What Will Congress Do Now?

Exit polls after the mid-term elections showed that corruption was a key issue guiding the public’s decisions at the voting booths.  The scandals endured by the GOP directly before the elections have been identified as one of the central reasons for the party’s defeat.  It seems that the Democrats did not necessarily win the election on their platform alone, but rather the Republicans lost it due to the scandals surrounding them.

With that said, the Democrats now find themselves in a situation in which they must prove to the American public that they are indeed worthy of holding the majority in Congress.  The country voted in a Democratic House and Senate because Americans were looking for a change in the status-quo.  They will expect this change come January, and it seems as if some of the Democratic leaders are preparing for it.  Incoming House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, along with other party members, are getting ready to introduce an ethics reform package in early 2007.  The bill will be debated in parts, allowing individual attention for each of the components which will include topics such as lobbying reform, gift ban, ‘paygo,’ etc.  The idea, of course, is that by splitting the bill up, each topic will be given ample attention and the issue of ethics reform – which practically won the Democrats their seats – will be dealt with sufficiently.

To some, however, it is doubtful that these efforts to change will wield dramatic results.  Not all Democrats are enthusiastic about seeing the rules of the game change.  For example, Senator Inouye (HI) who will likely lead the defense appropriations committee has been one of the kings of pork spending through earmarks.  Others, such as Senator Patty Murray (WA), who will become Chairwoman of the transportation subcommittee, supported shady projects like Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere.”  In a recent New York Times article Rep. Jeff Flake (AZ) argued that increased efforts to expose earmarks may not be of any use.  “Transparency would be enough if we had any shame, if you were embarrassed to get an earmark for the National Wild Turkey Federation […] But Republicans and Democrats have shown that is no longer any embarrassment.” 

Consequently, Americans are left wondering what, if any changes will be made by the 110^th Congress.  Although it is difficult to predict which way the wind will blow, there are some outside forces which are trying to keep the momentum going and bring transparency into government.  One such organization is the Sunlight Network.  Since before the elections, the Network has been running the Punch Clock Campaign in which Members of Congress are asked to post their daily schedules on-line for the public to access.  The purpose of the campaign is to ultimately change the way Congress operates – to encourage increased public involvement, awareness, and oversight.  Is it a lofty goal?  Absolutely.  But is it a necessary goal?  Absolutely.  There are a number of ways the Sunlight Network hopes to bring accountability into our rogue Congress, now and in the future, and this is one of their first efforts. 

If you’d like to get involved, visit the websites:

www.sunlightnetwork.com             www.sunlightfoundation.com

Have you asked your Congressman/woman what he/she does all day?