Political Action In The Age Of Lobbyists (Money Buys Access) [Video]

In U.S. politics, money buys access. For legislation to reach the floors of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it has to be introduced by a member of the Congress. This is done at both the state and national levels. Legislation can be written by anyone, but it is worthless paper unless it is considered by the people who actually have the power to take it up to a vote. For someone to have their particular legislation reach a Congress member, they need direct, or indirect, access to a member.

The federal lobbying act defines a lobbyist as one who “solicits, collects, or influence the passage or death of congressional legislation and the intended method of accomplishing the purpose is through conversation with members of Congress.” So, in essence, simply writing a letter to your representative makes you a lobbyist. But, we know your representative will not feel obliged to take you seriously. The easiest way to be sure you will be taken serious is to be a part of that representative’s ‘club’. There are many social clubs, but as in your life, the workplace is one that binds many people together as sort of a network. This is the reason many government officials enter the private sector and register as lobbyists. Since 1998, over 40 percent of the members of Congress who left government have registered to lobby. Through the years working with other lawmakers, they have built close relationships with other members of Congress and the executive branch. They make large sums of money working for lobbying firms. If you want your legislation pushed through the Congress, this is who you need to go to. Be sure to have your pocketbook in hand, because money buys access.

A special interest group is a group seeking to influence government policy in favor of an interest or issue. Some of the largest are the ACLU, AFL/CIO, Greenpeace USA, NAACP, NRA, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These special interest groups, or lobbies, have enough influence on the public, and money, to have a bearing on government policy. People within these organizations also are within the networks of the governing body. If a member of the NRA is elected to Congress, that group has a direct line to introduce favorable legislation on their behalf. The greater number of members of a special interest group in government, the greater the chance of passing favorable legislation. Special interests groups are not strictly organizations, but there are loose-knit groups as well. A group of people who support abortion rights is a special interest group. Others may be people against child abuse, people for tough drug sentencing, and even people who want to see President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.

Note:  Funding from lobbies do not go solely to campaign contributions.