss., made a surprise announcement: he was quitting, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
"Trish and I have decided it's time for us to do something else," Lott said on Nov. 26, 2007.
"Something else" turned out to be lobbying.
Lott joined up with another former senator, John Breaux, D-La., to open their own firm in a Washington, D.C. office building. Ex-members of Congress can double their earnings as lobbyists, paid by special interests to directly influence their former colleagues.
And guess what those former members of Congress can take with them to their big lobby jobs: their leftover campaign funds, unspent money given by donors during their election.
Ethics rules prohibit spending it for personal use... but you won't believe what ex-members of Congress are allowed to do with their campaign money: donate it as lobbyists to their former colleagues.
Lott had a whopping $1.3 million left in his reelection fund when he quit the Senate and opened his lobby firm. One of the first big clients to jump aboard was Northrop Grumman, which is lobbying to keep a $35 billion air force contract for plane re-fuelers.
Lott has dipped into his campaign chest to donate money to former colleagues, who could influence the Northrop Grumman deal, including Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Roger Wicker, who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He's also contributed to the Senate's top Republican Mitch McConnell.
Government watchdog Sheila Krumholz says it's perfectly legal … but shouldn't be.
"Not only do they have incredible access to their former colleagues, but they can give out money to those colleagues to keep the doors open," said Krumholz.
Krumholz's group, the Center for Responsive Politics, says more lawmakers than ever are moving through that golden revolving door from Congress to lobbyist, and then using leftover campaign funds on Capitol Hill.
According to Congressional Quarterly, 195 members have crossed over to lobbying since 2005.
Is this a way of getting around election law that says they shouldn't personally benefit from the funds?
"I think it is," Krumholz said. "I think it's a distinction almost without difference."
Lott wouldn't agree to an interview but has said he's merely donating to Republicans he believes in, not trying to win favors.
Whatever the reason, with the revolving door spinning faster than ever, it means more leftover campaign funds converted and carried over into the lobby world … Washington style.
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Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 31 CommentsAll forms of organization, regardless how democratic they start, are likely to develop into oligarchies. An oligarchy is a form of government where political power effectively resides with a small elite part of society, usually distinguished by wealth, family or military powers, (i.e.-20 years Bush-Clinton regime). Oligarchists rise to power results from immobility and passivity of the masses vs. the tendency of leaders to organize themselves and to consolidate their interests, and misguided habit of the masses believing they require experienced leaders, thus enabling our co-dependency to the technical indispensability of leadership. In I832 Noah Webster warned, "Corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded.%u201D
Americans UNITE to end America%u2019s current slippery slope into oligarchy! Let%u2019s demand incumbents change these laws, and demand the media report the hypocrisy of political double-speak and unearned public revenue bounty. Let%u2019s make sure this %u201Clobby-scam-gate%u201D is discontinued and be as illegal as it is unethical.
"Corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded.
"If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws."
"Corruption of morals is rapid enough in any country without a bounty from government. And...the Chief Magistrate of the United States should be the last man to accelerate its progress."
These people spend *millions* to get a job that pays a fraction of what they spent to get it.
Why spend all that money? Because after a few terms you get a pension, free medical and another high paying job.
I worked with a low functioning sociopath today that has no insight into why it was wrong to embezzle from his grandmother. The U.S. government is full of high functioning sociopaths that have no sense of morality, ethics or justice.
He want''s to reward his lobbyist Doug Goodyear with the GOP Convention --- He worked for the ruling junta in Burma as CEO of DCI Group, who lobby''s for Exxon, Mobil & others --- DCI also runs McCain''s own 527''s he says he wants ended, called Progress for America & several others.
When are WE the People Going to RUN these Crooks OUT of Town on a Rail? When are we going to REVOLT?
Title: WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD
written by a respected author David Korten.
Synopsis
As last year''s World Trade Organization protests in Seattle indicate, author Korten is not alone in his concern about the harmful effects of globalization on politics, society, and the environment. He examines how economic globalization has resulted in the emergence of a new organizational form--the transnational corporation.
Annotation
In a well-reasoned, extensively researched analysis, Korten exposes the harmful effects globalization is having on all areas of life--not just economics, but also politics, society, and the environment--and outlines a grassroots strategy for getting corporations out of politics and creating a world responsive to human needs and the natural environment.
Title: WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD
--- by David C. Korten
Textbook Paperback - 2ND
Average Customer Rating: 5 stars
ISBN-13: 9781887208048Sales
Pub. Date: January 2001
When will Americans finally unite to shut down the greed, corruption and cronyism of D.C.?
Oh, and no other country is going to listen to us until we get our own house in order.
Nothing will change until the Ruling Elite are rounded up and hung. A large group of them will be in Crawdad, Texasss today, for the Uniting Ceremony of 2 Fascist Corporate Families.
Don Barzini and Don Corleone would be so proud....
The fact the Lott and Breaux formed a joint company demonstrates that ALL members of congress are part of this farce. They get all the perts and pass laws to ensure they keep their perts (all nice and legal). They, and those like them are the scum of the earth and not worth donkey ***. Shame on Lott and Breaux and all others who screw ordinary American citizens for the own greed!
Isn''t is interesting these weasels passed a low that causes you to loose your health care''s FSA (flexible spending account) if you don''t use it by a certain time, (certainly a disincentive to many in setting aside money for deductibles and co-pay).
This country has been going to hell in a hand basket for several decades, and especially with Bush-43. From lying about WMD to cherry-pick a fake reason to go to war to loosing incriminating e-mails, the Bush Administration will be known as the worse era in America''s history.
We, the people must take our country back! We need to vote out all the scoundrels that are in office and replace them with people that understand we expect a transparent and honest government.
there''s rules? what a joke ... wolves making the rules about ... and taking turns guarding the hen house.
who do these people really represent ... other than themselves?
It''s prayers are wasted.
Americans do a shy dance every two/four years to vote for "A" or "A". We live in the most propagandist nation on earth; a country where a majority of its citizens are too fat and too lazy and too poorly learned to tell the difference or even care anymore.
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