I hate Joe Scarborough, but I agree with him tonight.

[napi21]

He's on Tweety's show. Tweety asked him what happens is you get to comgress and you vote your own concience and to hell with all the big $$ supporters. He told a story that effectively said they'll try to bribe you once, and if it doesn't work, they go away and mever give more money. He also said you end up like John McCain. People in Washington HATE YOU, and the people back home love you.

I guess we all knew that's the way it works. Too damn bad there aren't more Reps & Sens who want to please the people instead of just getting money!

[DaveSZ]

1. This is why Washington is controlled by corporations

We need to work something out with congressional pay so that bribes are not as alluring.

Edwards' idea about stopping the revolving door of lobbyists sounds good.

[napi21]

4. You can postpone exlegislators from becoming lobyists like

the corporate world prevents certain "inside" employees from going to work for the competition, but you can't stop it forever. The only way this $$ grab is ever going to be stopped is for the voters to stop voting for people who are not voting in their favor. The prime concern of any elected person is to be re-elected! If they find out they lose voters by voting for the wishes of the special interests, they'll stop! I don't hink anything else is going to work!

Remember how quickly congress responded when the public revolted on the ruling on the do not call list? I don't think I ever saw something get through both houses, and signed by the President so fast in my life! I honestly didn't think it was possible!

It's just a very difficult thing to get 200 million people do agree on anything at one time...EVER!

[Leilani]

2. I agreed with what he said...

A lot of good people leave Washington, fed up at the system.

When McCain ran in 2000, he ran a very populist campaign, all about getting rid of special interests in D.C.

[nodictators]

3. Yeah, and McCain was for campaign finance reform

He wanted to get the special interest soft money out of politics, he said.

Seems he forgot about the 527s, though. It was that 527 money that hurt Kerry badly in August. And wasn't it one or more 527s that smeared McCain in 2000? Guess he forgot about that too.

But McCain does talk the populist talk still. At least in public appearances. When he isn't hugging Bush? Talk! Yes, talk.

[napi21]

5. Don't be too quick to slam 527's. Remember MoveOn

and several other 527's that have helped the Dems a whole lot this year! It's one of the ways Kerry was able to keep funding on almost an even keel with the Pubs.

[drdigi420]

6. MoveON is a PAC now (at least part of it is)

[shraby]

7. Outlaw Lobbyists from the halls of congress.

It's the only way to diminish their influence. Only private citizens can be allowed to visit their congressman.

[napi21]

8. That wouldn't matter. Everybody would be going to lunch or dinner.

You can't stop it that way. You have to remove the desire or NEED for the $$. Hell, they could mail the checks to their homes!

Only way to do it is to get the voters to express it at the ballot box.

[Sterling]

9. I could live without Move On .org

If we could get ALL the money out of the system.

[Yupster]

10. I also dislike all the

outside groups.

I really like how each guy has to say "I approve of the message in this ad." I think it makes them responsible.

Not the 527 groups who can sling any kind of %$#$% they want.

I say get rid of them all. Give each guy $ 75 million and see who does better with it.

I thought that's what McCain-Feingold would do.

If Bush expected the 527's to be declared legal, he would have had $ 500 million in groups ready to go on day one. The Republcans will have that next cycle for sure.