Lobbying - who here has done it?

We lobbied in Raleigh for solar energy. Boy, were we outnumbered by our opponents. How does one compensate for lack of level playing field?

There’s nothing wrong with lobbying, per se. We can’t expect our representatives to know everything about every subject. Lobbying, when done well, is how elected officials learn the pros and cons of an issue.

The problem is when elected officials allow more than the strength of the lobbyist’s argument to sway them.

NatMorton said:

There’s nothing wrong with lobbying, per se. We can’t expect our representatives to know everything about every subject. Lobbying, when done well, is how elected officials learn the pros and cons of an issue.

The problem is when elected officials allow more than the strength of the lobbyist’s argument to sway them.

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And when we close nonpartisan organizations (like the office of technology -- forget what it was actually called) that can fact-check the lobbyists.

Volunteer said:

We lobbied in Raleigh for solar energy. Boy, were we outnumbered by our opponents. How does one compensate for lack of level playing field?

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You don’t need numbers, you need funding and to do solid networking.

A small organization with funding (and the ability to use it wisely) in connection with strong individuals (business leaders and community leaders with connections of their own) can achieve quite a bit.

The trick is finding those folks who also have the same passion for what you are doing. It may take and patience. A lot of patience.

For the funding part, you want to use the finding for a specific project that will garner attention; like building a solar panel farm that can address a large portion of energy needs for a neighbor hood. Raising funding for that is called a capital campaign. Capital campaigns are supposed to be eye catching (and actually work) and something that a large donor who is connected can attach their name to.

It takes time and work, but you don’t need numbers so much as the right people whose hands are on the right levers.

Jason Warfield said:

You don’t need numbers, you need funding and to do solid networking.

A small organization with funding (and the ability to use it wisely) in connection with strong individuals (business leaders and community leaders with connections of their own) can achieve quite a bit.

The trick is finding those folks who also have the same passion for what you are doing. It may take and patience. A lot of patience.

For the funding part, you want to use the finding for a specific project that will garner attention; like building a solar panel farm that can address a large portion of energy needs for a neighbor hood. Raising funding for that is called a capital campaign. Capital campaigns are supposed to be eye catching (and actually work) and something that a large donor who is connected can attach their name to.

It takes time and work, but you don’t need numbers so much as the right people whose hands are on the right levers.

Click to expand...

I have a bit of experience lobbying. To be successful lobbying requires organization and money.

Professional lobbyist can be tough competition. Professional lobbyist are paid well. They are frequently on first name basis with legislators. Professional lobbyists also know key steak holders as well as the relationships between key legislators on relevant committees.

I agree, the more people you have involved the better your chances but having the right people doing the right things at the right times makes a huge difference.

I once lobbied hard as part of a group of knowledgeable people. We did our homework, talked to key people, had the ears of right legislators, organized community involvement, and testified in front of the appropriate committee only to lose in the eleventh hour due to a backdoor deal where a key legislator changed her vote.

She was, in fact, the one whose vote I would have bet on. I knew her well. We had become friends and I respected her (I still do) as an honest representative of the people. She opposed the bill.

She called me the next day and explained that she had little choice as she was able to leverage her vote for unexpected support by 2 other legislators on a major bill.

Volunteer said:

We lobbied in Raleigh for solar energy. Boy, were we outnumbered by our opponents. How does one compensate for lack of level playing field?

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What most people don't realize is that "lobbying" is actually a constitutionally-protected right: "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The problem is, that process has been taken over by hired hands, political mercenaries, and funded not by "people" (for the most part), but by corporations and industries. That is not what the framers had in mind.

When that "lobbying" is coupled with financial resources - practically unlimited - the process of lobbying turns into a "legal" form of bribery: "corrupt solicitation, acceptance, or transfer of value in exchange for official action." Just ask Bob Menendez.

Where we have gone wrong is blurring the lines between lobbying and corruption, where even prosecution - or non-prosecution - is corrupted by political biases. See, Hunter Biden vs. Jeffrey Epstein.

Our solar lobby has one part-time volunteer attorney. Meanwhile, the electricity monopoly in our state, Duke Energy, spends millions each year lobbying, including "contributions" to politicians. Duke champions fossil fuels and nuclear energy, not renewables.

PoliSciPulse said:

And when we close nonpartisan organizations (like the office of technology -- forget what it was actually called) that can fact-check the lobbyists.

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This is another aspect of the problem that is frequently overlooked. Many legislatures - including the US Congress - have defunded the institutional experts that they previously employed - the subject matter experts, or "professional staff". They then enter into a relationship where all of the "expertise" comes from the lobbyists themselves (often attorneys), and there is no countervailing expertise to check the claims. Indeed, lobbyists often provide the very legislative language that they want the legislators to promote, frequently including little sweeteners that they hope will go unnoticed. Sometimes these "sweeteners" become huge obstacles or insane giveaways, e.g. the "carried interest loophole" - talk to Mitt Romney about that one, by the way. Indeed, the "capital gains" tax rate is another great example.