PHOENIX (AP) – The 2024 presidential election is drawing an unusually robust field of independent, third party and long shot candidates hoping to capitalize on Americans’ ambivalence and frustration over a likely rematch between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump.
Youre thinking of the historical definition of lobbying, when citizens would wait in lobbies of legislatures to make their case to a legislator. Thats no longer what lobbying means in the US. Its actually a legally distinguished title, lobbyists are a paid position, generally lawyers or former legislators, representing large organizations, and facilitating giving politicians money or gifts to influence their votes. You can write to your congressman, you can call one of their secretaries voicemails, you can attend any town halls they might hold, but youre not a lobbyist and you cannot go have a personal meeting with your congressman like a lobbyist can.
Im voting on these issues for all elections, not just president. But presidential support is pretty important for any legislation.
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The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 starts regulating when a person exceeds 20% of their time spent in that capacity. If you spend less than 20% of your time lobbying, you’re not recognized as a lobbyist per federal law. Jon Stewart was, for example, an unpaid lobbyist for 9/11 first responders.
Wrong. Lobbyists are people who spend more than 20% of their time in that capacity, per the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Anyone under that threshold is still lobbying, but is not a lobbyist. Nonprofits also have lobbyists, such as Human Rights Watch, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Greenpeace, or the Waterkeeper Alliance. The Cherokee Tribe has a lobbyist. So does the Nebraska League of Municipalities and the Chicago Teachers Union. Not all of them are mustache-twirling supervillains. I’m sure you think it’s nice and neat to write a law that makes “bad” lobbying illegal but keeps “good” lobbying legal, but I can assure you there’s more lobbying happening every minute of every day than you actually realize, and a lot of it is good lobbying.
Bullshit:
Theyre non-profit, but they still spend money. The Southern Poverty Law Center i know does monetary lobbying, contributing to political campaigns. With good intentions sure, but id say theyre being forced to use a corrupt system to try and compete with the mustache twirling supervillains. Im defining lobbying as monetary value contributions to elected officials or candidates, thats the specifics of what i want outlawed. Actual legislation would be even more specific in scope.
All of these meeting links include organization representation. Some of them even say you might only get to meet with a staffer. See if you can get a one on one meeting with your rep.
If the “corrupt” system goes away, the implicit coordination with PACs doesn’t. You will quite literally only be punishing the good guys. You should be far more specific that what you want to outlaw is quid pro quo lobbying, not the whole concept of lobbying itself.
Also I pointed out that you are factually incorrect on being able to meet with a Congressional representative, your goalpost shift notwithstanding.
Lobbying does not exist in its historical definition anymore. Even in non-profit examples, it’s still monetary influence rather than just spoken. That’s what people are talking about when they say lobbying, if you see a political call to action of writing your congressman, tell me if they describe it as lobbying your congressman.
I aint moving goalposts, I claim you cannot have a personal meeting with your congressman. If you are a representative of some large organization, maybe.
Wrong and wrong. I know and work with several registered lobbyists, as well as people who do occasional environmental lobbying. To say you’re completely and utterly misinformed (on both points) would be an understatement.
you knowing lobbyists changes what? Are they registered with organizations that are doing no political contributions? The fact that they’re registered lobbyists is kind of what I’ve been talking about, you came in talking about how I want to make it a crime to meet with my representative. Im not a lobbyist, I don’t represent any organization, I dont have a political fund to influence my representative.
Yes. Novel idea, I know. That’s the kind of information you learn from experience, rather than gut hunches and the news media.
And you said exactly that. The kind of activity that a colleague of mine does to advocate for clean rivers would be illegal. Not my fault you used sweeping generalizations that don’t reflect reality.
Yet you are legally allowed to lobby your elected representatives.