Jan. 23, 2006
Fear and Loathing in the Capital
By Chris Heagarty
RALEIGH – Most everyone interested in politics has heard of Niccolo Machiavelli. The Italian Renaissance-era author is best known for urging leaders to ruthlessly keep their grip on power. He wrote that it is “better to be feared than to be loved.”
Though one might wonder if ol' Nick ever got himself a date, fear is a tool often brandished by politicians maneuvering to protect themselves. They can use fear of their power to silence critics, getting away with behavior that otherwise would not be tolerated.
However, this is a two-edged sword. Fear also threatens the very same politicos who would otherwise wield it.
The old saying is true: the best time to catch a politician is when he's running. Running for office, that is. The better angels of even the most hardened politician's nature can be persuaded to do the right thing, if he has tasted the fear of being booted from office by the ballot box.
Yet, even amid the recent headlines of scandals, we should remember that many elected officials are truly interested in serving the public, not themselves. Frustrated voters can appeal to these lawmakers, and their sense of shame.
What decent public official could tolerate the selfish indiscretions of peers that disgrace our highest institutions? If these good men and women believe themselves to be alone, they may, out of fear, fail to act. However if they have the vocal support of the people, they may muster courage to make positive changes before November.
In Washington, Senator Russ Feingold credits both shame and fear when explaining the sudden congressional interest in cleaning up the relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers. Reform wasn't even on the radar at this time last year. But that was before corrupt lobbyist and campaign donor Jack Abramoff's wheeling and dealing had been exposed.
Suddenly, bills championing lobby reform and ethics that had been sitting ignored in piles of dust are being pulled out for the TV cameras as lawmakers try to show a “good faith effort” to address the problems revealed by Abramoff's guilty plea to corruption charges. And it may have something to do with his agreement to cooperate in an influence-peddling investigation that could taint dozens of members of Congress.
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the Associated Press reports, says GOP leaders can no longer ignore the issue. “If they intend to retain a majority,” he told reporters, “they need to take the lead in saying to the country 'we need to clean this mess up.'”
The situation in Raleigh mirrors D.C.
Speaker of the House Jim Black is hounded by questions about the influence of lobbyists and campaign contributors. Both a former staffer turned lobbyist and a campaign consultant he appointed to the Lottery Commission are accused of trying to influence state policy for a big gaming company, while not disclosing that they were on the company's payroll.
Speaker Black, however, has admitted to mistakes of judgment, and could be re-elected to an unprecedented fifth term as speaker. Rather than risk getting trampled by the parade of reform, Black knows it is better to get out in front of it. Despite recent questions about some of his associates, what better legacy could he leave than helping clean things up?
The speaker created the House Select Committee on Ethics and Government Reform, which has not yet developed any headline-grabbing reform proposal to show the voters that they mean business, but has identified problems with state ethics laws, mainly the limited power of the state ethics board.
It's the hope of many citizens across the state that the House committee will use this opportunity to take some real action, not just tweak ethics laws, and patch the other hole in the dam – the flow of campaign money into policy decisions.
These recent scandals are not about anyone's individual lobbying skills, they are about money: money to campaigns and money that personally benefits lawmakers.
In both Washington and Raleigh, it's time to ban lobbyists from providing expensive gifts to lawmakers. It's time to ban political fundraising and campaign contributions from registered lobbyists. It's time to reign in the campaign consultants who sell their advice to elected officials and then turn around and peddle their influence to special interest clients. And most important of all, it's time to take a serious look at how to get special interest money out of elections.
Whether it's fear of the voters, shame of their colleagues, or just a desire to do the right thing, it's time for lawmakers to step up and restore voters' faith in their government.
Chris Heagarty is the executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education and the host of "Voter Update" on State Government Radio.
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