A Note On Lobbyists and "Special Interests"

Too often in this campaign, from both candidates, I've heard some variant of the phrase, "I won't represent lobbyists or special interests or corporate interests, I'll represent the American people."

It always meets with roaring applause, since most people at rallies are not lobbyists. But the obvious question is never asked "Who do lobbyists and special interest groups represent?"

Well, if you are a union member, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you are a school teacher, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you own a small business, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you own a firearm, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you support expanded constitutional freedoms, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you are pro-life or pro-choice, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you are a farmer, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you are retired, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

If you drive a car, you have lobbyists working for you in Washington.

It is hard to find a policy position or line of work that is not represented in DC on some level. It could well be argued that Americans are better represented by lobbyists than they are by their own Members of Congress. While interest groups are not elected, they more specifically represent voters' concerns. You can't expect any member of Congress to be an expert on every issue facing the country. So they bring in the experts more closely associated with the issues to advise them on the best course of action for industry, education, labor, etc.

After the election, the only thing that will change is which lobbyists are thrown out and which ones are ushered in, and which ones move higher up the list in prominence in terms of getting their issues heard.

While there are occasional scandals like Abramoff, those are the exception, not the rule.

But the idea that a President (or any major political figure for that matter) won't listen to lobbyists or special interest groups is as absurd as it is false.