Oklahoma State Senator Kenneth Corn has proposed a long list of things that Oklahoma politicians, lobbyists and ethics commission officials should have to do, as well as a few things he doesn't want them to do anymore.
Corn says he's proposing "the toughest crackdown in state history on special interests and their hired guns at the Capitol," and he's doing so because: “There's a stench rising from the dome of the Capitol and that stench is choking the voices of average citizens. It is the foul smell of corruption, money and special interests.”
Leaving aside Senator Corn's somewhat overheated rhetoric -- apparently politicians figure no one will be on their side unless they're involved in a Cause, The Desired Resolution of Which Involves Nothing Less Than the Fate of All That Is Decent, Upright, Honorable and Nice to Kittens -- we can look at his proposals in several different ways. Most of them center on restricting lobbyists' access to legislators. The image of the shady lobbyist offering perks and gifts to lawmakers is an enduring one, with good reason. But lobbyists sometimes represent good things too. Plus, at what point does a person cross the line from speaking out on behalf of a group of which they're a part to being a lobbyist? When the group pays them? What if groups take up a collection to defray their spokespeople's travel expenses? Or cover for them because they took time off work to go to the Capitol and make their case? Does that make them paid lobbyists?
Some people may also look at Sen. Corn's proposals and wonder why he's making them now. Before he was Sen. Corn, he was Representative Corn, and he's served in the Oklahoma legislature since 1998, which means he's had a couple of chances to plant this flag before. But he didn't until term limits required him to leave the legislature, which makes me wonder how many of his soon-to-be-former colleagues might be grumbling, "Thanks a lot, Ken" under their breaths.
The real laugher in all of this comes when we consider how Corn, if he is elected Lieutenant Governor, will bring his proposals before the legislature. Because unless he can get a representative or a senator to put them into a bill, he won't. Oklahoma gives its lieutenant governor absolutely no ability to propose legislation. He or she is the official presiding officer of the State Senate, but only votes in case of a tie. The LG serves on or chairs several state commissions, none of which are the ethics commission. The LG's main job is to wait around for the governor to get sick enough, get convicted enough, get dead enough or get out of town for a long enough time that somebody else has to take over.
In other words, Senator Corn has made a bold commitment, using bold apocalyptic language, to boldly call for bold changes that he can only politely ask someone else to think about making. You might, if you were mean, say that in order for these reforms to be enacted, their supporters will have to...ahem...lobby for them. Now, I personally don't know whom Okie voters should support in the LG's race (our LG election is separate from the gubernatorial one). For all I know Sen. Corn's GOP opponent has said just as many silly as Sen. Corn has. But whichever candidate I wind up voting for, I seriously doubt my pick will come because said candidate staked out a no-brainer position on an issue which he can't really affect all that much.
(H/T The McCarville Report Online)
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