4 ms·
Lobbying is fine. The problem with the US is you can literally buy votes in the legislature. That's because the legislator's individual votes were made public v
by epakai 4y ago
Lobbying is fine. The problem with the US is you can literally buy votes in the legislature. That's because the legislator's individual votes were made public via sunshine laws. As long as you keep those votes visible they can be bought no matter how much indirection has to be introduced.
The alternative is a secret vote. Now only passed/unpassed legislation can be bought. This is a lot more expensive and requires a conspiracy, but it's a lot harder to hold the people in this conspiracy directly accountable since they can always plausibly deny how their vote was cast. I've yet to see another better solution for getting rid of the money to vote pipeline.
- kibwen 4y agoYou can even have a middle ground. Make all votes secret, up until two months before someone's seat comes up election, then reveal all their past votes. Give voters information while reducing the window that lobbyists can use to buy votes.
- epakai 4y agoNot worth it. Interest groups can have very long timelines. Think Federalist Society. Besides I wouldn't even expect a group as small as the senate to be able to record votes this way and keep it secret. Better to control who votes, but keep how they vote anonymous.
- 93po 4y agoIf the votes are visible at any time at all then it still defeats the purpose. There is so much revolving door and if you promise the person bribing, I mean lobbying you that you'll vote one way and it's revealed you didn't, then they lose their future lucrative private sector "jobs"
- Ptchd 4y agoLobbying is NOT fine. It is bribery and is illegal almost anywhere else.
- dahdum 4y agoWhere is lobbying illegal in a democracy? France, Germany, and the UK all have it.
- bobbylarrybobby 4y agoIf votes are secret then voters have nothing to base their vote on except campaigning. The solution is simply to ban lobbying.
- Spivak 4y agoYou will not be able to successfully ban “trying to convince a legislator if something.” Writing my congressperson is lobbying. Hell testifying at my statehouse in an official capacity during hearings about proposed legislation is lobbying. I did it once and was even paid for it because it’s a lot to ask for someone to take off work, write a statement, edit it, get dressed up to speak, and then get grilled by people who, to put it mildly, kinda hate you and want to use you to score cheap political points. Dgmr, I agree that it’s a huge problem but banning lobbying will just be used as a tool to hang some politican they can’t oust any other way.
- rrwo 4y agoIt isn't lobbying, it's uncontrolled campaign contributions. When spending money is equated with speech, and corporations are given the same free speech rights as people, and you allow anonymous shell corporations... You end up with a corrupted government.
- epakai 4y agoThere's plenty. Legislators can introduce, co-sign, and otherwise endorse particular bills or amendments. Floor arguments can be public, and the news can actually collate and report on that. If you want representatives to represent then they have to have the same freedom to vote their conscience as the rest of us. Perhaps there are even certain types of votes that should be visible at the individual level, but I can't think of them right now. If you ban more direct lobbying there will always be indirect routes to reward desired behavior. As long as buyers can see returns they'll keep investing. We don't have to make it easy for them to see. We don't have to let political machines force party line votes.
- bradknowles 4y agoThe first step is to eliminate Citizens United.
- uni_rule 4y agoGood news: the current supreme court hates stare decisis Bad news: there's no way in hell they're doing this