Posted September 26, 2006 by J. Gerald Hebert

The K Street Project Revisited

I thought it had to be April Fools Day when I read in Roll Call today that House Republicans were meeting with as many as 200 lobbyists this week to warn them not to give to Democrats or face the consequences.  According to the story, GOP leaders plan to “reiterate a warning against giving to Democrats that was conveyed by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (NY) earlier this month to a smaller group of lobbyists and political action committee directors.”

This had to be a joke, I thought.  After all, we all remember the K Street Project--an effort by the Republican Congressional Leadership (led by disgraced former Congressman Tom DeLay [R-TX]) to strong-arm Washington lobbying firms on K Street to hire Republicans into top positions and to reward lobbyists who financially and exclusively supported the GOP with access to influential officials, or face the consequences.  The K Street Project was largely criticized and rightfully so for being a shakedown of lobbyists by Republican Congressional leaders.  I thought it was defunct.  In fact, I specifically recall Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) saying earlier this year, “If I am elected majority leader, there will no longer be a ‘ K Street project’ or anything else like it.”  I checked my sources. Sure enough, that’s what now Majority Leader Boehner said.  So it had to be April Fool’s Day, right?  Wrong. 

Now comes the news that the K Street lobbyists are being called on the carpet and told again to give to Republican congressional members exclusively or pay the price if the Republicans maintain their majority in the House.  Pay what price?  The price of having influence and access to influential Members of Congress.

This is not just the K Street project.  It’s the K Street Project redoubled.  Talk about making it clear that your office is up for sale.  Why else would GOP leaders call in potential contributors and lobbyists and say, as Roll Call quotes one GOP leadership aide, we want to “remind [lobbyists] what republicans do not only for their specific industries but for the whole business community.” 

Republican congressional leaders have no shame if they believe they can put a huge “for sale” sign on the People’s House.  But that appears to be exactly what they are doing with this latest Karl Rove-led shakedown. 

The revival of the K Street Project is pure and simple a shakedown that undermines confidence in government and calls into question the integrity of our leaders.  The message from this event is clear: access to power in government goes to the highest bidder and they want everyone to know. 

The GOP leadership suffers from Jerry McGuire syndrome: "Just show me the money."  That’s a terrible thing in a democracy such as ours.