Abramoff and DeLay

I have not commented on the Abramoff scandal because of the wealth of good commentary available elsewhere, like here: Talking Points Memo. But now, with DeLay throwing in the towel at last, seems like the time to say something.

Let’s keep this very simple: the American system of government is riven through with corruption.

First is the inordinate amount of money that flows through the political system. It is astonishing that Americans tolerate an electoral system where the person with the most money has a vastly enhanced chance of getting elected. It is virtually impossible to get elected to the Senate without being a millionaire. Is that really democratic? Wherever there are rivers of cash there are opportunists like Abramoff lurking to influence ambitious people like DeLay.

Second is the ability of individual members of Congress to append spending on pet projects to any piece of legislation. They can slip these ‘earmarked funds’ anywhere with the result that billions of dollars are spent annually on projects that have had no scrutiny and are entirely personal to the legislator. Since everyone does it there is no incentive to exert control — the ethics committee is entirely silent on the subject — and most often these earmarks become paybacks for lobbyist support. These earmarks may be small individually, but they add up to a large network of payoffs and wasted public money.

Third, the legislative process itself militates against oversight. For instance this year’s budget proposal, which ran to over 700 pages was presented to members of the House the same day that they were supposed to vote on it. I doubt whether anyone knew what they were voting for, yet it is the foundation of how we spend hundreds of billions of dollars. This broken process explains the odd loopholes and special interest favors that litter practically any legislation: it is an open invitation to corruption since members who are well connected can slip in clauses buried way at the back of a bill without having to worry that a debate will ever reveal, let alone scrutinize, them.

The reaction to the Abramoff scandal will show us whether Congress understands the damage that practices like these do to democracy. Right now I am skeptical because the reaction has been more a case of handing over Abramoff’s cash — Hastert has given his $69,000 to charity! — than fixing the operating rules that gave him his ability to wield influence in the first place.

It’s vital that Congress cleanses itself: we need it to exert itself as a counterweight to the secrecy and subterfuge of the executive branch. I would like to think it had moral authority when it did so.