Ethics bill - Here we go again.

[Mass]

The Democrats have said they will push an ethics bill as the first bill of the year. Pelosi has done so and it is being voted in the Senate.

Sadly, it seems that the Democratic majority has the same problem the GOP majority had and wants to create a bill that is toothless:

Yesterday, it was a bill asking that family members of federal employees that was rejected, with many Democrats voting against it:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00004


Today, Reid could not stop a bill concerning earmarks and had to delay the vote because of that.

There is no doubt that the GOP would probably not offer the amendments if they did not think many Democrats would balk, but at the same time, it is a terrible example to see Reid rejects amendments that will be turned against him during the next elections.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/16439001.htm

Democrats stumble on special projects
JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Senate's new Democratic leaders, the fragility of their thin majority on display for the first time, were set back Thursday when nine Democrats joined with Republicans in support of stricter House-passed rules on lawmakers' pet projects

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was forced to delay a final vote on a measure he opposes after losing 51-46 a parliamentary attempt to kill it.

The measure, an amendment to an ethics and lobbying bill, would have adopted a wider definition of "earmarks," specific projects inserted in bills, to include Corps of Engineer water projects, Pentagon weapon systems and items from other federal entities.

...

The conservative DeMint praised new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for backing the more comprehensive earmark rules that the House approved last week. "I'm here to defend her language on behalf of the Democrat colleagues on the House side."

...

"It's important that the Senate rules be amended slowly and with careful bipartisan deliberation," Reid said, stressing that the House didn't spend much time on their version and the Senate approach was "so much better."

...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00006