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Lobbyist being experts is something I've never heard before. They are salesmen, do you want to get your nutrient information from a McDonald's commercial? It
by wolco 8y ago
Lobbyist being experts is something I've never heard before. They are salesmen, do you want to get your nutrient information from a McDonald's commercial? It may save you time but isn't really helpful.
- manquer 8y agoLobbyists will bring in the "expert" with necessary credentials who can "advice" on the finer points of legislation, give talking points etc. They might not directly project expertise
- delecti 8y agoThe EFF is at least partially a lobbying group, do you think they're salesmen? Lobbying is just people talking to the government.
- hjanssen 8y agoThough there is a distinction between corporate lobbying and e.g. the EFF: corporations lobby for their own interests, the EFF does it for everyone. Besides that, if company lobbying did not exist, the EFF wouldnt exist because there would be no one to work against. The EFF was specificly founded to defend the peoples interests against corporations.
- delecti 8y agoYou need to be more pedantic. The EFF is a 501(c)(3) organization, and that's a type of corporation. If you want to outlaw lobbying by for-profit corporations, then they'll just create subsidiary lobbying organizations. The NRA is a 501(c)(4), which is also a tax exempt non-profit designation, and realistically it serves primarily as a lobbying group for gun manufacturers.
- trothamel 8y agoI'd say that's selling the NRA short. I have a few friends that are NRA members, they're as focused on gun rights as the corporations are.
- delecti 8y agoThat's a fair point. Though while they may not be exclusively a lobbying front for gun manufacturers, I think it's still fair to say they serve that purpose.
- dragonwriter 8y ago> Lobbyist being experts is something I've never heard before. Lobbyists often are, and, whether or not they themselves are, are almost invariably supported by, domain experts. > They are salesmen Yeah, but they are salesmen who do the public policy equivalent of technical sales, and it's a field where selectivity is high because you are selling to a very small number of very high value customers.
- ahoy 8y agoThe EFF, trade unions, the aclu, the southern poverty law center, all of these are experts and all of them lobby policymakers.
- AsyncAwait 8y agoAnd all of them can still be easily outspend by corporate lobbying.
- BeetleB 8y agoIf you ignore the highly politicized lobbyists, you'll find that expertise is one of the main things lobbyists provide to politicians. "We know you don't have time to dig deep. Here is a summary of the research, and our recommendations based on it." Edit: I also once had a fairly cynical view of lobbyists. But then some people I know went to work for lobby groups after they graduated. When I looked into the types of lobby groups they went to, they were fairly impressive. Things like advocating for homeless, advocating for people without health care, etc.