In defense of the citizen lobbyist
Have you ever written a letter to an elected official asking him or her to vote a certain way? I sure have – everything from testifying against bills that would harm our air and water quality to drafting and helping pass legislation to protect Oregon’s environment.
This summer I visited the “Newseum” in Washington D.C., dedicated to explaining how and why news is made, where I discovered the origin of the term “lobbyist.” According to lore, President Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) would escape the White House and go to the lobby of the Willard Hotel almost every night for a cigar and drink. People would wait in the lobby until he got there and then talk to him informally about what they needed. They became known as “lobbyists.”
With vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin declaring that she doesn’t allow lobbyists in her office, it seems appropriate to meditate for a moment on just exactly what the role of a lobbyist is.
When most of us think of lobbyists, we think of the suits lobbying for Big Tobacco or Big Oil like those deliciously evil characters in the satirical 2006 movie, “Thank You for Not Smoking,” where three lobbyists – representing the tobacco, alcohol and gun lobby – jokingly refer to themselves as the M.O.D. Squad (a.k.a. Merchants of Death) and enjoy getting together for drinks to dispute which industry has killed more people.
But are all lobbyists bad? Webster’s Dictionary defines a lobbyist as someone who “conduct[s] activities aimed at influencing public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation.” Gee, have you ever written a letter to an elected official asking him or her to vote a certain way? I sure have, and during my tenure at OEC, I’ve done much more – everything from testifying against bills that would harm our air and water quality to drafting and helping pass legislation to protect Oregon’s environment.
The most successful lobbyists are ones with political clout. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, OEC doesn’t earn its clout by lining the pocketbooks of elected officials or ensuring that specific politicians are elected, but rather by providing truthful information and bringing citizen support to bear on the legislative process.
Over the course of 40 years, OEC’s lobbying role is arguably the most important work we’ve done . OEC’s newest legislative director – Andrea Salinas – and our program staff are primed for further success in the 2009 legislative session. Our goals are to pass legislation that will help slow global warming by putting a regional carbon cap-and-trade program in place and ensuring that transportation investments harmonize with the state’s greenhouse gas emissions goals; to pass legislation that will protect kids’ health by getting toxins out of children’s products and creating healthier environments in schools; and to pass legislation that will provide top-notch education on sustainable agricultural practices to the next generation of farmers, while providing today’s farmers and food processors the tools and information they need to meet the growing demand for sustainably produced food.
We invite you to become a citizen lobbyist – sign up for our email action alerts. Remember, it’s your Oregon and together we can protect it.
