Coburn would tighten loose anti-earmark restrictions in the ethics bill by prohibiting senators from requesting earmarks that financially benefit a senator, an immediate family member of a senator or a family member of a senator's staffer.The proposal follows the revelation that Reid's four sons and his daughter's husband all have been lawyers or lobbyists for special interests. While Reid has declared they are barred from lobbying for their clients in his office, there is little doubt they have taken advantage of their close proximity to a powerful senator.
An example are earmarks that have sent millions of federal dollars to the University of Nevada at Reno. Reid's son-in-law, lawyer Steven Barringer, was a paid lobbyist for the university. In general, Republican reformers see Reid illustrating the nexus between legislators and special interests, in his case mainly real estate, gambling and mining.
And the Dem leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was recently brushed back on a curious exclusion from the minimum wage bill, geared to punish "the privileged few". 
Of course, it may make economic sense to exclude American Samoa from the bill, but that hasn't impeded the Democrats from passing the entire bill, given that nowhere does it make economic sense. But the exclusion of American Samoa raises questions, given that the major employer in American Samoa is StarKist Tuna, a brand of Del Monte, based in Pelosi's home district of San Francisco. We further find out, though this has received little to no coverage in the MSM, that Pelosi's husband Paul has a major financial interest in Del Monte's parent company, H.J. Heinz, to the tune-a of $17 million (that financial interest was kind of convenient for the last presidential election hmm?). Good coverage by RedState.
And now, we have Rep. Patrick McHenry(R-N.C.) vs. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA). Video. Good theatre.
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