permafrost Loc: Minnesota

I am all for limiting of ending lobby groups...

Having a harder look at trumps EO, it seems that it is less then what Obama had already done. and is now undone.

So it appears trump set us back on the lobbying issue..

I would say both orders are less then I would like, but Obama did have a stronger order..


http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-lobbying-ban-weakens-obama-ethics-rules-234318

issued as an executive order on Saturday, includes a five-year "lobbying ban" that falls short of its name, preventing officials from lobbying the agency they worked in for five years after they leave, but allowing them to lobby other parts of the government.


The order also lets lobbyists join the administration as long as they don't work on anything they specifically lobbied on for two years. Obama's order from 2009, which Trump revoked, blocked people who were registered lobbyists in the preceding year from taking administration jobs.

"Lobbyists bring special interest baggage with them when they pass through the revolving door to go to work in the very agencies they once lobbied," Norm Eisen and Richard Painter, the last two presidents' ethics lawyers now at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement. "Obama banned this practice but Trump has brought it back."

Obama's order also restricted all administration officials from contacting their former agencies for two years after they leave. Trump changed it back to one year for some 3,000 people — everyone except cabinet-level appointees.

"The single biggest insulation that we had, in retrospect, against scandal in the Obama administration was the two-year exit ban," Eisen said in an interview. "People will pay you to put you on ice for one year and then after that year is up to ply your contacts. But no one wants to pay you to put you in cold storage for two years."

Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott famously resigned from the Senate in 2007 right before a new law would have lengthened his cooling-off period from one year to two. He proceeded to start a highly successful lobbying practice with his former colleague John Breaux, a longtime Louisiana senator.

Morgan

Fully agree on both replies, what we allow to happen in our own governing system is all on us, and no one else. The how to change it is the hard part.

Morgan

I agree these were small steps, but at least it was addressing the problem and moving to a remedy. When both party's are so completely against the other we constantly take one step forward and two steps back, when are we going to get off this dance floor, negotiate, agree and move on. You're correct much more needs to be done which also includes and would possibly help, is a finite time for representatives to stay in congress. Let's face it it's a money maker and a apparently a straight path to corruption.

Big Bass

One good place to begin might be to give Trump a chance. Dismissing every move he makes out-of-hand is neither productive, nor clever. It also costs us all in time wasted. If he screws up, many right-wingers, including me, will be crying "Foul."

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

Great thread topic with interesting comments...

Unless I missed it from being said, I think one of President Trumps intention was to fullfil his campaign pleadge to the people to limit lobbyist influences. He's done it..Not perfect but a good step in trying to reign in the political influence of money to influence.....

A five years ba after they leave office, and prohibits them from lobbying for foreign entities is a great idea... Could even indicate there is some real reforms coming..Also a positive with a gleamer of hope...

But let’s not think this is not going to be fought either....If Trump wants to take on Washington lobbyists, he’s going to need more than a simple executive order. If we’ve learned anything from Bo's half-hearted attempt to crack down on specialintererest influence, that should be the number one lesson...

I hope Trump looked at what BO put forth and what happened to usurp it..Other than no one enforcing it and lobbyist just dropping their registration~~I also hope he holds them all to their feet and actually penalizes if warranted...Must make it mandatory to register!! Or as they did with BO, they just dropped registration and the surge of special interest influence grew......

This a start, he really needsto get Congress to introduce laws that fashion the objectives of lobbyist on the hill, and lay it item by item to include penalites of not only the lobbist but the person involved with it as well..Drain that swamp can not be partisan either!!No lobbying looseholds and full disclosure of these lobbyist to include who they work for and the issues of special interest being under taken!!!Laws, not just an EO is tantamount to success!! Far reaching orders don't do well as we saw with Bo.........

Ifour lawmakers want to make good on their promises to voters this campaign cycle, they must work together to close lobbying loopholes and create a more transparent and accountable government. Anything less is just empty talk......

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

We are still rolling, i don't have an issue that Obama was the one with the two yr ban on lobbyists.....my problem is lobbyists period!! The two yr ban really means nothing when it takes the better part of a decade to get most things done anyway, Obama merely took a step that really didn't fix the issue....but it looked good on paper, not reality of the true problem in terms of time.

I am for no lobbyists, wheather it's Trump, Obama....or the next fella, someone needs to rid the planet of these self serving money grubbers.

Morgan

I'm withya on that!

How