To The Editor: Lobbyists on Capitol Hill
Bruce Morrison
New York Times
April 3, 2011
To the Editor:
I am a former Democratic congressman, a lawyer and a lobbyist. “Cutting Out the Middleman” (editorial, April 3) left me asking, What is the offense here? An anti-union senator has hired an anti-union lobbyist to help him write anti-union legislation. Would it be O.K. if he had hired an anti-union lawyer or a professor who has written anti-union academic papers? Or is there some class of philosopher-kings and queens without preconceived policy leanings who should staff Congress?
Perhaps your real complaint is that senators and representatives are mere puppets in the hands of their staffs, although Senator Rand Paul and Speaker John Boehner do not seem to fit that role.
Certainly, Congress is immobilized by conflicting narrow interests on all sides. But the explosion of lobbyists and lobbying is a symptom, not a cause. More regulations on advocates and advocacy will do nothing but advantage those who do not follow the rules. The solution lies in the approach of those who run for office and those who support them, not in whom they hire.
BRUCE A. MORRISON
Chairman
Morrison Public Affairs Group
Bethesda, Md
