The Effects on Lobbying in the American Political System
We know that Congressmen are not all math wizzes who can foresee all outcomes when it comes to economic theory; they are not seasoned scientists who can cite the effects every decision has on the environment. Apart from hearings, advisors, and constituents like you and me, who really informs politicians and government officials?
Thomas Boggs is a 72-year-old resident. He has practiced law, worked as a coordinator in the White House, and found success in these fields.
He is also a certified lobbyist. Lobbying is something anyone can do. Lobbying requires a five minute conversation with your local member of Congress on any topic or issue.
Every major company hires lobbyist ranging from pharmaceuticals to automobiles business hire lobbying firms to have someone promoting their interests, to law makers. Top lobbying firms like the one Boggs is a senior partner for make from $20 to $40 million a year.
Firms can represent as little as one client to over a 100. They employ numerous lobbyists with different expertise to cover a large area of clientele.
For example Boggs has lobbied for Amazon.com, Penn National gaming, and Master Pilots executive council at United Airlines.
Professor James Thurber, from American University told CBS News, “The fingerprints of lobbyists are all over daily life. They defeated plans to cap credit card interest rates. They made pizza count as a vegetable on school lunch menus. They wrote a lot of the health care reform law. Thurber estimates $9 billion is spent every year on lobbying and related advocacy. A top lobbyist can make millions.”
It is not just corporations that need lobbyist, even non-profit advocacy groups have a stake in this field of influencing congress.
AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) has already spent $7 million this year on lobbyists, according to the Senate office public records Lobbying Disclosure Act Database. These are the people that feed members of Congress information on a daily basis,
Dr. Joseph Patten, Chair of the Political Science and Sociology Department said, “Lobbyists are vital to our democracy. They have expertise in specific areas and help to inform elected officials on things like down syndrome, pediatric brain cancer, the pros and cons of nuclear energy and on and on. Good lobbyists are truthful and build meaningful relationships with elected officials.”
Dr. Kenneth Mitchell, associate professor of political science said, “Lobbying is essentially unavoidable in a free society. What is the alternative? The key is to create a set of norms, rules and incentives that bring transparency to the process.”
Mitchell continued, “Perhaps the biggest danger is the role of money and financing campaigns. In the USA, politicians must raise money to compete in elections – most countries publicly fund campaigns to avoid this problem. Requiring money means lobbyists possess something politicians need. Here is the slippery slope that raises concerns.”
Patten furthered Mitchell’s point by said, “The problem with the lobbying industry is it is mostly unregulated. More money is spent on lobbying than on political campaigns, yet lobbying does not receive anywhere near the scrutiny that campaign contributions do by the federal election commission.”
Patten said that lobbying is given a bad name even with the good it can do.
Patten said, “The industry needs more transparency, but most individual lobbyists are good and honorable people. The industry deservedly received a black eye from the K Street Project and Jack Abramoff, but the real problem stems from government officials being unwilling to regulate the industry because many go into a lobbying career once they retire. So, in that sense, we should hate the game, not the player.”
Saliha Younas, junior political science major, believes that lobbying can be good or bad.
“On one hand it allows the public and smaller special interest groups to engage in the policy process,” said Younas.
Younas also voiced the concern about the fear that “lobbying increases the likely-hood of larger, better funded organizations to monopolize policy in their favor.”
Younas continued, “One example being the chicken [industry] lobby’s ability to prevent important environmental policy simply because they are larger, more influential, and funded by those within the poultry business”.
The name of every lobbying firm, lobbyist, client and expenditures are disclosed in the senate LDA reports online. These public records allow us to see what influence is going where and how much is being spent.
