> But campaign donations by corporate interests and lobbying _are_ essentially legal bribery. Campaign contributions and lobbying are not at all the same thin

> But campaign donations by corporate interests and lobbying _are_ essentially legal bribery. Campaign contributions and lobbying are not at all the same thing. First, "Corporate interests" are prohibited from making campaign contributions. Secondly, lobbying is simply the process of petitioning elected officials to persuade them to advocate your causes. That's not unique to the US; every democracy has a mechanism for that process.