From the editorial in today's Mitchell Daily Republic:
Daschle is not a lawyer, but he is expected to give Alston & Bird even more lobbying clout and expertise than it already possesses, thanks to a stable of former politicians that includes former Senate Leader Bob Dole, who helped recruit Daschle.
No one should be surprised by this.
No one, or at least hardly anyone, expected Daschle to move back to South Dakota and begin coaching Little League baseball. Perhaps a few had harbored the notion that he would return to his home state and play a leading role in rebuilding the state’s Democratic Party. Though Tim Johnson and Stephanie Herseth hold a U.S. Senate and House seat, the Democratic party remains in a weakened condition, as evidenced by its solid minority in the state Legislature and its distant second-place ranking in voter registration.
However, Daschle chose to follow the path often taken by retiring politicians, whether their retirement was by choice or at the voters’ behest.
Not that the new post will occupy all of Daschle’s time. He soon will announce his affiliation with a university, and intends to be involved in a project involving American Indians.
What seems unlikely is that he will run for a Senate seat in Maryland. With the retirement of Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, 72, the longest-serving senator in the state’s history, there has been some speculation that Daschle would be tagged for the job.
The Washington Times reported Saturday that “rumors have even centered on former Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who was bounced by voters last year in South Dakota and currently resides in Washington. At a farewell party for Mr. Daschle earlier this month, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, was reportedly overheard whispering that Mr. Sarbanes had some ideas about Mr. Daschle’s filling his Maryland seat were he to retire.”
Daschle’s decision to stay in D.C., while not surprising, is disturbing to some observers. Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, points out that nearly one third of former members of Congress end up lobbying on Capitol Hill, compared to only 3 percent in the 1970s.
It’s a free country. Once you’ve been in Washington, D.C., as long as Daschle it no doubt feels like home. However, if Congress would pass a law that prohibited former members from lobbying - Daschle cannot legally lobby Congress for a year - it could make a difference in what Holman calls “a revolving door” between Congress and law and lobbying firms, which pay sumptuous salaries.
Since those positions are so lucrative to retired members of Congress, don’t expect those same lawmakers to pass such a law anytime soon, or ever.
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