As reported by
ThinkProgress, the House of Representitives has passed a
sham ethics reform bill.
House conservatives just passed their lobbying reform bill by a narrow 217-214 vote. The Washington Post called the legislation a "sham," "diluted snake oil" and "an insult to voters." Instead of the comprehensive reform promised by lawmakers in early 2006, this bill fails to reform parts of the system most in need.
The vote was 217 for, 213 against. Four votes. (But two Republicans abstained so that's really more like six.) Of course, the worst part of this is that eight Dems voted for it. Had the Democratic caucus stood united here they would have won.
The eight "Republican enablers" were:
John Barrow (GA-12) - Contact here
Dan Boren (OK-2) - Contact here
Leonard Boswell (IA-3) - Contact here
Henry Cuellar (TX-28) - Contact here
Jim Marshall (GA-3) - Contact here
Jim Matheson (UT-2) - Contact here
Charlie Melancon (LA-3) - Contact here
Gene Taylor (MS-4) - Contact here
Illinois Kossacks visit SoapBlox/Chicago