On The Relationship Between Lobbyism and Power

In order to cure the ills of North American Democracy and the Government War on The 'Average, Middle Class Citizen' (meaning a citizen who does not have a powerful lobbyist person and/or group working for him or her), we need to recognize and cure the problem of 'Covert, Left and Right Wing, Special Interest Politician and Lobbyist Meetings and Collusions'. Let me explain...

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1. Look after the rich and the rich will help to keep you in power...That is basically the philosophy/relationship between corrupt -- and/or 'politically expedient' -- Conservative/Republican Right Wings politicians and their powerful, rich Corporate Lobbyist Special Interest Supporters...

2. Look after the 'Left-Wing, Socially Active, Special Interest Groups' and these left-wing special interest groups will help to keep you in power...That is basically the philosophy/relationship between corrupt -- and/or 'politically expedient' -- Liberal/Left Wing politicians and their Left Wing, Special Interest Supporters...

Political/Economic Lobbyism -- Left and Right Wing both -- is basically the 'killer of North American Democracy and Equal Rights'. And it all starts along 'the campaign road to the President's/Prime Minister's Office. Political candidates need money -- a lot of money -- to run for the President's/Prime Minister's Office. This democratic problem is much worse -- meaning much more expensive -- in America than in Canada but it is still relevant money. When campaign runners start to run short of money, they start looking for lobbyist financial supporters -- and the bigger the better as a general rule. The money required to run a campaign for the Democrat/Republican nomination -- and then the President's office -- as seen in this current American election, is staggering, in the millions and millions of dollars. Not even most of the richest people in America can afford it unless they are willing to take on a staggering debt in the process -- witness Hillary Clinton.

So underhanded, covert, non-transparent, collusive 'deals' or 'promises' are struck up between politicians looking for money and lobbyists looking for power. That's the essence of the 'Un-Democratic Political/Economical Lobbyist Deal' -- money for power.

American/Canadian Democracy crumbles in the process. You can start to hear more and more about it on CNN, the Lou Dobbs Show, in new books coming out and being promoted on this show such as -- 'Free Lunch'.

Solve the American/Canadian Political/Economic Lobbyist problem and you go a long way towards solving the problem of 'The Un-Democratic Lobbyist-Pampered American and Canadian Democracy'. This is what Lou Dobbs essentially describes as 'The War on The Middle Class'. That is -- the 'pampering' of Left and Right Wing Special Interest Lobbyist Groups.

Get rid of covert, non-transparent political-economic lobbyism in America and Canada -- or at least make it politically transparent to the general public -- and you go a long way towards 'curing the ills of North American Democracy'.

Obama has been one of the first politicians to seriously speak out on the issue -- although I do not even believe that he is entireley 'lobbyist-free'. Obama has shown his 'politically expedient' side of his character -- for example, when he found out that he could raise much more money than his political competitors -- Clinton, McCain, and others -- through internet campaign donations: i.e. many, many more smaller donations by your average middle class citizens with no serious lobbyist intentions -- or threats -- to the American people behind them.

This should be the way of raising campaign donations in the future...unless the American people want a basically 'equal economic footing' for Presidential candidates which is probably more or less impossible to enforce...such as so much of American tax money being used for campaign purposes equally for all Presidential candidates...or the two last candiates standing (the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee -- Obama turned down going this route because he knew he could raise more money than McCain through his 'internet donations'.)

In the meantime, both America and Canada need to find a way to get the thousands and thousands of 'collusive' lobbyists in Washington/Ottawa out of Washington/Ottawa or change the laws so that these people do their business in 'transparent, general public, open forums -- not behind 'closed, narcissistic doors, in restaurants, bars and/or alley ways, or on the phone -- and definitely no 'cash envelopes'.

-- July 13th, 2008.