What's the difference between lobbying and bribing?

[ott]

And how is lobbying ethically justified?

[lateo]

1. A few million dollars?

LOL

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Everyone is supposed to have access to their elected

officials, and to have the ability to ask for redress of grievances. The problem comes when people are paid to cozy up to lawmakers. They spend money on them, always staying one jump ahead of the law as to what is legal to give a legislator. Bribery is straightforward payment for services done, without a lot of legal tapdancing.

But I'd like to see a law where no lobbyist can be paid in money or kind for what they do. That might help stop this mess.

[bemildred]

3. Mainly the spelling.

Like "campaign contributions" and "bribes" are the same
thing but spelled different. The state legislatures could
put public campaign financing into law and fix the election
system any time they want to, but they do not want to.
Corruption pays well.

[Mabus]

4. Lobbying allows you to

invite your merchandise (candidate/politician) to speak to your friends. People who bribe can't afford to rent hotel space for catered affairs, hire the merchandise's relatives to work for them, fly them all over the world to golf courses or don't have any political clout to start multiple businesses to funnel money to the merchandise through other means.

[T Wolf]

5. Lobbying is tax-deductable for businesses. Which means,

we pay for it.

Another difference, bribery is more honest.

[rock]

6. The Lobbying merely enables the Bribing

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. Bribery involves quid pro quo,

lobbying does not.

[donsu]

8. nothing is the difference - lobbying should be illegal

nt

[gratuitous]

9. With a lobbyist, the money goes to the campaign fund

A briber puts the money directly into the corrupt politician's hand.

Actually, there is a good and honorable place for lobbying in politics. After all, without advocates for particular causes and viewpoints, a lot of elected officials would be left to their own judgment in deciding issues. Lobbying can bring an issue to a politician's attention, where the issue might otherwise languish.

In the corridors of Big Power, however, lobbyists have been shut out for practically any issue except Big Money. Ordinary citizen testimony before congressional committees is pretty rare, and therefore gets some coverage on CSpan, but the real dealmaking and legislation writing gets done away from the cameras and hearing rooms.