Democrats Dropping PAC Head

From Roll Call ($ required): Democrats Dropping PAC Head

Here is an excerpt:

As they continue to push ethics reform as a centerpiece of their 2006 agenda, three top Senate Democrats are moving to clean up their own houses by cutting ties to a lobbyist serving as treasurer of their leadership political action committees.

Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan (N.D.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.) are cutting ties to longtime appropriations lobbyist William Oldaker, who has served as treasurer for their leadership PACs.

Fine, if that is what they want to do and no doubt Oldaker understands and I would be that he is not hurting for business. But in light of my recent post and comments by The Skeptic, perhaps firing an expert who manages your PACs may not be the wisest idea.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, according to the report, are making the move to remove lobbyists from the management of their PAC. What is interesting is that the activity is in no way illegal.

In the modern climate we have moved sharply away from actual impropriety or even the appearance of impropriety to people make an effort to avoid the potential appearance of a potential impropriety, something like three or four steps from actual illegal activity. I can understand the motive, but lawmakers and lobbyists are now living in fear of gotcha journalists finding out that that people who perform services for them are lobbyists. What's next?

Will Senators and Congressmen start pulling their kids and grandkids off of soccer and baseball teams because their kids played in some tournament against the best friend of a kid of a lobbyist? That is what we are talking about here, four or five steps away from something illegal.

Will we next expect our lawmakers to be automatons, living in a world of isolation from any information or contact beyond each other (not a wise move) or their families(sucks for the families already suffering from separation from their loved one). I am sure this climate too shall pass, probably with some really stupid legislation sure to draw a constitutional challenge but yeilding no real change for the better.