Ruth Marcus has a novel idea. She suggests the prez co-opt the whole "culture of corruption" problem by announcing a major lobbying reform initiative at the state of the union address:

So what would lobbying reform look like? First and foremost, disclosure. Under the current rules, lobbyists report sketchy information infrequently. When they're first hired by a client, they file forms stating that fact and the issue they've been hired to lobby on. Twice a year they update that with forms listing the amounts they've been paid (rounded to the nearest $20,000), the issues they've lobbied on and the part of government they've lobbied.

To get a sense of how unhelpful this information is, consider this from the official filing instructions: "Disclose only the houses or agencies, such as 'Senate,' 'House of Representatives,' 'Department of Agriculture,' or 'Executive Office of the President,' rather than the individual office."

Real disclosure would require lobbyists to identify the specific offices they contacted, if not the individuals themselves. It would have lobbyists detail the meals or entertainment or other gifts they provided to the targets of their lobbying. It would apply to the massive sums spent on grass-roots lobbying -- ginning up the folks back home -- that are not reported at all. It would shine light into obscure corners such as favored charities and presidential libraries, where lobbyists can direct donations that aren't likely to be revealed.

This all makes way too much sense. 88% of Americans think political corruption is a serious problem. I'm guessing about the same percentage would love to hear about an alternative to our current legalized bribery system.  ¶ 9:17 PM