Noah Roberts

Junior year, after we had completed the AP government and politics exam, my class watched the movie, “Thank You for Smoking” starring Aaron Eckhart and Cameron Bright. The movie focuses on a slick lobbyist, Nick Naylor, who works for the Big Tobacco Corporation. Throughout the movie, Naylor is often spinning the reported negative effects of smoking and trying to work out deals with the government on how to brand and warn society about the effects of smoking. The twisted agenda of Naylor and the Big Tobacco corporation was to market cigarettes in the most appealing way possible. They didn’t care that they were deceiving the public into buying goods that were damaging to their health; they were focused on maximizing their sales and profits. Although this movie satirized to show the extremes of lobbying, it holds some truth in the relationship between businesses and government.

To learn more about the state of lobbying within our government, I read,”How Corporate Lobbyists Conquered American Democracy” written by Lee Drutman from The Atlantic. Drutman brought to light the continual growth of lobbying in our government. Lobbyists reportedly spend $2.6 billion a year, which is more than the $2 billion that is provided to fund the House of Representatives and Senate combined. Compared to the 1950s and 60s, where special interest groups and labor unions had much more impact in the government, business lobbying has become the strongest force in government influence. The relationship between government and business has completely flipped in the last 50 years, from corporations shifting their focus from avoiding government involvement in their business, to focusing on how they can be business partners with the government. This has resulted in more lobbyists being more politically active and proposing and supporting more laws and legislation.

The most obvious “Big Idea” to me, is the relationship between business, state, and society. The actions of business and government are not so separate, and actually go hand in hand. The businesses and government are proposing new laws that can benefit both of them. For example, the article states how in 2000, the industry lobbyists were able to get Medicare Part D passed, which would benefit them by $205 billion in the span of a decade. The lobbyists were able to use the government as a vehicle to a major profit, while Congress was able to get legislation passed. So, if both sides are getting what they want, it makes sense the lobbying relationships have grown so rapidly. This relationship, however, ultimately effects the everyday people in society. For example, when a deal with Medicare Part D was made between the government and corporations, it resulted in different Medicare options offered to the people. Or when a cigarette company like the one portrayed in the movie actually does lobby for less regulation on their products, more people will be attracted to consuming more of their product.

Lobbying in the government doesn’t always result with a harmful outcome for the people in our society. What it does do, though, is take away the voice of the people. Everyday workers who are a part of labor unions or special interest groups now have less of an impact with what legislation is passed. Congress is listening to the people with the money, and not the people who have to deal with the outcome of whatever is passed. The article mentions that for every dollar spent by a special interest group, lobbyists are spending $34 and that each corporation has about 100 lobbyists. With no way to compare to these resources, the interests of the common man are being drowned out.

In his 1961 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy stated one of the most famous quotes, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” I think that corporate lobbyists should reflect on this quote, as it seems to me they are trying to see what our government can do for them.