Is K Street Finally Tiring Of Shady Ex-Congressmen?

Down With Tyranny‘s Howie Klein takes a look at the most likely new K Street lobbyists – specifically, retiring congresscritters:

The big giveaway for Buck McKeon [R-CA25], for example, was when his family started an armaments-oriented lobbying firm and bought his favorite chair that no one is allowed to sit in for the plush empty corner office. Most of the vaguely sentient retirees– so scratch Howard Coble and, if he finally goes for it, Ralph Hall– will become lobbyists. Lobbyists is, literally, the only occupation in America rated as more untrustworthy than serving in Congress! Just right for crooks like McKeon– and he’s far from the only one. Last week, Kevin Bogardus took a look for The Hill at which Members are looking towards K Street– and which ones K Street is cruising back.

K Street prefers conservatives with records for corruption, so they’re especially excited about Blue Dog Jim Matheson and low grade GOP crooks Tom Latham and Frank Wolf, all three of whom have recently announced they were done. (All 3 were looking at very difficult reelection prospects.) Not every firm is ready to hire just any garden variety corrupt congressman these days, though.

Both Howie’s piece and the Hill article he references should give you an idea of who will be in play – and who may be too toxic for even the lobbying profession. The Hill article has some hard-money stats that every voter should be aware of:

A career in influence can be lucrative for a former lawmaker.

Ex-House members can draw anywhere between $250,000 and $500,000 in annual salary, with the pay scale rising further depending on seniority, according to headhunters’ estimates. Former senators fare better, taking home between $500,000 to $1 million in a year.

That is a big step up from congressional pay, which is $174,000 per year for a House member or senator.

Major trade associations often pay even more. Former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, earned more than $2.4 million in compensation for 2011, according to the Hollywood lobby’s tax form for that year.

We have to agree with Howie’s opinion:

Congressmen who become lobbyists should lose their pensions.

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.