Bob Packwood Quotes
It used to be that your ability to become a chairman of a major committee depended on seniority, what you knew about the subject, and your skill as a legislator, and not it depends on how much money you raise for the party leadership.
Robert W. Packwood U. S. Senator (Republican, OR), Quoted by John Harwood, Trade Policy Panel, National Press Club, December 2, 2013
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Hollings who was one of the senior experienced senators was offended by the degree to which the George W. Bush Administration and the Republican leadership had turned to lobbyists to draft legislation and amendments to pending legislation. Lobbyists often have specialized information that members of Congress do not have, so there has been in modern times communications between lobbyists and members of Congress and their staffs. However, during the Bush Presidency the practice reached an extreme where lobbyists would even write the legislative language and give it to the members in whom they had invested by giving them large campaign contributions and many perks. K Street is the fanciest street in Washington DC with some of the most expensive office space. A substantial proportion of the lobbyists have K Street offices, hence the metaphor.
Much public concern has been with moneyed interests buying influence, but the campaign contributions where members of Congress pressure (extort) contributions from companies and other organizations that might be harmed by legislation.
Robert William Packwood is an American former attorney and politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.
