For many years, lobbyists in Washington have had a free hand in the ways they employed to influence Congress. One of the most blatant was conveyed in a tactic called “bundling.” The lobbyist would solicit support for a candidate observing carefully the legal limits on how much an individual contributed. But, the lobbyist bundled the separate gifts and delivered the impressive total to the candidate who indeed felt indebted to the lobbyist for the support. But, in addition, lobbyists treated candidates to meals, to trips, to membership in country clubs, etc.

When in the mid-term election of 2006, the Democrats won a majority of the seats in both House and Senate not much in the way of progressive legislation was expected. President Bush still had the veto power and the Democrats did not have the necessary two-thirds to override the veto.

But on the second day of August, the Senate passed a bill imposing numerous restrictions on the traditional ways in which lobbyists operated. That, in itself, is no surprise because the Democrats do have a majority in the Senate. But what was unexpected was the lopsided nature of the vote. The vote was 83 for and 14 against.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

This means that if the President vetoes the bill there are enough votes to override his veto. The White House has lost control over its party’s delegation in the Senate.

Yes — the political pendulum is swinging from right to left in Washington.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount