Roy Blunt stands up for lobbyists

Republican exemplifies web of money, power dominating Washington.

by Brian Zuzenak
Reading Lloyd Smith's op-ed in Sunday's paper, it surprised me that the Missouri Republican Party would want to call attention to associations between public officials and the company they keep.


Because their own hand-picked candidate for the U.S. Senate race next year, Congressman Roy Blunt, exemplifies the web of money and power that has dominated Washington for too long.

During his 12 years in Congress, Roy Blunt has perfected the art of favor-giving and influence-peddling that has made voters so distrustful of Washington. Congressman Blunt was the handpicked protégé of disgraced former Rep. Tom DeLay, who was charged with money laundering and violating state campaign finance laws, and a "Friend of the Owner" at convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's restaurant. However, you don't have to take it from me.

In 2005, the Washington Post called Blunt's particular brand of insider dealing "Blunt, Inc.," which the paper described as a "political machine" that extended "deep into Washington's K Street lobbying community." That same year, the non-partisan Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (http://www.cit izensforethics.org/node/24122) (CREW) included Blunt in a piece called "Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress."

According to another watchdog group, Public Citizen (http://www.citizen.org/docum ents/BluntReportFinal.pdf), Blunt "passionately embraced the corrupted culture of the Washington, D.C. lobbying world, including cozying up to super-lobbyist turned admitted felon Jack Abramoff."

More recently, the Center for Public Integrity (http://www. publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/ 1708) exposed Blunt for engaging in an ethically questionable method of awarding earmarks to clients of former staffers-turned-lobbyists -- his own money merry-go-round. In addition, USA Today reported just last month that Blunt had taken more money from lobbyists this year than any other candidate or member of Congress.

This isn't simply about the company Congressman Blunt keeps. It is more about the actions he takes on behalf of corporate special interests and his Washington insider friends. From lavishing tax breaks on Big Oil, to protecting pharmaceutical companies from price negotiations, to awarding no-bid contracts to Halliburton, Blunt has demonstrated time and time again that he turned his back on Missouri long ago in favor of his Washington friends.

Missourians want a leader who is going to stand up for them -- not corporate special interests and the lobbyists. And if the Missouri Republican Party was looking for a candidate not tainted by scandal, corruption or "questionable associations," they picked the wrong one.

Brian Zuzenak is the Missouri Democratic Party executive director.