The Moderate Voice - Latest Comments in An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

StockBoySF — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:23:43 -0000

That's great!

Now if we can just get our congressional leaders to stand up and protect all our rights under the US constitution.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

domajot — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:09:57 -0000

It's too bad this kind of story is never a headline story., or even a story worthy of mention by most media outlets.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

kritt11 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:50:59 -0000

Paul Silver- Thanks for a good post. It was a nice break from the Spitzer media orgy.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

kritt11 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:50:09 -0000

SD- You are such a broken record! 8)

So were the Republicans opposed to this only because the Democrats were backing it? I guess it doesn't fit with the image of the "do nothing Congress." Congrats to Ms Pelosi-this has been needed for a long time.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

superdestroyer — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:33:51 -0000

The real question is how with congressional ethics function once the U.S. becomes a one party state. Can a government control by a single political ever be ethical.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

PaulSilver — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:51:59 -0000

Congressional ethics is an oxymoron only to the extent that we let it be that way.
We can change the system to elect more candidates who value continued incremental changes to strengthen the wall between special interests and the crafting of public policy.
What can you do today to move us closer to a congress we can be proud of? Why not send money to the candidates who voted for the ethics reforms and to those candidates who are running against incumbents who voted against the reforms.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

Slamfu — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:31:18 -0000

Amen. About time this happened. I don't care who was responsible, it just had to happen.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

Tully — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:03:40 -0000

Congressional ethics? Sorry, I don't understand. You're speaking in oxymorons.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

PaulSilver — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:34:58 -0000

House Defeats First Ethics Vote Protest

The House just beat back the first formal protest against last night's controversial votes to create a new Office of Congressional Ethics. The chamber voted along party lines, 215-193, to table a Republican resolution calling for yesterday's votes to be scuttled and for at least two full-scale investigations of the evening's events.

Republicans believe that a procedural vote before final passage of the ethics reform bill last night was held open well past the allotted 15 minutes because Democrats were losing on the question and needed the extra time to twist arms. The GOP argues that tactic violated a new House rule implemented at the start of this Congress preventing a vote from being "held open for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of such vote."

Today's vote was on a GOP resolution calling for both the ethics committee and another panel -- a select committee already established to investigate a controversial August vote -- to probe last night's events, and for the controversial vote in question to be vacated. The GOP's move today failed, but that doesn't mean this fight is over. Bringing such resolutions to the floor is one of the few weapons available to the minority in the House, so Republicans are expected to employ this method more often as this election year goes on to make the argument that Democrats are hypocrites.

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

GeorgeSorwell — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:34:12 -0000

More details.

Hopefully the link will work!!

Re: An Independent Office of Congressional Ethics

CStanley — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:30:17 -0000

QandO had this hilarious comment from a lawmaker who objected to the idea that outsiders were needed to police their ethics:
http://www.qando.net/detail...