[mattdavis11]

Politicians rely heavily on lobbyist to get things hashed out. I didn't and still don't have much interest in DC politics, but at the state level, nothing would ever get accomplished if lobbyist weren't pushing legislation through. You will always have goods and bads that go with policies that get passed.

Those who bad mouth lobbyist are most likely people that do not fully understand the dynamics of the legislative process, and have never expirienced a legislative session first hand. The most common misconception is how a lobbyist accomplishes his goals. Most of those in the public sector have the understanding that a lobbyist will wine and dine his/her former collegues as a means to rectify a problem or create an advantage for his/her client. Those types of lobbyist often have a short lived career. It takes much more to be a successful lobbyist.

Most of the former members of legislative bodies are hired on as consultants by private corporations for their connections, but do very little actual lobbying.
Sure they register as lobbyists, but that's just a mere formality, a fail safe if they were to be asked by the corporation to attempt to sway the vote of a member of a legislative body.

While I was a lobbyist, I spent more time dealing with the staff in a members' office working with the oppostion to try to reach an agreement. In these situations it becames paramount that you be honest and upfront about your intentions, and what benefits/implications may arise as a result of that members' vote on passing/killing a certain piece of legislation. That might sound like the lobbyist is trying to muscle the member, lol, but there are no wrong votes if the member votes his district, and a lobbyist isn't going to call the dogs if they vote the way they should. However, if a lobbyist is dishonest about their intentions, they (staff and member) will find out, and your ship is sunk.

Feel free to ask any questions.