I am sure you have all heard about and are sick of hearing about the New York Times story alleging a sexual relationship between Senator John McCain and a Washington lobbyist. Of Course, this story has been discredited as a shotty piece of journalism allowed by a left-wing editor and meant to derail the McCain campaign. However, I take issue with the negative connotation attached to the word "lobbyist".
Now, I am not denying that when you get lobbyists together with legislators there is an increased risk of scandal. This is not to mention that for other legislative employees lobbyists can be quite annoying. I experience this first hand trying to push my way through the mob of lobbyists in the hallway at the Indiana Statehouse every day. But lobbyists are not evil people. Sure, I have only experienced them in action at the state level, but I know two Washington lobbyists, even call one of them ( a former lobbyist for the health insurance industry) my mentor.
The truth is that the legislative process would not work without lobbyists or "special interest groups". Legislators know a little bit about a lot of issues, but they typically do not know a whole lot about one single issue. This is where the lobbyists come in. It is a lobbyist's job to be extremely educated on certain issues (generally pertaining to the group they are lobbying for). These lobbyists then share their knowledge with legislators who then are either moved to introduce legislation or decide for themselves how to vote on a certain piece of legislation. Believe it or not, by lobbying for a special interest group, lobbyists are lobbying for you!
Key point: Without lobbyists we would have weak and possibly damaging legislation. So, let's not be too hard on our friends the lobbyists!
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