Corruption in High Places

From some who should know, having been amongst the halls of Congress.
Cue up Joni Mitchell ... Both Sides Now...

First, from the Washington Post, quoting "the Newt"
(maybe MC5 with "Kick out the Jams ... MF's")

The Fix - Chris Cillizza's Politics Blog - (washingtonpost.com): "Gingrich: 1994 Legacy 'Hangs in the Balance'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich today cast the Jack Abramoff scandal as symbolic of a broader level of corruption in Washington and called on the Republican majority in Congress to adopt broad-based campaign finance and lobbying reforms.

'This is not one bad person doing one bad thing,' Gingrich said of Abramoff during his luncheon remarks at a D.C. Rotary Club event held at the Hotel Washington. 'You can't have a corrupt lobbyist without a corrupt member or a corrupt staffer on the other end.'

Quoting from the Federalist Papers and invoking such luminaries as Lord Acton and President Abraham Lincoln, Gingrich launched an unapologetic indictment of the Washington culture -- a culture he partially dominated from 1994 until his resignation in late 1998.

Among the other topics on which Gingrich heaped scorn: Wealthy individuals 'buying' Senate and gubernatorial seats, the influx of foreign money into the American political process, the ability of a single senator to place a 'hold' on presidential appointments, and the loophole in campaign finance law that allows for the creation of so-called 527 (soft money) organizations to influence the political process.

In classic Gingrich fashion, the former Speaker had a slew of potential fixes for what ails Capitol Hill. The most radical -- and seemingly impractical -- is a plan to abolish all political fundraising in Washington, D.C., and its environs.

Gingrich also advocated a lifting of campaign contribution limits on individuals living in either the district or state of the candidate to whom they are donating. In his prepared remarks, he singled out Gov.-elect Jon Corzine's (D-N.J.) $100 million personal expenditures on his 2000 race for Senate and 2005 gubernatorial bid as 'convincing proof' that citizens should be allowed to donate unlimited amounts to home-state or local-district candidates 'to offset the big rich ability to buy power.'"

Then we have Gary Hart:

Over Life on the Hill - New York Times: interview in NYTimes Magazine

"Might you consider running again for a seat in the Senate?"

I have never believed in careerism. The founders thought you ought to serve and move on. Otherwise, you become a captive of the system. You've got to raise millions and millions of dollars to stay in office, and you can get that from lobbyists, and what you trade is access. It's a corrupt system. It's massively corrupt."