Lobbying Is Democracy in Action

No one said that you can't lobby: everyone has the right to form an assembly and to protest. But it should be against the law to spread money around to the politicians while you try to influence them. No more free meals, vacations (three day or otherwise), no more free anything but advise. Period.

53,000 lobbyists in Washington who give billions pretty my equally to our congressmen, senators and the President. In the business world we call that management by influence. So who has more influence the voter, NOT!

Nothing against the principle of lobbyist and why we should have them but what needs to change is that they can give not one penny to any candidate in any way shape or manner. Then we could all sit back and watch the 53,000 number decrease dramatically. The maybe our votes would really count.

With all the cynical, emotional rancor one usually endures when discussing politics, it is refreshing to read something that is more rational, reasoned, and disinterested. It's not all a plot. Usually it can only be one way, but there are millions of opinions, so the process of making the decisions (outside of autocratic or oligarchic rule) is bound to look messy. Also, the chances of getting it right the first or second times are slim.

With all the cynical, emotional rancor one usually endures when discussing politics, it is refreshing to read something that is more rational, reasoned, and disinterested. It's not 'all a big plot. Usually, it can only be one way, but there are millions of opinions; so, the process of making the decisions (outside of autocratic or oligarchic rule) is bound to look messy. Also, the chances of getting it right the first or second times are slim.

This is all part of the big lie typical of any political campaign - that you can undo the influence of lobbyists in
Washington DC. Obama is a politician, and a good one.--he knew the truth all along. Just as he successfully used an anti- Clinton camapign during the primary and then set about to recreate a third Clinton administration once elected; he successfully camapigned against all the usual power brokers in Washington DC(and yet he had the support of all those power brokers) and has depended upon them for the formation of his government.
Of course, the lobbyists will have a field day under Obama; just like everything else in the campaign about real change in Washington DC it was all typical political hype by a skilled orator who is a typical politician and knows the difference between reality and a political campaign. His problem now is with all the true believers and his only answer is that the multiple problems we face are so problematic that he needs experienced hands on deck, people who know how to make Washington work - his true believers are stuck because the real problems were caused by that same group according to what he said in his camapign. The reality is that we do need experienced hands on deck, including lobbyists that are stake holders in solving our problems, and his pretense that he would do away with all of these groups of beltway insiders was only a political ploy that worked because people are fed up with Washington.
Hopefully, the people will retain their anger with all these folks in Washington and keep up the pressure for change on Barack Obama so that maybe, just maybe, they will use all the typical Washington methods productively while working in the interests of the people instead of saying that is what they are doing and then cynically using their power destructively to enrich themselves and those seeking their favor.

Now lobbyists have a bad wrap? These are the guys we THE PEOPLE voted that we wanted to be removed from influence in Washington. Another bait and switch. How does the guy in the most corrput political area of the country get elected by saying he is going to stop this crap when he never did a thing to do so in an area with sooo much low hanging fruit? Now you are telling me he won't execute on this promise either. Tell me again how we are supposed to have any belief in the system or the press. You mean to tell me you could not have written this article BEFORE the election? I'm starting to believe teh right more and more. The media is not to be trusted.

I thought lobbyists were demon spawn? I guess now that Obama has been putting some in his administration, well, now it's OK.

Whats amazing to me is how so many people say that Obama is going to expand government, I would be wilingl to bet he does not expand it as much as Bush has. Also, most lobbying is in the form of Corporate/Rich Man greed, I do not consider this expression of the people.

Yeah but, who started all of this mess?

Lobbys do have some good causes but for the most part they have raised our costs on insurance and almost everything else. They have sent our jobs overseas. They have the money that the average person does not have and can not compete with to line the pockets of greedy politicians. This Goverment has become self serving and and extremely Dishonest

The relationship of lobbyists and politicians is similar to that of pimps and whores.