as it happens it was invoked in the role when jim thurber's wife worked on the agency -- >> the agency not her. she thought it would be overturned. >> she's right. the only time in history -- the act has been around for 17 years. so i wouldn't put this high on your hit parade on your devices to go to work with. but conventional oversight and activating members of congress of rules under development are a real possibility and finally courts. you know, this is kind of your abandon all hope thing. it's really the last resort. you can sue an agency but not until the agency has written and published the rule. that's number one. number two, you have to have standing to sue, which means you got to show that you can or have been damaged. third, you got to present the agency with the kind of legal issue that a court feels competent to rule on, which in this day and age is almost anything, all right? and then finally, remember this. when you sue an agency, partial victories are not unheard of. but it's very rare for an agency to lose kind of a nuclear, you know -- agencies don't make those kinds

james thurber discusses the history of lobbying reform, including current white house policy. professor thurber worked with both president obama and senator mccain on the lobbying reform proposals. this is an hour 15 minutes. >> good morning. as you know, i'm jim thurber, director at the center for presidential studies and founder for the public affairs and that is the institute. this is the to do. and i'm going to talk this morning about the causes, characteristics and consequences of lobbying reform. i will encourage you to the reds need anytime if you have questions about this. lobbying reform has occurred not only on capitol hill in 2007 in the historic bill does pass, but also by the efforts of the president of the united states, barack obama and his executive order. and like to start out with a question to you. he promised in his campaign to change the way washington works, pointing directly towards the role of lobbyists campaign money and other goodies here. so my question to you is do you think he is change the way washington works? now my students are usually very act

as it happens it was invoked in the role when jim thurber's wife worked on the agency -- >> the agency not her. she thought it would be overturned. >> she's right. the only time in history -- the act has been around for 17 years. so i wouldn't put this high on your hit parade on your devices to go to work with. but conventional oversight and activating members of congress of rules under development are a real possibility and finally courts. you know, this is kind of your abandon all hope thing. it's really the last resort. you can sue an agency but not until the agency has written and published the rule. that's number one. number two, you have to have standing to sue, which means you got to show that you can or have been damaged. third, you got to present the agency with the kind of legal issue that a court feels competent to rule on, which in this day and age is almost anything, all right? and then finally, remember this. when you sue an agency, partial victories are not unheard of. but it's very rare for an agency to lose kind of a nuclear, you know -- agencies don't make those kinds

snorts thurber gets up and says i'm introducing a bill to reduce global warming. and i'm doing it under the following clause of the united states government. now, that may sound like enormous constraints on the ability of congress to introduce new legislation. the simple fact is, and as a matter that i read a blog about early this morning from a guy who teaches at yale law school. the constitution is a fairly elastic docket. you can find in a general authority do a lot. just like the constitution is for the congress, existing legislation is massive in reach, and scope. so a willful president wanting to do what congress will allow him to do otherwise, can very much uses direct management authority to accomplish much of his agenda until he is stopped by other means. the president made a lot of promises. obviously and he's working his way through those. either on the hill or in the agency. but remember there are also severe constraints on budget. it means that the rulemaking process is going to be under tremendous stress over the foreseeable future. under these piece

snorts thurber gets up and says i'm introducing a bill to reduce global warming. and i'm doing it under the following clause of the united states government. now, that may sound like enormous constraints on the ability of congress to introduce new legislation. the simple fact is, and as a matter that i read a blog about early this morning from a guy who teaches at yale law school. the constitution is a fairly elastic docket. you can find in a general authority do a lot. just like the constitution is for the congress, existing legislation is massive in reach, and scope. so a willful president wanting to do what congress will allow him to do otherwise, can very much uses direct management authority to accomplish much of his agenda until he is stopped by other means. the president made a lot of promises. obviously and he's working his way through those. either on the hill or in the agency. but remember there are also severe constraints on budget. it means that the rulemaking process is going to be under tremendous stress over the foreseeable future. under these piece

snorts thurber gets up and says i'm introducing a bill to reduce global warming. and i'm doing it under the following clause of the united states government. now, that may sound like enormous constraints on the ability of congress to introduce new legislation. the simple fact is, and as a matter that i read a blog about early this morning from a guy who teaches at yale law school. the constitution is a fairly elastic docket. you can find in a general authority do a lot. just like the constitution is for the congress, existing legislation is massive in reach, and scope. so a willful president wanting to do what congress will allow him to do otherwise, can very much uses direct management authority to accomplish much of his agenda until he is stopped by other means. the president made a lot of promises. obviously and he's working his way through those. either on the hill or in the agency. but remember there are also severe constraints on budget. it means that the rulemaking process is going to be under tremendous stress over the foreseeable future. under these piece