MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RETIRING TO CASH IN AT THE BIG K STREET LOBBYING FIRMS

Trent Lott threw his just-won senate seat in the trash as soon as he realized he'd have to wait two full years to go cash in on K Street as a lobbyist if he resigned after the end of December. Nearly two dozen Republicans are retiring from the House and Senate this year, many of them to gobble up lucrative jobs lobbying their old colleagues on behalf of rich, powerful corporations, each of which is looking for something from the American people that they don't deserve to have and wouldn't get without some special... juice. The revolving door policy between elected officials and corporations is a shameful blight on democracy. This year, amazingly, not a single Democrat is leaving either house of Congress to grab for the golden ring; it's just Republicans led by Lott and Denny Hastert, the longest serving Republican House Speaker ever.

Hastert's local paper, the Dekalb Daily Chronicle printed a letter from one of his constituents:

Dear Congressman Hastert:

Best wishes in your retirement from Congress. The press reports that you explained the timing of your departure in terms of allowing the governor time to set up a special primary election to choose your successor on Feb. 5. Please forgive me for asking whether this timing also had to do with a desire to avoid the new ethics restrictions which go into effect upon the adjournment of this session of Congress. A provision in this legislation would, I understand, double from one year to two the required waiting period between your leaving Congress and accepting a job lobbying your former colleagues. If indeed your retirement was not timed to avoid this ethics requirement, would you please pledge to abide by the new “revolving door” rules? Such action on your part would help restore the faith of voters in their representatives in Congress.

CELE MEYER

DeKalb

This would be an excellent idea for Hastert, Lott, Ferguson, Pickering, and the whole pack of them. You think there's any chance? Yeah, me neither.

Yesterday Chris Cillizza looked at the plethora of Republican retirements from another perspective: the likelihood that the minority party will be a far smaller minority come January, 2009. Cillizza's very Inside the Beltway POV on which seats are likeliest to change hands next November includes 9 Republican-held seats and only one Democrat (and not even a real Democrat at that).

The putative Democrat on the list, at #10, is Republican-voting Chris Carney, who was elected last year campaigning against his opponent's rubber stamp posture towards Bush's most egregious policies. Upon winning the seat Craney immediately adopted an effectively identical rubber stamp posture towards Bush's most egregious policies. It's unlikely Republicans will vote for him instead of a bona fide Republican and he certainly hasn't given Democrats or independents any reason to vote for him. He's likely to lose the seat he gained through totally false advertising.

The other 9, like I said, are all Republican-held. Only one, CA-04, may have an incumbent running and Cillizza thinks that is the most likely seat to change hands anywhere in the country. I think it's far more likely that John Doolittle will be indicted than be on the ticket. And even if he somehow escapes the law, he could very well be defeated in a GOP primary. The other 8 setas are all Republican-held seats where the incumbents are retiring. One, scandal-plagued Heather Wilson, is making a futile run for the Senate seat in New Mexico. The others either all just fed up with their own extremist party or want to get a high paying job while they still can. Cillizza's list (with the current Bush rubber stamp):
CA-04 (John Doolittle)
OH-16 (Ralph Regula)
NJ-03 (Jim Saxton)
NM-01 (Heather Wilson)
NJ-07 (Mike Ferguson)
MN-03 (Jim Ramstad)
OH-15 (Deborah Pryce)
IL-11 (Jerry Weller)
AZ-01 (Rick Renzi)
PA-10 (Chris Carney)

His predictions for the next batch of Republican retirees: Mike Castle (DE), Bill Young (FL), Jim Walsh (NY) and Tom Davis (VA). Not a word about the two Alaska crooks. I think the idea floated in the Dekalb Daily Chronicle is one we should ask all retiring members of Congress to adhere to.