The two have joined together to supposedly stop ex-congressmen and senators from lobbying.
But they are overlooking the most critical way to clean out the swamp, and so are actually working together to give the Deep State even more power.
That’s why Ocasio-Cortez is teaming up with Ted Cruz to aid the Deep State.
Jaws dropped inside and outside the Beltway when Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she was teaming up with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in an effort to stop members of Congress from becoming lobbyists after they leave elected office.
However, some Capitol Hill observers were not at all surprised that the two would team up to promote an effort that in fact gives even more power to the Deep State.
On more than one occasion Ted Cruz has shown he is not the true liberty champion he claims to be, while Ocasio-Cortez has shown she is above all out for personal recognition.
Candidate Donald Trump made a big splash when he told his supporters during the 2016 campaign that he was against lobbying — and that he was going to make sure anyone who served in his administration signed a declaration preventing that person from becoming a lobbyist when he or she left their government position.
And true to form, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order within the first few days of taking office that forbids any Executive Branch appointee from lobbying for five years after their service in the administration.
That Executive Order also forbids former registered lobbyists who now work in the White House from working in areas they had previously lobbied on for a period of two years.
Trump’s highly touted Executive Order referred only to the executive branch, though.
Enter Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ready to get some media attention.
Even though this pairing seems weird to most, including Young Turks interviewer Emma Vigeland, AOC told Vigeland the meeting of the two camps is actually happening — and that they’re working together to ban former members of Congress from serving as lobbyists.
Said AOC in the interview, “I think it really shows what the true spirit of not being partisan is and that bipartisanship doesn’t mean, ‘Let’s come together to go to war and lower taxes on the rich.’ But bipartisanship means, ‘OK, I will swallow all of my distaste in this situation. Because we have found a common interest.’”
And Ted Cruz responded to a tweet by AOC saying, “Here’s something I don’t say often: on this point I AGREE with @AOC …”
Here’s something I don’t say often: on this point, I AGREE with @AOC Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation? https://t.co/jPW0xkH2Yy
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 30, 2019
And the Cruz and Ocasio-Cortez teams met last week to discuss this plan. So by all accounts, it is moving forward.
While barring former members of Congress from lobbying sounds good (other than the very likely unconstitutionality of it), the fact is it is fraught with dangers, and limits on First Amendment activity by outside organizations.
Many grassroots lobbying organizations have letters signed by members of Congress and/or ex-members of Congress, this legislation would place even more constraints on voluntary grassroots lobbying organizations, thus further eroding the average American’s First Amendment rights.
And, it does nothing to combat the real problem in Washington, D.C. Namely the power held by lifetime staffers, also known as the Deep State.
Any real solution would ban staffers from becoming lobbyists. Likewise any real call for term limits would impose term limits on staff, not on elected officials.
Until these issues are handled, this effort is nothing more than a massive joint press conference between an avowed socialist and a self-described conservative, who both have one thing in common, their love of seeing themselves on TV.