Too often government responds to the whispers of lobbyists before the cries of the people.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I have had lobbyists, and I have had some very good ones. They could do anything.
My four years as governor, I never met with a lobbyist once, never. Not one lobbyist got in my office.
In reality, everybody in Congress is a stand-in for some kind of lobbyist. In many cases it's difficult to tell whether it's the companies that are lobbying the legislators or whether it's the other way around.
It's not just politicians. Any spokesman for a vested interest is well schooled in how to say what it is they wish to say, which may bear no relation at all to what you've asked them.
I am not a lobbyist. I am not a political activist. I am not a leader, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm not a lobbyist.
Far too many businesses have been all too eager to lobby for maintaining and increasing subsidies and mandates paid by taxpayers and consumers.
I want to make it clear that the lobbying sector does an important job. It is very useful to the government to hear the views of a broad range of groups to make sure we get the best.
I have seen the times when the grassroots has moved the Congress. We listen way more often to our constituents than the lobbyists. And the grassroots are going to have to do it.
The corporations don't have to lobby the government anymore. They are the government.