Democrats find way to break impasse over lobbying bill

From CQ.com:

Congressional leaders have hatched a plan to bypass a traditional conference committee in an effort to force final passage of a long-stalled lobbying and ethics bill.

Under a scheme being discussed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, each chamber will pass identical lobbying bills so there would be no need for a conference committee to work out the differences. This move, known as “ping-pong” strategy because the bill quickly bounces from one chamber to another, could represent the breakthrough Democrats are hoping for but it risks further alienating Republicans who are frustrated by how the new majority is handling congressional procedure.

Reid said Democrats have been backed into using this rare strategy because conservative Republicans in the Senate have objected to creating a conference committee. The Senate passed its version of the bill (S1) in January and the House passed a lobbying bill (HR 2316) in May.

Nice! They should just do more stuff this way. Forget Republican "alienation." It's clear they are intent on blocking the bulk of the Democrats' agenda no matter how they are treated.