By Melanie Sloan, San Diego Union-Tribune
December 6, 2006
Corruption matters. That's the message of the 2006 midterm elections. According to the exit polls, ethics was the leading issue for voters this year, trumping terrorism, the Iraq war and the economy.
This public focus on corruption was predictable. In 1994, the Democrats faced voter backlash as a result of the House post office scandal, the House banking scandal and the indictment of former Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill. Republicans made cleaning up congressional corruption part of the "Contract with America" and the Democrats lost control of the House after 40 years in power.
Inexplicably, Republicans ignored the lessons of the 1994 congressional elections.
This year, the two largest scandals involved former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the cover-up of former Rep. Mark Foley's, R-Fla., inappropriate conduct toward former congressional pages, with the Randy "Duke" Cunningham bribery scandal a close third. Last January, right after Abramoff pleaded guilty, members on both sides of the aisle talked about ethics reform and introduced anemic legislation aimed at curbing abuses. A few months later, however, in the mistaken belief that the public had lost interest in the issue, even those feeble bills languished.
By November, dissatisfaction with Congress was at an all-time high and the public collectively decided to vote the scoundrels out. Many of the seats held by members involved in the Abramoff scandal went to Democrats including those held by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and Reps. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, Bob Ney, R-Ohio, and Tom DeLay, R-Texas. Reps. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., and Don Sherwood, R-Pa., undoubtedly lost thanks to voter disgust over their generally sleazy behavior, while ongoing criminal investigations contributed to Rep. Curt Weldon's, R-Pa., loss and to Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., being forced into the first run-off election of his career.
The safely Republican seat formerly held by Rep. Foley went to a Democrat, and Rep. Sue Kelly, R-N.Y., lost her seat for failing to act against Foley when she had the chance as the chair of the House Page Board.
Just because these ethically challenged members are gone though, no one should be fooled into thinking Congress is now corruption-free. A number of members with serious ethics issues will return to Congress next year. Their ethics violations fall into three main categories: exchanging earmarks for campaign contributions, using their legislative authority to improve the value of their own property, and using their positions to financially benefit family members.
In the earmarking category, perhaps no member is facing greater scrutiny than Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Bakersfield. Lewis is under federal investigation for earmarking funds for clients of former San Diego Congressman and now lobbyist Bill Lowery in exchange for campaign contributions. Lowery and his clients have raised over one-third of Rep. Lewis's campaign funds. Also under federal investigation is Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., for earmarking federal dollars for five nonprofits, the employees of which have donated heavily to Mollohan's campaigns.
Some members, including Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside, have used their positions to make financially beneficial land deals. Hastert made a $2 million profit on the sale of land only a few miles from a highway project for which he specifically earmarked funds. Similarly, Calvert pushed through an earmark to secure $8 million for an overhaul and expansion of a freeway interchange near property he owned, thereby increasing its value nearly 80 percent.
In the "all in the family" program, John Doolittle, R-Granite Bay -- the one member of Congress who has so far survived the Abramoff scandal -- uses his wife as his campaign fundraiser. Although she apparently has no other clients and no fundraising experience, Doolittle's wife takes home 15 percent of every dollar raised for Rep. Doolittle's campaign. Thus, donors who think they are contributing to Doolittle's campaigns are also subsidizing the Doolittle family's living expenses. Another California member who has used her position to benefit family is Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles. Waters' daughter Karen has published a slate mailer with the names of candidates Waters has supported. The fee for a place on the mailer has ranged widely depending on the resources of the candidate, and a significant portion of the money paid went to Waters.
Perhaps seeing their colleagues lose seats as a result of their unethical conduct will persuade these ethically challenged members to clean up their acts. Or maybe, given that the Democrats made cleaning up Congress part of their platform this year, the House ethics committee will finally get to work and take a tougher line against members who violate House rules. Otherwise, there is always November 2008.