Ethics reform in Washington... or, not?

[unixronin]

Every four or eight years a new president arrives in town, declares his determination to cleanse a dirty process and invariably winds up trying to reconcile the clear ideals of electioneering with the muddy business of governing.  Mr. Obama on his first day in office imposed perhaps the toughest ethics rules of any president in modern times, and since then he and his advisers have been trying to explain why they do not cover this case or that case.

“This is a big problem for Obama, especially because it was such a major, major promise,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.  “He harped on it, time after time, and he created a sense of expectation around the country.  This is exactly why people are skeptical of politicians, because change we can believe in is not the same thing as business as usual.”

And so in these opening days of the administration, the Obama team finds itself being criticized by bloggers on the left and the right, mocked by television comics and questioned by reporters about whether Mr. Obama is really changing the way Washington works or just changing which political party works it.

[...]  “Is this really the message he wants to convey to voters in just his first month in office, a message that it’s O.K. to break or skirt the law just as long as you’re a good guy with a special skill set?” asked Andy Ostroy, a blogger writing on The Huffington Post, a liberal Web site.

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss ...?

It's easy to talk the talk, but ultimately it doesn't mean much if you can't, or won't, walk the walk.

Comments

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Color me not exceedingly surprised.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

i've have been surprised otherwise...

but it's still short time. he's got 4 years less some change. then it's arnold's turn ;)

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[unixronin.livejournal.com]

It has been a mixed start so far.

It also looks like ACORN may pick up as much as $4.2 billion (http://olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com/319939.html?style=mine#cutid1) from the Democratic pork ... er, excuse me, "stimulus" bill, and MoveOn.org is in line for a handout too. Both of those are, unsurprisingly, apparently payback for campaign support.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I just wish they could find a few nominations who know how to figure taxes right. I can do it, proving that genius is not necessary . . .

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Is it a question of knowing how to figure taxes right, or knowing how to figure them wrong and not get caught?

[lwj2.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely example of why SMART public people use a tax accountant or a CPA to do their taxes.

Then, if caught with one's pants hanging about one's ankles, one points at said accountant and says "I signed the form Mr/Ms XY prepared and sent a cheque to the Treasury, if the IRS feels my form is incorrect, they may talk to my accountant, Mr/Ms XY."

Aside from that, were I to discover Mr. Daschle in the same room as a fer-de-lance, I would fear for the snake's health.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I have to admit to having never thought about hiring a tax accountant or CPA in the context of plausible deniability.
Of course, I don't know how well that works when your tax accountant turns around and says, "My client, Mr. X, instructed me to omit that", or "My client, Mr. X, did not provide me with that information."

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I think that "not getting caught" fits under "right."

[lwj2.livejournal.com]

Yes, there's that.

One doesn't lie to one's accountants or attorneys. Comes back to bite one squarely on the arse, betimes with the phrasing "My former client ..."

[lizzibabe.livejournal.com]

Considering how little time he has had in office, I wondered how long it was going to take him to find out that politics is a dirty damn job. He's not going to be able to do it effectively and remain lily-white.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

In American politics, the graft is institutionalized and audited. There are many ways built into the system for payback to a supporter. Work outside those lines in public politics, and you are done. One of the many reasons that most people shun politics (and politicians.) For the talent and ability most of them have, they get paid practically nothing.

If you want to set up new, stricter rules, fine do so. It is not really too much to ask that you live by the new rules, you made them.

I am willing to overlook these kind of snafu's for the next eight months or more. Our President may not have bitten off more than he can chew, but it is more than he has ever bitten off before, by a lot! Being President is hard. Watch, but let it be for a while. This kind of stuff is just distraction. There is far more important stuff in the works right now.