Organizing for America

Fact Check on Clinton's False Attacks on Obama's Ethics Reform

Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute: "The notion that the ethics bill only allows lawmakers to eat with lobbyists while standing up is an urban myth -- as is the idea that the ethics and lobbying reform bill was more of the same. It was a tough and meaningful reform, the most meaningful in a generation."

Craig Holman of Public Citizen: "The lobbying and ethics reform legislation is the most sweeping in decades. The new law strikes a sorely needed balance, outright banning the one-on-one lobbyist wining and dining of lawmakers in dark and expensive Capitol Hill watering holes, while still allowing civic groups, professional associations and other lobbying organizations to host meetings, briefings, conferences and even social events with lawmakers -- as long as it is done in the open and in moderation. This is a whole new world of lobbying, one in which even those groups without a lot of money can afford to visit with lawmakers."

Senator McCaskill: "Let me speak briefly to Barack's role to the ethics legislation because I had a front row seat. Before I went to Washington as a freshman senator, I got a call that Senator Obama wanted to have a conference call with all the freshman senators and of course we all did that and we all got on the phone with Senator Obama. And he was calling to ask us to help him on the ethics legislation and he warned us that when we got to Washington that there would be some of the more senior members of the Senate that would act like they wanted to pass the ethics legislation, but he explained to us that they really didn't want to pass it. And that it was going to take a lot of pushing and pulling to get this ethics legislation done and that the freshman class was going to be essential in that. And he recruited us to be monolithic in our support of the provisions that he was pushing. I frankly thought that he was exaggerating at the time. I hadn't obviously taken my seat in the senate yet. I got to the senate and it turned out that he was right. There was a lot of wink, wink, nod, nod going on around the floor on some of the provisions of the bill. Most notably that the idea that senators could take corporate airplanes anywhere they wanted in the country for pennies on the dollar. And I watched as the more senior senators tried to maneuver and keep that provision out of the bill. And I watched Barack Obama stand in the well and refuse to kind of back off on that and we helped. And we did so because he prepared us and urged us to back his position for real ethics reform. Was the bill perfect? No, it wasn't. Can we do more? Of course we can, and of course we want to. And I know as president Barack will help us set a standard for ethics in Washington that will bring a new day. But to belittle that legislation really is not appropriated because it was substantial, it was real and it was hard fought and Barack Obama was at the fulcrum and was the one actually carrying the load to get it across the finish line."

Feingold Said Obama's "Absolutely Right" About Ethics Reform, "It's A Genuine Accomplishment." "The final bill passed with more than 80 votes and was signed into law last August. It had some loopholes, including a "widely attended" event exemption allowing lobbyists to pick up tabs at events so long as they are not sit-down meals. But Feingold and most reform advocates praise the final package. "When Senator Obama says this is the strongest ethics reform legislation, he's absolutely right," he said. "It's a genuine accomplishment." [Washington Post, 1/7/08]

Good Government Groups: Ethics Reform "Shouldn't Be Belittled." The good-government groups that criticized Mrs. Clinton took issue with her comments about the ethics reform bill. While she voted for it, she has suggested that the legislation was not a landmark change and that Mr. Obama was hardly alone in championing it. Fred Wertheimer, president and chief executive of Democracy 21, which promotes campaign finance reform, said the bill contained some of ''the most important and comprehensive ethics and lobbying reforms since the Watergate era.'' Meredith McGehee, policy director of the Campaign Legal Center, said: ''I think it should be seen as the decent, credible and substantial legislation that it was. It shouldn't be belittled.'' [New York Times, 1/15/08]

Kerry: Obama Came To Washington And "Immediately" Passed "The Single Biggest Ethics Reform Package." John Kerry said, "Look at what's happening in Washington. I mean, this place is just in gridlock and stuck. Barack Obama stood up and passed one of the most important - the single biggest ethics reform package that we have passed. He did that immediately." [This Week, 1/13/08]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: Obama Stepped Forward, Did a Wonderful Job. "And finally, Senator Obama. I chose personally Senator Obama last year to work on ethics and lobbying reform, and he's done a wonderful job. He's stepped forward. He's been a leader with Senator Feingold...And I admire and respect his stalwartness in moving forward on this." [Press Conference Transcript, Federal News Service, 1/18/07]

Washington Post Says Obama Deserved Credit For "Strongest Ethics Legislation...Yet." The Washington Post wrote in an editorial, "The final package is the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet...Mr. Reid, along with Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), deserves credit for assembling and passing this package." [Washington Post, Editorial, 1/20/07]

NYT: 2007 Ethics Reform Bill "Quickly Sent A Ripple Of Fear Through K Street" And Was "Already Changing The Culture Of Washington" Before It Was Signed Into Law, Beginning With "More Dutch Treats And Fewer Steak Dinners." "The new law has quickly sent a ripple of fear through K Street...Stanley Brand, a longtime Washington defense lawyer who usually represents Democrats, said the law was a sea change. ''It should send shivers down lobbyists' spines,'' Mr. Brand said. ‘It is a minefield now...President Bush has not said whether he would sign the bill, but it is already changing the culture of Capitol Hill in myriad ways, beginning with more Dutch treats and fewer steak dinners...One lobbyist, who would speak only anonymously to avoid attracting the attention of prosecutors or rivals, said he had started sending himself date-stamped e-mail to create a record of every phone conversation he had with a lawmaker. Then he stopped making campaign contributions...For lobbyists -- who live at the nexus of contributions and favors -- it is an alarming trend. ''They might as well just pull up the paddy wagon outside the Capital Grille,'' one lobbyist said, referring to a clubby steakhouse near the Capitol that is a well-known K Street hangout. [New York Times, 8/7/07]

Obama and Feingold Pressured the Senate Into Adopting Tougher Ethics Reforms. "After Democratic and Republican leaders introduced their bipartisan working version of an ethics plan, pressure from Obama and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) inspired them to open the measure up for some tougher restrictions." [Chicago Tribune, 1/19/07]

Madison Capital Times Says Obama's Work On Ethics Legislation Strengthens Case For Presidency Candidacy. In an editorial, the Madison Capital Times wrote of Obama and Feingold, "The two senators are sponsoring groundbreaking ethics legislation that they say will improve upon Senate Bill 2349, the lobbying disclosure and ethics measure that the Senate passed in March 2006. 'Our goal,' say Feingold and Obama, 'is to restore the public's faith that Congress places its interest ahead of special interests.' The bottom line is that this is a real reform. No one will be surprised that Feingold's name is associated with this effort. But the fact that Obama is so willing to be a part of it will only strengthen the case for consideration of his potential presidential candidacy." [Madison Capital Times, 1/12/07]

Dayton Daily News Says Obama Ethics Amendments Got Reform Bill Improved Instead of Watered Down. The Dayton Daily News wrote in an editorial, "Indeed, the bill goes further than Democrats even promised during the campaign. This was one of those rare occasions when a reform bill is introduced, then, rather than get watered down, gets watered up. This fact has been widely attributed to the work of Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis. They proposed reforms that the other senators - while reportedly not happy about - decided they couldn't oppose in the current political environment." [Dayton Daily News, Editorial, 1/24/07]

Obama Has Been a Champion For Government Ethics Reform, Against the Odds of Getting Legislation Passed. "Barack Obama has been a champion of improving government ethics at both the state and federal level, but he faces a long history of improbity among our elected officials...I laud his efforts." [Jennifer Hunter, Chicago Sun Times, July 17, 2007]