Financial Reform Conference

Momentum is building for putting a historic conference between the House and Senate online and on live television, as they debate the future of financial reform. This is the time to contact Senators and Representatives to support this critical step toward open government - and a stronger, fairer, safer economy.

Yesterday we asked conservatives to join with progressives in calling for the House/Senate financial reform conference to be broadcast on live television. We pointed out that this would be consistent with the spirit of the GOP's "Sunlight Resolution," and with a number of conservative calls to avoid "backroom" deals as health reform was being finalized. We also pointed out that a broadcast of this kind would weaken the influence of bank lobbyists, which means we're likely to get better legislation.

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Here are the words they used for health care reform (or the buzzwords their consultants told them to use): "Secret"! "Backroom"! "Behind closed doors"! "Dealing"! Or, as one especially unsubtle pol put it, "secret backroom dealing"!

These right-wing politicians and activists had a zeal for open government when they demanded that the House and Senate reconcile their health-care reform bills in public. Let's hope they show the same dedication to transparency now that financial reform's on the table. The House and Senate negotiations should be broadcast on live television, and conservatives should join the call to demand it.

Maybe we'll even get Glenn Beck to join us. (Hey, it could happen.)

This is a critical time: Bank are spending big bucks to influence the outcome of the House/Senate conference. As the head of the American Bankers Association put it, “We are going to have to try and clean up as much of this as we can" during the conference process. And if there's one thing banks know how to do, it's "clean up" - at your expense. more »

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Thursday night's passage of Wall Street reform by the U.S. Senate is an event to be celebrated, but several key issues remain in play as the House and Senate seek to iron out differences between their respective versions of the legislation. more »

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