Lobbyists, lobbying and lawmakers

GAINESVILLE - You can hardly pick up a newspaper or news magazine these days and listen to a newscast without hearing about the business of lobbyists, whether its in the halls of Congress or the Georgia State Capitol - and one political science expert says only the politicians can change things.

Dr. Charles Bullock of the Political Science Department at the University of Georgia says elected officials at whatever level would do well to simply begin saying "no" more often to lobbyists.

State Rep. Stacey Reece (R-Gainesville) has been dogged by questions about his relationship with lobbyists this week after a group of them funded an engagement party for him and his finance' a few days ago.

Dr. Bullock says it's not uncommon for lobbyists to foot the bill for parties and other social gatherings for legislators, although not necessarily engagement parties. He says Reece may be getting a raw deal "in part, because this has a novel twist to it - an engagement party instead of something like taking him on a golf trip.

Reece said "it must be a slow news day" when asked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the party and the involvement of lobbyists. In an op-ed piece he wrote for the AJC, Reece said, "One can take the cynical view that every lobbyist is only out to buy and sell a legislator's influence. Or, one can choose to see past the walls of cynicism that infect our politics and believe that people who work in politics can be friends with those they work around, even lobbyists, and get nothing more than shared joy from the occasion."

Talk to lobbyists, Bullock says, and they will tell you they are not trying to "buy" a vote; by the same token, he says, elected officials will tell you their votes are not for sale.

Dr. Bullock says legislative bodies would do well to consider rules like those in place in Florida which has the so-called "not a cup of coffee" law which prohibits lobbyists from buying so much as a cup of coffee for an elected official - much less picking up the tab for a lavish dinner, a trip on a private plane, etc. Individuals, he said, could probably avoid the kinds of situations Reece finds himself in by imposing "on themselves the kind of restrictions that Florida has adopted."

But, Dr. Bullock says too many are consumed by the jobs they have - especially the newcomers to a state or federal office - and the perks that come with the job.
"(They find they) have a hell of a lot of new friends, especially if they are in the majority party," he said.

And, he added, cozying up to the party in power is just the "name of the game," at both the state and federal levels. Lobbyists, Dr. Bullock said, defend spending on pubic officials by saying they are "simply gaining access, face time. There's probably a lot of truth to that but where it's become unbalanced is that the average" person or group doesn't have the same resources for such one-on-one sessions.

Dr. Bullock notes Gov. Sonny Perdue got an ethics reform bill through the legislature last year but by the time the final vote was taken it was much weaker than what he had proposed.

How does Georgia stack up when it comes to ethics legislation and regulating lobbyists and their contacts with elected officials?

"Reasonably well," says Bullock, "but we don't invest much in a proactive ethics office." Only after the face, he says, and usually when a private citizen complains.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate gave lopsided approval to scandal-inspired legislation restricting lobbyist gift giving and making lobbying more open.
(See separate story.)