Submitted by Leroy Jones, Jr., Jan 7, 2007 15:25

As a long-time federal lobbyist, I look on with great interest as the 110th Congress, with its "new" Democratic majority, has been swept into power with the calls for "change" in Washington, D.C. It is very true; every day folks are tired of corruption and favoritism, both real and perceived, by their elected officials, the K Street lobbyists, and the varied special interest groups in federal Washington. When the average person sees no increases in take home pay while at the same time the cost of everything is going up, it is only natural that political leadership will be looked upon to diagnosis the problems and come up with practical solutions. As we all recently witnessed, if the American people do not like the answers provided by the group in charge, they will show their dissatisfaction by voting for the other group.

I say all this not to ignore that certain individuals have committed crimes, and betrayed the public trust. That is the key point because, believe it or not, the laws on the books actually worked and they were caught. Why is there a constant rush to create new rules and regulations that now create a whole "new" industry for those trying to find loopholes in these so-called "new" rules? The democratic process in the United States is second to none, and part of our political process is for every group to have the chance and voice to educate and express their views on the issues of particular interest to them. We will adjust to the changes, but I suggest if we, as a body politic, really wanted to deal with political reform and the relationships between elected officials and lobbyists, we would deal with a broken-down campaign finance system. How else can you explain the furor over the 2008 Presidential elections even before the 110th Congress began? Unless and until we have the heart and soul to deal with this issue of electoral finance, it will be nearly impossible to have any meaningful reform in Washington.

Not all politicians and lobbyists are crooks. The majority of Washington's policymakers and advocates really are good at what they do, and just as committed to make America work for all divergent constituencies.

With a woman as Speaker of the House (a historic first in our Nation), and the largest number of women and minorities in positions of power in the history of our great country, you would think this would be boon for women and minority lobbying and public relations firms in Washington. Only time will tell whether this is true or not, but as a black man and son of the South, I am reminded, at times like these, of the lessons of my grandparents taught me way back when: 'always be ready for the rules to change when it's your turn to be in charge of anything'.

Finally, no matter what the call for change or reform, we must never forget that all political jobs in Washington are temporary. The people in power and/or influence may change, but The Game that is woven into the very fabric of our Constitution does not change. As a modern twist on the "new" saying goes: "Don't Hate the Players; Learn to Play ‘The Game'".

God Bless America,

Leroy Jones, Jr.
Director of Government Relations
ANDREWS & BOWE, PLLP - Washington, D.C.
Office: 202-349-3975
Email: ljones@lobbylawfirm.com
URL: http://www.lobbylawfirm.com

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.