Idealism is nice, yet idealism that is too far removed from the realities of a present situation risks becoming nothing more than air castles in the sky. Finding common ground in a political maelstrom that is all too often directed by characters behind the scenes likewise risks becoming a futile exercise in impractical idealism. The truth of the matter may be that it behooves lobbying groups to seek the welfare of their deep-pocketed patrons to focus on the protection of their interests, even if it entails a narrow-minded scope of what is best for the operation of a country. In such a climate of lobbying groups, each representative of associations of corporations from singular industries, our elected officials are presented with the viability of receiving funding for their political campaigns to stay in office and therein perhaps achieve modest gains not just for their political patrons, but ideally, for the betterment of the country, if not there own political party, at the least.
In the United States capital, lobbyist groups not only hound our representatives through every which way possible, but even write our laws in small convoluted script that allows for the insertion of legal jargon in bills safeguarding the interests of their benefactors.This reality presents a conundrum of grandiose proportions for the operation of our democratic nation, whereby power is purported to rest in the people, and the government is supposed to be for the service of the people. The truth though is that while Jane and John Doe vote for elected officials based on campaign platforms, lobbyists can target elected offices with legal bribery and political connections that can sink or swim the careers of politicians.
The actuality that elected officials appear, over the long run, to prioritize their political livelihood over such doing their uncompromised service to their constituents is nothing new. It is a story hearkening back to the Roman and Greek Senates. Once power is attained, the elected official recognizes the benefits of staying in power and is made aware of legal leverages supplied by the power allowed to lobbying groups that can be maneuvered to the benefit of the elected official. Doing the bidding of powerful groups not only further entrenches and compromises the elected official in his or her capacity, but defends the interest of the lobbying groups patrons. These ‘patrons’ can be amalgamations of corporations within one particular industry, who in turn may have, not just monetary levers, but be connected with entities or established media groups. This represents then not just the power of money as a source of political influence, but the power of image. That is to say, such a lobbying group is an extension of a greater conjoined power of influence that can exact hard and soft control on what is talked about in the media, who is talked about, and who does the talking. This implies that elected officials who parlay with such groups enjoy all kinds of protections to their political livelihood and political image.
Such a reality seems to scoff at the principles the United States of America was founded on, robbing it through legal corruption, degrading its foundational principles as mere historical events long past forgotten, and only pay homage in times of tragedy or days of national celebration. With such an open truth bare at all times, our elected officials appear to distract from there acceptance of legal bribery and respond vehemently with calls on various issues that may be on the news circuit, like the environment, the economy, gun safety, abortion, and international trade partnerships. These passionate forays of oration across political party lines, galvanizing rhetoric that is hotter than fire for a moment, but cold as ice the next. As times passes, the complexity of bringing real solutions to the various issues are degraded into elementary, default positions blamed on lack of inter-political party cooperation. It is all hogwash though… the truth is that the lobbying groups sponsor the elected officials with money, position and influence, hamstringing what could be a natural order to the legislative process.
Common political ground can be found, but the players will not take the field. They refuse to cooperate. It is not them, but each is a conglomeration of all the money and influence poured into them. Lobbying groups legal bribery is a great dilemma and this discussion cannot be had in Congress, for they are compromised, but must be had between the people of the country and the Supreme Court of the land.
At the highest levels of elected office, each official knows that each of them is somehow beholden to such organized political concoctions. They are all in on it, and no one can reach those levels of elected office without taking on legal bribery. In effect, the people of the nation, namely those in the lesser vestiges of social and economic power are the losers. Nothing changes if nothing changes, and nothing changes. There are no mighty men and women who break ranks for any length of time in a repeated fashion. There are none who stand aside to call out the charades. Lobbying should be made illegal, and given that it is a nine billion dollar industry feeding the coffers of elected officials, stringent observation should be taken by pressuring the U.S Supreme Court to curtail it refashioning itself under any legal format.
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