Lobbyists have feelings, too
June 6, 2008
So you want to make sure lawmakers are paying attention to your point of view. Maybe there’s a bill that will affect your business, or maybe something affecting your industry has become a hot legislative topic. What do you do? Probably hire a lobbyist if you have the cash.
Lobbyists can help people who don’t have the time to get to Washington, Annapolis or whatever seat of government they’re trying to influence. I’ve seen them operate in Maryland, and they’re pretty busy. So what happens when lobbyists need to go to bat for their own industry?
Well, they turn to The American League of Lobbyists, a trade organization that monitors ethics laws and other decisions that affect their industry.
Yes. Lobbyists have their own lobbyists.
And today, many lobbyists are upset about the way John McCain and Barack Obama are treating the profession in their campaigns. If you haven’t been watching, these campaigns have been competing to see who can disavow more lobbyists in a shorter period of time. They’re both trying to keep campaign staffs free of professional advocates, and they’re not being quiet about it.
Friday, the league reminded voters that “lobbyists are citizens, too.”
Here’s a little excerpt from a news release issued in the morning:
“Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have declared Washington lobbyists persona non grata as far as participation in the forthcoming campaigns. The leadership of the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) vehemently objects to this treatment. ALL reminds the candidates that all U.S. citizens are guaranteed the right to petition the government under the First Amendment to the Constitution.”
“As a profession, lobbying is an easy target and a candidate automatically garners public support with each declaration,” said Brian Pallasch, League President.
ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer
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The problem with lobbyists is that they charge an exhorbitant amount of money to come as close as they can to corrupting the government without violating the letter of the law. They’re parasites, not very smart, have no particular skills or training, and are generally free riding on contacts the government created for them in the first place. It’s as if the political system said “let’s take our sleaziest people, who aren’t equipped for and couldn’t find worthwhile employment on their own, and give them a huge pension.” They should be grateful that such a role exists in life, not whine about not being loved.
I agree that lobbyist have too much influence. I think everyone agrees with this. But this comment suggests that lobbyist themselves are all (1) dumb and (2) bad. And that is just plain silly.