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January 18, 2006
Abramoff and Reform
With Republicans still in firm control of both houses and the White House, it seems inconceivable that they would act in any way which would hurt their political play. Granted, they are worried, perhaps very worried, about any fallout from this scandal in next year's election, but one can be assured that whatever reform they do propose will be something that only marginally addresses the problems of money, lobbyists and reform in Washington.
A winning team, the Republicans, will only do so much to change tactics if they have been wildly successful. A stumble here and there is inevitable. I think most of their preliminary reform proposals are smoke screens, designed to give voters the appearance of reform without actually doing so. I certainly could be wrong, but when the actual bills go through committees and get signed there will probably be enough loopholes to allow many of the same types of actions to occur, just in different forms. One can also bet that they will be designed to play to Republican strengths and Democratic weaknesses.
With such success the Republicans are not going to want to really change the nature of the game. Nobody wants to sit on the bench. And I doubt they will not put themselves in a position to lose. They will do whatever they can to convince the electorate that they have rooted out evil, reformed themselves and are ready to lead the country well into the next decade. Transfer this thinking to a personal level. If you had been exceedingly successful doing something and were going to continue in that endeavor, would you change the rules to minimize the value of your particular skill and hurt your chances of victory? I doubt it.
Posted by Chip Spear at January 18, 2006 5:04 PM