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The Obama Administration sets new ethics rules for lobbyists
By Lauren | November 12, 2008
Yesterday, soon-to-be President Barack Obama made a whole lot of points with me when his transition team announced new ethics rules for lobbyists. You may remember that candidate Obama promised to take a strong stance on corruption in Washington, and to prevent lobbyists from gaining undue influence in his Administration. Although he hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet, President-Elect Obama has already started working to keep that promise.
The new ethics rules don’t absolutely prohibit lobbyists from taking jobs in the new Obama Administration. They do, however, set meaningful limits. Lobbyists won’t be allowed to work on issues they’ve previously lobbied, which means they won’t easily be able to procure favored treatment for former clients. For Washington, that’s a significant step in the right direction.
Critics of the new Administration are already saying that the new rules don’t go as far as candidate Obama promised they would, but I think that’s unfair. Candidates talk in generalities - elected officials deliver specifics. That’s exactly what President-Elect Obama has done, and he’s done it in record time. People are sick of politicians who don’t care about ethics and don’t keep their promises. Won’t it be wonderful if President-Elect Obama does both?
Topics: Business Ethics, Social Ethics, ethics |
November 20th, 2008 at 3:32 am
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