There are 12,200 registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C. right now. And they earn $3.3 billion each year influencing Congress – mostly by way of talking with a silver tongue. Our friends at SofaPundit.com, Ryan and Sean Kleier, were incensed by the undue role lobbyists have over democracy, so they applied for a Fund for the Republic grant
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Two weeks ago, America’s subprime schools — the for-profit college industry, many of whose members rip students off and demand that Uncle Sam pick up the tab for their shoddy education — held a conference in Washington, D.C. We were there. The association for these schools, America’s Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), brought in elite
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Today, Republic Report announced that we are asking all 34 retiring members of Congress to make a simple, common sense commitment: “I will disclose any negotiations or offers for jobs on the front page of my congressional website.”  This afternoon we are delivering letters to all 34 congressional offices seeking this commitment. We want you
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Is your member of Congress serving you, or serving himself? Many lawmakers, when they approach retirement, begin negotiating with lobbying firms to receive multimillion dollar salaries after they leave office. In some cases, a Senator or Representative will slip language into a bill or write an earmark that benefits a special interest, and when they
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The rise of the super PAC has been one of the defining trends of the 2012 election. These non-campaign organizations which, thanks in part to the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, can raise and spend unlimited amounts influencing elections have had a staggering impact on how candidates and campaigns get their messages to voters.
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Yesterday I listened over the web to two CEOs of for-profit education companies make presentations at an investor conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Neither man had anything to say about the overwhelming evidence that for-profit schools have engaged in waste, fraud, and abuse with federal tax dollars.  Instead, both touted their companies, and one announced a startling
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Imagine a group of high-profile politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, enlisting their services on behalf of a group designated by the U.S. State Department as terrorist organization, a group that has killed Americans. Imagine these politicos appearing at the group’s cult-like rallies, where the group’s leaders call for the day when this organization takes over a nation
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Update: Republic Report has launched an effort to bring transparency to the revolving door. See our letter to retiring lawmakers here; David Halperin explains why here. Selling out pays. If you’re a corporation or lobbyist, what’s the best way to “buy” a member of Congress? Secretly promise them a million dollars or more in pay
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