"Obama Calls For "Sweeping" Ethics Reform" (with audio)

New Hampshire Public Radio, with audio (00:54):

Barack Obama says Americans can't settle for living in what he termed as a "second Gilded Age."

The Illinois Senator promised to bar political appointees from lobbying the executive branch during his presidency, and restrict new hires from working on regulations or contracts directly related to their prior employers for two years.

He says he'd also forbid lobbyists from giving anything of value to government workers.

"When I am president, I will make it absolutely clear that working in an Obama Administration is not about serving your former employer, your future employer or your bank account. It's about serving your country. And that's what comes first."

Obama's restrictions are similar to some unveiled two months ago by fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton. After his speech, Obama claimed he wasn't familiar with Clinton's proposals, and invited the press to evaluate whose are more stringent.