Who's Afraid of Virginian Lobbyists?

Imagine you own a fast-food franchise in a small town.


Election day approaches. The mayoral incumbent, before taking office, ran a successful local business. He has also patronized your establishment and spoken highly of your food on several occasions. His opponent, on the other hand, a member of the local hospital's board of directors and a medical doctor, has spoken out about the dangers of fast food and has proposed new local taxes on sugary soft drinks. Whom will you vote for? Moreover, whom would you support financially?


Presumably, you'll do everything in your power to assure that the incumbent wins re-election. This is simple rational behavior. If and when you make your campaign contribution, you aren't bribing the mayor to support favorable legislation, you are helping someone who has shown himself favorable to your interests to remain in a position of authority.

To be clear: We do not say this behavior is desirable--much less admirable--but it seems neither scandalous nor, given current laws and regulations, illegal. Nor, frankly, would it seem to be newsworthy.

It bemuses us, therefore, whenever we read a front page story, as we did today, about a legislator, in this case Ohio Republican John Boehner, who has close ties to lobbyists. Why is this news? Of course, legislators have close ties to corporate lobbyists. The not-so-subtle subtext of this type of investigative report is that these agents of mammon are effectively buying votes in Congress while they are buying access to representatives. But does anybody believe that John Boehner, like any other chamber-of-commerce Republican would NOT vote for legislation favored by Big Tobacco, Big Insurance, or Big Finance if tlobbyists DIDN'T shower him with gifts? Likewise, Democrats are probably Democrats because they share common interests with core Democratic constituencies like unions. Their support for union causes is not predicated on financial support; rather, financial support comes because these interest groups hope to ensure their champions' continued political viability.

If money truly did buy votes, wouldn't it make more sense for money to be thrown by unions to Republicans and by fatcats to Democrats?

By all means, get money out of politics. Until this happens, though, why is anyone shocked--shocked!--when politicians receive financial support from the people they serve?