Lobbyists Don’t Like Change

If you want a primer on our pay-to-play system and why career politicians are able to stay in office for decades, just read this article in Politico on Rep. Charlie Rangel. Rangel is a 38 year House member and chairman of the immensely powerful Ways and Means Committee, which controls our tax laws. As we wrote about last week, he is under “investigation”–if you can call it that, more like a timid pawing–by the House ethics committee for trading favors for political donations and holding the keys to no less than four rent controlled apartments in New York City, among other things.

The chances of Rangel facing serious consequences, or even mild rebuke, for his actions are exactly slim divided by none. Nonetheless, lobbyists and the rest of the Washington establishment are nervous. From the Politico piece:

Republican partisans routinely accuse Rangel of being one of the most liberal members of Congress. And yet here is a Republican lobbyist for big business actively hoping that he remains in control of our tax policy. Seems a bit … surprising, no?

Of course it isn’t surprising. Career politicians make a show of throwing around labels like conservative and liberal during election season or when the cameras are rolling, but when it comes to the way they conduct the business of government, they’re all on the same team: the money team.