What is lobbying, and how does it work?

Question

please answer with maturity, without poking fun at politicians or trying to support personal political beliefs.

Answer 1

Lobbying is when you go up to someone, or a certain individual, you influence that person to spread out, or pass your agendas to others.

Answer 2

You pay congressmen and senators to carry on your lies.

Answer 3

"Lobbying", in its purest, intended form, is simply trying to influence a person to do what you want them to do.  In Washington, DC this usually refers to trying to get a member of congress to vote a certain way on legislation.  A lot of companies (pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, oil, cosmetics, etc.) have paid, professional lobbyists who talk congressmen into supporting or fighting certain proposed legislation.  Most of these companies (refered to as "special interests") use good old fashioned bribes to buy votes of most politicians.  You can be a lobbyist simply by writing to your alleged representatives in Washington and telling them how you want them to vote (not that many really care about the voters without money).

Answer 4

lobbying taking your issue to politicians.

A lobbyist can be for any issue or organization.  Some are paid to do it some are not.

Just as a few examples there are lobbyists for large corporations, environmental groups, education groups foreign groups all kinds of things...which are sometimes full time paid people who will get the ear of politicians and promote issues friendly to their cause, group or company and of course discourage issues not friendly to same.

Say its a lobbyist that represents a union for example.  Well if a labor bill is coming up for vote and the union likes it they will meet with some politicians and say hey this would really help us out and we encourage you to pass it.

Politicians will often listen because they know that campaign contributions from all those union members and the union organization themselves could really pad their coffers.

Hope that gives you a good idea of what its about.  This is really just a very basic cover of what it is theres much more too it but that gives you an idea.