Take this article from the November 11 New York Times. The ethics rules Obama is imposing on both his transition team and administration are among the most strict and sweeping ever. Here's a quick rundown:
- Anyone who lobbied in the past 12 months is prohibited from working in the fields of policy on which they lobbied.
- Any lobbyist must cease all lobbying activities during the transition.
- Appointees to the administration will be barred from working on matters involving their former employers.
- Those who leave the administration will be prohibited from lobbying anyone in the administration for the duration of Obama's presidency.
- All political appointees must disclose publicly every meeting with any registered lobbyist.
There is some wiggle room in the new restrictions. Lobbyists can still work for the transition team (and presumably the administration) as long as they do not work in the areas for which they lobbied. Also, the rules only apply to "registered" lobbyists - which are those who personally lobby federal officials on specific issues. This allows many experienced people who may work for lobbying firms but do no direct lobbying to get involved with the transition and/or administration.
Lobbying has been a pet peeve of mine for many years, as it follows the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" logic. Having a lobbyist without ethics restrictions in the administration gives unfair advantage to the areas of policy for which they lobbied. It is the political equivalent of insider trading.
Having these restrictions in place should make it harder for corporations with deep pockets to sway federal policy to their favor. Like everyone else, I am adopting an "it remains to be seen" attitude about all of this, but so far it seems that Obama is the real deal and represents the most refreshing change we have had to the political landscape in decades.
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