Mike Dennison (one of my favorite reporters in Montana) has a piece up about Senator Max Baucus’ top staffer on healthcare (Liz Fowler).  Dennison reports she just happened to be employed by the nation’s largest private health insurer in the past.  Before that job, she worked for Baucus and now she is back. 

You can read the article HERE.

Dennis writes, “That fact is prompting critics of his efforts to say it is another example of insurer influence on the Baucus health reform bill.”

Of course the people who speak for and support Baucus say they need this “experience” to tackle tough issues like healthcare.  They also throw in the “doing what’s right for Montana” motto, and top it off with the “hard-working” angle.

Dennison’s article is a classic example of the revolving door that happens in Washington, D.C.  It’s become such an issue, that a website, Open Secrets, has a web page dedicated to the revolving door.  They state:

“…capitalizing on their Capitol Hill connections to represent private interests has a powerful incentive: money.”

According to Open Secrets, Baucus is the leader in the revolving door for senators/representatives who are still in office with 26 members of this former staff listed.  Overall he trails the late Senator Edward Kennedy and former Senator Trent Lott.  Of course, proponents can say that the longer a senator or representative is in office, the more staffers the senator or representative will have on the list.  That could be true, but I don’t see Robert Byrd on the list – the longest serving senator in history.

The bottom line:  Of course, some of these staffers are experts on the issues they were hired.  Some use the staff job to try and pave their future in gold.  But the ones who go back and forth between public and private jobs should answer questions about their reasons.  Those hires need to be fully scrutinized.  Additionally, the senator or representative who hired them (sometimes more than once) should be questioned as to why (former) lobbyists are running the show for them.  I am sure there are people who don’t fit into the revolving door category who can do a fine job.