I need facts for: The lobbyists negatively influence the legislative process in the US.?

Question

It is for my debate team and i need to know how it is good for us and how it is bad. I need really strong facts to support the resolution. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hurrah for public forum debate! =P I'm debating that topic tomorrow at an invitational in Arizona, woo. ^^

Your best bet for now is google'ing and yahoo searching lobbyists for a few days straight. There's a lot of facts out there, too many to list really. Here's what my partner and I are focusing on though:

For aff, focus on bribery and campaign contributions. Get some good statistics on how much is donated. Also, stress how lobbyists take the power away from the people. Legislators listen to the lobbyists, instead of their constituents. If neg tries to tell you that legislators need lobbyists to stay informed, whip out some info on how many staffers most Congressman have, and how they ought to do research. Reiterate how lobbyists give a biased opinion, so aren't good for research anyway. Tell how not everyone can get in their fair say, because it's the people with the most money who get to hire the most convincing, best connected lobbyists.

For neg, some statistics on how many lobbyists are in Washington alone (25,000 in DC, but remember all the other thousands who lobby state legislatures or lobby their congressmen in their districts) vs. how many have been prosecuted for bribery. Give info on how bribery's really not widespread, and most lobbyists are honest people. A fun statistic is that the biggest lobbying group isn't oil, guns, or tobacco, as many think: it's AARP! American Association of Retired People, lol. Show how the abundance of media coverage on the Abramoff scandal has distorted the truth about the real function of lobbyists: to inform. Most people can't visit their legislators, and letters don't have as much impact as a suit in your face. So people join unions and associations, which lobby the congressman so their members are fairly represented. Say how the new ethics laws passed should decrease the influence of money in Washington anyway, so this really isn't an issue anymore, unless of course you can convince your judge that it isn't an issue to begin with. Which is hard. But you can do it! =)

Good luck!

Answer 2

its all about i scratch your back, you scratch mine.
lets say im a lobbyist for the eco topics, well i get someone to listen i write the bill, then its a process of getting the votes to get it to the floor to have an actual vote on, if i cant get enough people to support the bill, then it goes nowhere.
when so many bills come up its about getting support for it, then get it to the floor for leg. to vote on it.
lets say me and you have two different bills, that we both see as important, i will give you my support if you give me your support,
but if i have already given my support for another bill, then for some reason i cant do both, your bill and the other bill that i promised my support to.
if you watch the movie "the president, with annette benning and micheal douglas you will get a better perspective of the lobby and how the process works, at least holloywood terms.
good luck.

Answer 3

Jack Abramoff, NRA, "Israel lobbies" AIPAC, AARP, NEA, vast Oil, vast prescription drugs, vast Alcohol, vast credit enjoying cards, something it particularly is vast has a lobbying group in Washington & some do good issues and a few do very undesirable issues yet base line is the articifical influnce lobbyists have over our Congresspeople (who're purely assume to do what the their consitutuents want them to do no longer a slick lobbyist/shop clerk wining and eating them to get them to vote the way they want them too) corupts US government. And related to the "Israel lobbies" they could & do come to a sort the result people elections and that they have such impression over US foreign places coverage in the Mideast that they almost run it.