Ethical Oversight?

The 2006 elections and Democratic takeover, which saw the defeat of even moderate Republicans such as Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island, were a backlash to George Bush and the war in Iraq, but also to Jack Abramoff and other Republican ethics scandals.  It's been over a year since the newly minted Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, announced that she would make ethics reform a priority.  Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA) led the eight member, bi-partisan task force charged with exploring bringing outsiders into the ethics process.  The task force was supposed to report back no later than May 1; 2006, however, it was December 19 before Capuano and colleagues unveiled their somewhat modest plan for a six-member panel dubbed the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.  This office is to consist of independent outsiders, and to assist with preliminary investigations.   Members of both parties have attacked this plan, those in favor of more radical reform have objected to the office’s lack of subpoena power, and fellow Democrat Louis Slaughter (D-NY) has balked at the idea of using outsiders.  None of the Republicans on the task force support the plan, and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) maintains that the current ethics office only needs to be strengthened. 

However, if this plan were to make it to a floor vote, both parties would end up voting for it, if only to avoid the appearance of not being in favor of ethics reform.  In order for it to be passed, Capuano has had to compromise with both Democrats and Republicans, and yet, there seems to have been too much of a compromise, because, if enacted, this new office would be nearly toothless.  This is an example of a more plebescitary view of democracy: Speaker Pelosi is prioritizing ethics because the 2006 elections are seen as a national referendum, and polls cite ethics as one of the reasons voters elected Democrats.  Now, a year later, with national attention fixed on the Presidential elections and the floundering economy, it remains to be seen whether ethics reform will remain in such a prominent position on the Speaker’s agenda, or whether she will focus in on  today’s “hot” issues.