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So, this is kind of interesting. As part of his initiative to clean up legislating and agency work in DC, Obama has put out an executive order to reduce lobbying between current/former agency and executive staff.
Link is here.
Relevant part says:
It looks good so far. My questions:
1. This applies only to executive branch positions. Somebody could theoretically lobby a legislative branch official with no obstructions. Is this a problem, or does the branch division serve as a sufficient distancing?
2. Does this also prevent the former staffers from occupying think tank and political-academic positions (news commentators, etc) for the duration of the Obama administration? There's no denying those positions have some influence in public policy, but I'd imagine they don't fall under lobbying per se.
3. There's an imbalance between the cool-off time period for incoming staff vs. outgoing staff. Outgoing it's a ban until 2013 or 2017, however long the administration lasts. Incoming it's two years from date of start.
Currently, in my experience, once you leave an agency it's a lifetime ban on representing any other party in a specific case to which the US was a party (essentially the same for any lawyer-client priv) but one year for related issues. So here it seems that the main concern is that outsiders might try to influence the workings. But conversely there's a greater allowance for hires, to say "yes, they may be interested, but they do need to do their job..."
What's your take on all this? Gitmo and the Middle East is taking up more column inches, but I personally think his orders towards more gov't transparency should be of equal or greater interest to the American public, from a civic participatory viewpoint.
Link is here.
Relevant part says:
Speaking to his senior staff, Obama said, "However long we are keepers of the public trust, we should never forget that we are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege. It's not about advantaging yourself. It's not about advancing your friends or your corporate clients. It's not about advancing an ideological agenda or the special interests of any organization. Public service is, simply and absolutely, about advancing the interests of Americans."
He also rolled out new rules for his appointees, requiring them to sign a pledge meant to disrupt the "revolving door" by which lobbyists flow seamlessly into government and back into the lobbying business.
His aides are barred from lobbying any executive agency for the life of the Obama administration. That means an appointee who leaves the White House in, say, 2010 would be barred from lobbying the executive branch until 2017 if Obama were to serve two terms.
At present, officials who leave an agency or department cannot go back and lobby their old offices for at least one year.
"It's unprecedented," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the nonpartisan watchdog group Democracy 21. "It basically protects citizens against individuals entering public service and then converting their public service to personal financial gain when they leave."
Lobbyists who join his administration must wait two years before they can take part in any issue on which they lobbied.
He also rolled out new rules for his appointees, requiring them to sign a pledge meant to disrupt the "revolving door" by which lobbyists flow seamlessly into government and back into the lobbying business.
His aides are barred from lobbying any executive agency for the life of the Obama administration. That means an appointee who leaves the White House in, say, 2010 would be barred from lobbying the executive branch until 2017 if Obama were to serve two terms.
At present, officials who leave an agency or department cannot go back and lobby their old offices for at least one year.
"It's unprecedented," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the nonpartisan watchdog group Democracy 21. "It basically protects citizens against individuals entering public service and then converting their public service to personal financial gain when they leave."
Lobbyists who join his administration must wait two years before they can take part in any issue on which they lobbied.
1. This applies only to executive branch positions. Somebody could theoretically lobby a legislative branch official with no obstructions. Is this a problem, or does the branch division serve as a sufficient distancing?
2. Does this also prevent the former staffers from occupying think tank and political-academic positions (news commentators, etc) for the duration of the Obama administration? There's no denying those positions have some influence in public policy, but I'd imagine they don't fall under lobbying per se.
3. There's an imbalance between the cool-off time period for incoming staff vs. outgoing staff. Outgoing it's a ban until 2013 or 2017, however long the administration lasts. Incoming it's two years from date of start.
Currently, in my experience, once you leave an agency it's a lifetime ban on representing any other party in a specific case to which the US was a party (essentially the same for any lawyer-client priv) but one year for related issues. So here it seems that the main concern is that outsiders might try to influence the workings. But conversely there's a greater allowance for hires, to say "yes, they may be interested, but they do need to do their job..."
What's your take on all this? Gitmo and the Middle East is taking up more column inches, but I personally think his orders towards more gov't transparency should be of equal or greater interest to the American public, from a civic participatory viewpoint.
At least a week. 
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