What do Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have in common?
They both ran against swamp creatures in government and in private industry, highlighting that, in the long run, there’s scant difference between the two in Washington.
Cruz came to Capitol Hill in 2012 by beating a lobbyist-backed lieutenant governor. AOC came in 2018 by beating a lobbyist-backed incumbent who has since cashed out to become a lobbyist.
Both are now behind a laudable idea to block the revolving door through which lawmakers and lobbyists rotate, enriching themselves and corrupting business and government.
[Read: ‘You’re on’: Cruz, AOC talk bipartisan legislation banning lobbyists]
There is good reason for a socialist such as Ocasio-Cortez to dislike the revolving door; she thinks lawmakers have too much concern for private profit. There are even better reasons for a limited-government conservative such as Cruz to agree. With lobbying jobs awaiting them, Congress members have an incentive to increase government’s role in the economy. More subsidies and more regulations mean more demand for former members on corporate payrolls.
Cruz and AOC may not share policy goals or ideology, but they can both fight this populist fight. They might start by noting this disturbing fact: The five wealthiest counties in America are all within commuting distance of Capitol Hill.
This is not a sign of a healthy republic but of a country hijacked by a self-dealing elite class sucking in the nation’s wealth and distributing spoils to a small circle of insiders.
Beltway wealth is not mostly enjoyed by well-paid bureaucrats, but by former government officials who cash in their public service. While in office, they increase their market value by making government bigger and more complicated. The biggest businesses are fine with this, because they can afford to hire former members such as Trent Lott, Joe Crowley, John Boehner, and Tom Daschle. Mom and pop suffer, as do taxpayers in Topeka who subsidize an orgy of ill-gotten wealth in the federal capital.
The Left wants to curb big business’s influence by restricting political spending or lobbying spending. But the burden should be placed on business less and on government more.
A lifetime ban on lobbying by members of Congress and Cabinet officials wouldn’t stop the revolving door completely, but it would slow it a lot. Federal law already defines a “lobbying contact”: a phone call, an email, or a personal visit to plead for regulatory or legislative action on behalf of a client.
Let’s regulate representatives and senators with a noncompete clause. You may not make federal lobbying contacts after leaving office.
This doesn’t restrict the constitutional rights of any business. There will still be about 300 million adults available for hire as lobbyists.
Nor would it restrict the right of ex-members to petition the government. It would simply say you can’t do it as a mercenary.
Washington is rich enough already.
