The Senator from Illinois Bringin' the Noise on Ethics

(I know, it's silent).

Today in Manchester, NH, Barack delivered an electrifying speech concerning the the future of ethics under an Obama Administration. Let' just say the good Senator painted a future that was more than a little different than present conditions under #43.

Invoking images of the Robber barons and Teddy Roosevelt's ascension to the Presidency, Obama compared our times to those.

"We cannot settle for a second Gilded Age in America. And yet we find ourselves once more in the midst of a new economy where more wealth is in danger of falling into fewer hands; where the average CEO now earns more in one day than an average worker in an entire year; where Americans are struggling like never before to pay their medical bills, or their kids' tuition, or high gas prices, all while the profits of the drug and insurance and oil industries have never been higher."

An invite-only packed room once again proved the man's a superstar.

From images of Abramoff, Delay, to the RNC's orders trickling down from the Whitehouse to fire eight US Attorneys, Obama declared it's time for a change.

Obama outlined four things that will happen (presumably by executive order) on his first day in office.

One, close the revolving door between the executive branch and the lobbying sector. As he said, "...working in an Obama Administration is not about serving your former employer, or your bank account...when you walk into my administration, you will not be able to work on regulations or contracts directly related to your former employer for two years...when you leave, you will not be able to lobby the Administration throughout the remainder of my term in office."

It's a bold statement, and though definitely nuanced, Obama could carry it out through vigilant oversight.

Secondly, no more no bid contracts will be issued from the Whitehouse. Obama's actually got the credibility to carry this out too - his work with Conservative Senator Tom Coburn to pass legislation restricting no-bid contracts in the Gulf Coast is indicative of his strength here.

Third, an absolute gift ban.

Fourth, hiring folks on competence - not ideology. Really, this section of the speech was the best. Invoking the Republicans recent actions, and Michael Brown he made his point. You can check it out here:

Finally, I've got to give the Obama crew props. I was a little worried I might've burnt bridge over there with my earlier post this week (even though I worked with them closely to handle that post appropriately). Still, they credentialed me today and the deputy comm director even said "hi." Nice folks.

I've got the full speech posted online here. Crowd reaction here.