Speech in Opposition to Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006

This lobby bill began with grand talk, broad promises, and today it's ending with a whimper. The bill's announcement was the high water mark, and since then the Republican strategy has been to let each of these reforms, the weak, get weaker and to reject most every Democratic proposal that's been advanced, even some like my own that had no visible opposition.
So much has been stripped from this bill that if it remains here another week, there won't be anything left but the name, and the name is certainly appropriate, "the Transparency Act," because you can see right through this bill, that it does not reflect any meaningful bipartisan reform of a very corrupt system.
Tragically, the party of Abraham, the party of Abraham Lincoln is becoming the party of Abramoff. No wonder you have blocked every effort that we've made to investigate this wretched scandal.
With all the special interest wining and dining, what a Grand Old party it is, but it's a grand party for everyone but the taxpayers who have to pick up the tab, because corruption is not a victimless crime. Ask those who bear the higher price at the gas pump, who bear the cost as tax payers of no-bid Halliburton contracts or the suffering of our seniors from a pharmaceutical bill written for themanufacturers, not for our seniors.
This bill represents no right step in the right direction. No true incremental reform; it is instead a phony, contrived maneuver to obstruct genuine change, to stop the greed and end the culture of corruption that is weakening our country. We have come forward as Democrats with one proposal after another, to reach across the aisle and to try to address this corruption, but at every turn, our hand has been slapped away by those who are content with the corrupt system that is ruining this country and damaging this Congress.

from lloyd.doggett@mail.house.gov