Silly Democrats! Tricks are for kids!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/04/AR2005070400924_pf.html

I have been saying this for months and now the proof is in the pudding-or shall I say in the Washington Post. See the link above. This article was listed on Drudge today. It basically states that-and I urge you to read it-Nancy Pelosi had unreported trips paid for by lobbyists. One must understand this only the tip of the ice berg for the democratic party's members of Congress. The article clearly states they take more 'perk's' from lobbyists than Republicans do....so one must ask why Pelosi would dare admit that she took these trips??
Well, it's simple, she can either admit and give into defeat or be exposed by someone else. She is far better off admitting to her actions and thereby letting it be known how truly common this behavior is by Congressmen on BOTH sides of the aisle. She cannot both castigate Delay and call for his removal from the office of Majority Leader and ask forgiveness for her own actions.
SO, What I have been saying is that the Democrats made a brave move to try and remove Delay from office by creating a media frenzy and tying up the House Ethics committee by prying into Delay's trips and interactions with lobbyists. But, it was ultimately STUPID, because as everyone who has worked on Capitol Hill or in DC KNOWS-virtually ALL Congressmen receive some kind of financial compensation for work done or a perk from interaction with lobbyists. POINT BLANK.
At the very least- Most congressional staffers supplement their meager salaries with free food from Assocation receptions or dinners. There are a few people like Senator Feingold who do not allow their staff to take any of this free food. Mind you, these events do not really influence people the way a nice dinner at Oceanaire-the kind Legislative Assistants get treated to-does, but everyone is guilty on some level of taking food at the least from Lobbyists and special interest groups on the Hill. It has been this way for years, and most people think it is a fair trade for time spent listening to some groups spokesperson.
However, it doesn't leave room for the little people who don't have money for lobbying and have to depend on an issues personal ethos to a staff or Congressmen. OR a personal relationship that was developed over years of contact-which probably required some sort of prestige- money, social status, respect in a field of work, etc.
If we are really going to change politics-then you have to take the money out of it-I mean, stop letting the government administer the big bags of money through Appropriations collected by taxes. This is a sticky wicket no one wants to deal with and so we are stuck with lobbyists who are paid to send money to certain groups. And maybe we don't really want to know what is lost or gained by allowing the lobbyists to continue their work.
In short, the Democrats were completely drowned by their own hubris-because I don't hear them talking about abolishing the practice of lobbyists anytime soon..it was just a hollow attempt to unseat a good and strong leader.