I think the most fascinating thing about the House passing what looks to be a solid ethics reform bill is the amount of legislators who voted against it. But Rep. Tiahrt spells out the rationale quite clearly. The final vote, 229 to 182, belied the measure's controversy in the House; 159 Republicans and 23 Democrats opposed it. Even with two House members under indictment, two others sent to prison, and several others under federal investigation, nearly half the House did not want to submit the body to the scrutiny of a panel not under its control.
"If you have a single ounce of self-preservation, you'll vote no," implored Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) last night. Hats off to Pelosi for pushing this through, and I'll echo Hayes and Yglesias' point that the House has actually passed some legit bills since the Dems took over, with the war as a major caveat.
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Adam Doster, a contributing editor at In These Times, is a Chicago-based freelance writer and former reporter-blogger for Progress Illinois.
