Lawrence Lessig argues (I think persuasively) that lobbying should be classified as a form of corruption. It's not as egregious as directly paying someone off,

Lawrence Lessig argues (I think persuasively) that lobbying should be classified as a form of corruption. It's not as egregious as directly paying someone off, but in the end the influence of lobbying is pernicious and pervasive. Highly recommend his book about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic,_Lost http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic,_Lost