…The Washington Post offers this report, which begins: “Thousands of lobbyists, including the president of a lobbyists’ trade association and the co-author of an authoritative lobbying manual, were unable to file their disclosure reports electronically this week as required by a new congressional system.”…

…ol Hill to keep lobbyists at arm’s length. Early returns on end-of-year revenues show strong growth all along Washington’s lobbying corridor.”…

…Scripps-Howard News Service offers this report….

…lobbying reform yesterday. The NY Times reports Differences Emerging Over Efforts to Restrict Lobbying. Bob Bauer responds to this Washington Post editorial. Brad Smith offers this Roll Call oped (paid subscription required), which begins: “In the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandals, some type of lobbying reform appears to be a given. Unfortunately, the issue seems likely to get tangled up in ‘campaign finance reform.’ The issues should n…

You can now access (without a subscription to National Journal) Eliza Newlin Carney’s latest “Rules of the Game” column, Reform Should Swing Both Ways. A snippet: “Given already stiff resistance on Capitol Hill, it’s an open question how many tough new rules Congress will eventually enact. But GOP leaders would do well to ask some of their business allies how the system might be fixed. Business lobbyists may be the scapegoats of the Abramoff affa…

…Jeffrey Birnbuam offers these thoughts on lobbying reform in the Washington Post. The column begins: “Lobbying legislation will proceed one of two ways this year: a bidding war or a slow walk.”…

…The Washington Post offers this report. Meanwhile, Dana Milbank writes of plans to “kick some old guys out of the House gymnasium.” Roll Call (paid subscription required) reports that “Despite bipartisan rumblings of dissent, the House waded into a weeks-long drive to reform lobbying laws Wednesday by overwhelmingly approving a measure to revoke the floor and gym access of former lawmakers who become lobbyists.”…

…USA Today offers Tribes’ political giving targeted (along with Tribes’ special status a product of law and history. Norm Ornstein writes Santorum’s Denials on K Street Project Don’t Ring True (from Roll Call, but available through AEI without a subscription). The Washington Post offers Contacts with Lobbyists Curbed; Senate Groups From Both Parties Drop Regular Meetings….

…The Hill offers this report, which begins: “Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) has some advice for colleagues who want to attach his proposed clampdown on 527 groups to lobbying-reform bills: Don’t do it.”…

…See articles here and here in the Washington Post; this NY Times article; and this USA Today article….

…The Los Angeles Times offers Distance Grows From K Street to the Capitol; Lobbyists are getting a cooler response from lawmakers waving the banner of ethics reform.. The New York Times offers Amid Scandals, States Overhaul Lobbying Laws. The Washington Post offers Closed-Door Deal Makes $22 Billion Difference….

…The Washington Post offers this report. See also If You Give a Congressman a Cookie, an oped in today’s NY Times by Norm Ornstein and Tom Mann….

…This USA Today article contains a very useful chart for comparing the various lobbying reform proposals being considered by Congress. Meanwhile, this Roll Call breaking news report (paid subscription required) begins: “Congressional Democratic leaders have rallied behind an ethics reform package that would completely eliminate all gifts from lobbyists, covering everything from sports and entertainment tickets to meals.”…

…ed up with Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) in introducing a measure to overhaul lobbying laws, becoming the first Congressional Republicans to join a growing Democratic chorus for reform. But conspicuously absent from their efforts are Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), their longtime partners in tightening campaign finance rules. The four had planned to co-sponsor the measures, but Feingold and Meehan backed off after they f…

…hand in drafting, specifically the continuity of government initiative and lobbying reform. These three examples demonstrate the entirely unique position occupied by Ornstein. A journalist would normally tend to confine themselves to merely reporting or commenting on laws written by others. Those who actually make policy or write legislation usually have to convince journalists and commentators of the virtues of their proposals if they want favora…

…“remains inconclusive,” she says, and “the funding question only seems to become a relevant issue to the media when it’s a question of industry contributions or lobbying — not when the money comes from the environmental lobby.” The Mother Jones story is here….

…rcumstances? In the end, this is much ado about nothing. The amounts spent lobbying for campaign finance reform are much smaller than, say, the amounts spent lobbying for particular tax breaks or other advantages for business. Congress was not hoodwinked by Pew. A battle fought for 7 years in Congress ended when, through a series of interesting legislative maneuvers and the somewhat surprising position of President Bush, the legislation actually p…

…titent part: ….PoliticalMoneyLine has gathered information on the national lobbying efforts to change the federal campaign finance laws. During the last ten years the Campaign Finance Reform Lobby spent close to $140 million – very little of which was reported under the Federal lobby Regulation Act. Practically all of this was done through non-profit 501c organizations. The campaign finance reform effort involved donations of almost $140 million t…

…The Campaign Desk website of the Columbia Journalism Review offers this posting, which begins: “A largely behind-the-scenes lobbying effort is underway that could affect the manner in which campaigns are financed during this election, and many to come. That effort may also have the unintended effect of rocking the non-profit world to its very foundations.”…

…Legal Times offers this report (registration required)….