Ron Wyden Quotes
The U.S. Senate does not allow legislative provisions to be included in appropriations bills, for much the same reason that most Americans are concerned about earmarks: it creates a slippery slope by which lobbyists and special interest groups can sneak provisions into large, must-pass legislation.
United States, Congress, Senate. Senator Ron Wyden speaking on the Appropriations Process. Congressional Record, vol. 155, 2009. Government Publishing Office.
Hollings who was one of the senior experienced senators was offended by the degree to which the George W. Bush Administration and the Republican leadership had turned to lobbyists to draft legislation and amendments to pending legislation. Lobbyists often have specialized information that members of Congress do not have, so there has been in modern times communications between lobbyists and members of Congress and their staffs. However, during the Bush Presidency the practice reached an extreme where lobbyists would even write the legislative language and give it to the members in whom they had invested by giving them large campaign contributions and many perks. K Street is the fanciest street in Washington DC with some of the most expensive office space. A substantial proportion of the lobbyists have K Street offices, hence the metaphor.
While this is a common complaint in the American political dialogue at the beginning of the 21st century, it is interesting that this was the conclusion of a foreign political scholar studying that period—one who was generally a great admirer of America.
Her then opponent in the Democratic Primary race for the Presidential numeration, Barak Obama, was captivating many voters by describing all the reforms and changes he would make if he were president. Clinton, with more experience had, as first lady, tried to pass a Health Reform Bill and various special interests mobilized to stop it. The Democratic voters chose Obama. He passed a health reform bill narrowly, but was able to do little else that he had promised. Hillary was right.
Ronald Lee Wyden is an American politician who is currently serving as the senior United States Senator for Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until 1996. He is the current dean of Oregon's congressional delegation.
