Money Talks

In politics, everything is eventual:

iWatch News reports that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Trade Representative Ron Kirk have all expressed their willingness to attend super PAC events, now that the president’s given his sign off for them to appear at Priorities USA Action events.

The shift gives big corporate donors, unions and other wealthy individuals time with policymakers, lawmakers and key administration aides that they haven’t had since McCain-Feingold took effect in 2002.
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Bush administration ethics lawyer Richard Painter said cabinet secretaries are put in a particularly odd spot from this kind of fundraising.

"They're too powerful, it's too easy to buttonhole them — to get an earmark. They shouldn't be at fundraisers at all," Painter said about Cabinet members.

Administration officials note that the White House has generally put in place tough voluntary ethics rules, including a lobbyist ban and the release of millions of visitor logs — acts that have gone above and beyond the legal disclosure requirements. And the administration has decided not to let the president, vice president, first lady or Dr. Jill Biden participate in super PAC events.

“The president has been unequivocal in his opposition to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and the broken finance campaign system that has resulted from it. The administration supported congressional legislation in 2010 which would have required enhanced disclosures for these fundraising entities – legislation that was ultimately blocked by Republicans. Just this past weekend, the president said more should be done to reduce the influence of money in politics," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. “Our goal has been to reduce the influence of special interests in Washington – which we’ve done more than any administration in history.”

Until now, I suppose...