We’ve used this space before to point out how relatively easy it is for incumbent legislators and members of Congress to hold onto their seats. The vast majority of incumbents are routinely returned to office every election year.
The after-life for many of those who either don’t win re-election or decide to retire on their own terms doesn’t have to be too shabby either. Lobbying is a lucrative way of staying in touch with former colleagues and maintaining a sizable influence on state and national issues.
The turnaround time is next to nothing. Former members of Congress have to wait only a year before they can register as lobbyists in Washington.
In North Carolina, the so-called cooling off period is just six months. So a lawmaker who decided to retire in September after this year’s long, torturous “short session” of the N.C. General Assembly could return to Raleigh as an influence peddler as early as February -- just a few weeks into the 2015 session.
Special interest groups who depend on lobbyists to get their message across defend the use of former lawmakers. Who better to help shape the debate of important issues than someone who fully understands how committees work and knows the players involved?
But we’ve wondered more than once who the lobbyist for John Q. Public is. Where is that registered power-broker when it comes to representing the interests of ordinary families on issues like education, taxes and the environment?
Those lobbyists, sadly, seem to be in short supply.
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/opinion/our-views/lobbying-john-q-public-falls-short-2652147
