The Picture of an Anti-Reformer
Let me say right up front that I’ve never thought highly of John Boehner (R-OH), who is running to become the next House Majority Leader. My opinion dropped even lower last night.
I saw a clip of him on Fox where he was asked about reform legislation that would ban House members from lobbyist-paid trips. You’d think this was an easy answer in the current situation but it wasn’t. Instead, Boehner said that he prefered “full disclosure” of all trips congressmen make and “letting the public” make their own decisions.
This is further proof that Rep. Boehner isn’t a reformer but an insider. An AP article confirms it even further:
Boehner was forced to apologize in the mid-1990s for distributing checks from tobacco companies to his colleagues as they worked on the House floor. More recently, he was scrutinized for accepting donations, parties and trips from Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest provider of student loans, as it lobbied the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which Boehner heads.
He routinely has accepted trips over the past five years that were paid for by special interests and often took along his wife, Debbie. For instance, he took three trips in a single year to Florida at the expense of corporate interests. Just this month, Boehner refused to return donations he got from American Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of an influence-peddling investigation. Many other lawmakers gave back the money or donated it to charity.
That’s what’s on the books, folks. That isn’t a reformer. That’s someone who’s gotten too cozy with lobbyists. Don’t mistake this, though, as an anti-lobbyist rant. It isn’t. Lobbyists do legitimate work and they’re indespensible for many small businesses’ success.
This article’s ‘agenda’ is to make sure Boehner doesn’t get the House Majority Leader’s job because he’s a status quo, insider type when we need a reformer in that position. It’s time to get fresh thoughts into the House leadership. John Boehner isn’t a source of fresh thinking.
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRing