3 ms·

Same as always? Corporations are the only ones who lobbying is effective for. We'd need a revolution to bring about real change. For this, and many other more

Same as always? Corporations are the only ones who lobbying is effective for. We'd need a revolution to bring about real change. For this, and many other more important changes, we need people in the streets to bring about change... Same as always.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Corporations are the only ones who lobbying is effective for. We'd need a revolution to bring about real change How many times have you called your elected? I’ve literally added language into state and federal law because I was the only one in my district who called on a niche issue. It was a battleground bill somewhere else. But not where I was.
- monkaiju 2y ago
  I mean im a trustee on my neighborhood council and regularly talk to my reps in person. That said I am under no illusion of being able to get them to alter anything of material importance because of my, or any number of citizens', input. They are careerists politicians because thats what this system optimizes for, literally no successful politician gives a shit about constituent input beyond when it helps them.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > I am under no illusion of being able to get them to alter anything of material importance Define material. If it’s contentious, of course not—no one party can nor should be able to dictate on something like that. But lobbyists don’t make headway on headline issues. They do so in the shadows. That’s also where private interest can have a material impact. Again, I’ve helped redraft legislation because my Congresswoman literally hadn’t read the bill, nobody—lobbyist or voter—had contacted her on it, it was a nothingburger in New York but a big deal to me. Lobbyists are mostly paid persistence. They don’t have superpowers, and the myth of campaign donations swinging electeds’ positions on major issues (versus new entrants) is mostly untrue. > no successful politician gives a shit about constituent input beyond when it helps them Of course. It would be naïve to expect otherwise. If you’re saying “I want x,” that’s N=1. Useless. If you make the case, however, that there is unseen donor or voter or turnout potential in an issue they’d ignored, you can generate a win win.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> Corporations are the only ones who lobbying is effective for. We'd need a revolution to bring about real change How many times have you called your elected? I’ve literally added language into state and federal law because I was the only one in my district who called on a niche issue. It was a battleground bill somewhere else. But not where I was.

monkaiju 2y ago
I mean im a trustee on my neighborhood council and regularly talk to my reps in person. That said I am under no illusion of being able to get them to alter anything of material importance because of my, or any number of citizens', input. They are careerists politicians because thats what this system optimizes for, literally no successful politician gives a shit about constituent input beyond when it helps them.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > I am under no illusion of being able to get them to alter anything of material importance Define material. If it’s contentious, of course not—no one party can nor should be able to dictate on something like that. But lobbyists don’t make headway on headline issues. They do so in the shadows. That’s also where private interest can have a material impact. Again, I’ve helped redraft legislation because my Congresswoman literally hadn’t read the bill, nobody—lobbyist or voter—had contacted her on it, it was a nothingburger in New York but a big deal to me. Lobbyists are mostly paid persistence. They don’t have superpowers, and the myth of campaign donations swinging electeds’ positions on major issues (versus new entrants) is mostly untrue. > no successful politician gives a shit about constituent input beyond when it helps them Of course. It would be naïve to expect otherwise. If you’re saying “I want x,” that’s N=1. Useless. If you make the case, however, that there is unseen donor or voter or turnout potential in an issue they’d ignored, you can generate a win win.