Now that I have explained the term “accidental lobbyist,” I want to explain what/who is a lobbyist. Wikipedia defines a lobbyist as a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest, which can be a corporation, organization, an individual or the general public.
I agree with the definition; however, I prefer to say that a lobbyist seeks to educate and advocate rather than tries to influence. Some may say there is no difference but I personally believe there is a huge difference. The word influence has a negative connotation, and with the profession increasingly coming under withering attack and lobbyist-bashing at an all-time high, I especially want to make the distinction for reputation purposes. While there has long been a general distrust of lobbyists (maybe suspicion is a better word), the sentiment has become more widespread and ingrained as a result of some very high-profile cases of corruption and greed. However, that is not the whole of the profession but, unfortunately, and as the old saying goes, one bad apple can spoil the bunch. That said, I find all of the lobbyist-bashing amusing because what has been lost in the debate is that everyone has a lobbyist and everyone is a lobbyist.
Consider this, for example: My mother, who will turn 70 this year, is a member of the AARP — an organization that represents her interests as a retired person and senior citizen, and is a formidable lobby in its own right; I am an African American woman and the NAACP, although I am not a member, represents my interests (think: civil rights) as a person of color; and my 94-year-old grandmother, who now lives in a nursing home, is represented by those who lobby for laws to ensure that she receives the best possible care. Everyone in our society, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender and age, is represented by lobbyists. Even pets, animals, wildlife, and the environment are represented by lobbyists.
Saying that everyone is a lobbyist might be an exaggeration but only slightly. Here’s the thing, every adult individual has the right to petition his government — whether by letter, email, phone or a face-to-face meeting. I regularly see groups of people on Capitol Hill participating in what is often called “lobby days,” meeting with their elected officials about issues important to them or the organization/group they are representing. My mother routinely contacts her member of Congress to share her opinion on certain legislation and asks him to vote a particular way on a bill. Sometimes it is about an issue important to her personally, and other times it is on behalf of an organization of which she is a member. No matter how you slice it, though, this is considered lobbying.
My mother recently emailed an article to several of her friends and included me. The article, in the context of health care reform legislation, pretty much bashed the procession and blamed lobbyists working on behalf of “special interests” as the reason for the bill’s failure. I “replied all” and jokingly said that my mother must have forgotten that her daughter is a lobbyist and that I hoped she excluded me from the inference that lobbyists are evil. A long time family friend wrote back to me and said “sorry but lobbyist is a dirty word in our house.” I replied by saying I respected her opinion and remind her that not all lobbyist are bad ones. (In fact, the majority of us, like 99%, are ethical and do our jobs well.) She wrote back and conceded that I was right. The funny thing is that a couple of years ago I ran into this friend on Capitol Hill and guess what? She was in town with a trade association representing credit unions, and she and the group of people she was with were participating in a “lobby day” meeting with members of Congress about issues important to that industry. In other words, she was a lobbyist that day.
So, the next time you may be inclined to bash lobbyists, keep this in mind: the only difference between me as a lobbyist and the average Jane as a lobbyist is that this just happens to be my profession!
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