The Corruption Buffet
On Thursday night at the end of a hallway sits the Lobbyist Reception, colloquially known as the “corruption buffet,” that allows lobbyists to work to convince others to see a certain way according to their individual viewpoints. It’s not a large room but it feels extraordinarily small as people fill all available space. There’s mingling and casual conversation but there is also lobbying, or influencing an individual on an issue, taking place. This reception is just one of the first of many important opportunities that allow lobbyists to get the viewpoint they are representing across.
This practice may seem mysterious to many, especially those who have never interacted with the lobbying process. However, it is not as “corrupt” as it seems. It is merely an alternative form of campaigning and is as much of a part of the political process as any other, more widely known, tradition.
During the Lobbyist Reception, I was able to get firsthand accounts of the lobbying process. Dustin Gifford, an education and environmental lobbyist, spoke about how it allows people to create a community of people that feel strongly for or against a certain bill. Lobbying ensures that certain points of view are heard through debate and through discussion with officers. Cabinet secretary Ethan Wallace agreed, stating that lobbying is one of the most important parts of the political processes. He talked about how lobbyists are able to talk with him and other officers to help them to see their point of view and talked about it as if it were nothing more than a casual conversation. Lobbyists are able to disseminate information to delegates and officers as no other group can and are an important part of today’s modern political process.
Not only are lobbyists an important part of KYA, but they also allow for delegates to do things that they have never done before. Lobbyist Leah Hornback talked about the speaking privileges that lobbyists get and how those privileges force them out of their comfort zone. She also spoke about how it allows her to meet new people in a way that she had not had a chance to do before. Dustin Gifford agreed, talking about how it forces him to talk in front of people even if he had been uncomfortable before. It allows the lobbyists to speak passionately about an issue they care about and allows them to ensure that they have a say in that bill.
Lobbying may seem mysterious or fundamentally corrupted entity, but it is really nothing more than a poorly understood part of the political process. It allows people to speak about what they care about in a way unique to any other group. It forces people to talk even when their voice shakes and allows them to meet new people when they may have shied away from the task before. There may be a so called “corruption buffet,” but there is so much more to lobbying than what meets the eye.
