1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio, Welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: My name is Matt, my name is Noel. They called 6 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: me Ben, and we are joined as always with our 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 1: super producer Alexis code named Doc Holiday Jackson. Most importantly, 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: you are you, You are here, and that makes this 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: the stuff they don't want you to know. Thanks for 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: tuning in, fellow conspiracy realist. You are writing Shotgun with 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: us on a pretty wild trip that doesn't have an 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: ending yet. Spoiler alert. Today is the first part of 13 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: a special two part episode on an issue that bores 14 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: the heck out of a lot of people, but profound 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: only affects not just every single person living in the US, 16 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: but every single person who is affected by decisions of 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: the US government or corporations in the US, meaning pretty 18 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: much everybody on the planet in some way or another. 19 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: We're talking about a multibillion dollar industry that's influencing everything 20 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: from you know, what we eat to what we wear, 21 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: what we see on the news, to what laws you 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: get subjected to no matter how you vote, because the 23 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: the United States, you know, there was this um there 24 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: was this argument about this, uh number of years back, 25 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: and it's still surfaces where people will say, well, the 26 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: United States is not a democracy. It's a republic. It's 27 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: kind of like you could describe it as a constitutional 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: federal republic. That means that if you're a person who 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: votes in this country, you are not voting for laws directly, 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: you're voting for representatives. So like, uh, let's say Matt Nolan, 31 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: I all get together and we want some laws changed, 32 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: but we don't want to be in Congress. So we 33 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: elect code named Doc Holiday, and in theory, code named 34 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: Doc Holiday or any elected representative will exercise our will 35 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: our political power. Cool great on paper, but the problem 36 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: is those representatives themselves are humans, and human beings are 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: easily swayed. So let's talk about lobbying. Here are the facts. First, 38 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: there's a word everybody hears, especially during election cycles. Right, 39 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: And as more and more money goes into election cycles 40 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: and they get longer and longer, you hear the word 41 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: more and more often. Well what does it mean? You know, 42 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: nobody really talks about that on the news. They don't 43 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: say what lobbying is very often well, I mean the 44 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 1: history of the word is interesting in and of itself. 45 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: I mean it refers to the these original kind of 46 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: special interest representatives that would literally hang around in the 47 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: lobby of of Congress um and just kind of like 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: tug on the code to hails of law macurse. You 49 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: know before it was maybe quite as ensconced as an industry. Um. 50 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: But you know, lobbying is something that is you know, 51 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: mentioned and set forth in the Constitution. But it's another 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: one of those things in the Constitution that is up 53 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: for interpretation, and because of the looseness and the way 54 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: the language is written. It's the kind of thing that 55 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: just because of a couple of sentences or a couple 56 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: of words in the Constitution that allows us to you know, 57 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: petition our lawmakers. Um. That means that we can hire 58 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: firms that specialize in petitioning our lawmakers to get laws 59 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: passed that either benefit an industry or that maybe get 60 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: rid of laws that could hurt an industry. Yeah. And 61 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: what has spent some time on the etymology because they 62 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: think it's amusing and we're gonna need to laugh. In 63 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: the course of this episode, so it is a word 64 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: that gets thrown around a lot, like I said, and 65 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: it trends. You can see a trending uh in a 66 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: way that's tied to scandals and election cycles. But lobbying 67 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: as a verb and as a noun is relatively new 68 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: to the English language. We see it really come into 69 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: force the way it's being used now less than two 70 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: hundred years ago. And I found this great legend that 71 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: I love the image of it. Uh. There's a legend 72 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: that's been reported by a couple of different newspapers saying 73 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: that the term dates back to eighteen fifty, referring not 74 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: to uh, not to the lobby or the halls of Congress, 75 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: but too off the books conversations at a place called 76 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: the Willard Hotel, because back when President Ulysses S. Grant 77 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: was in office, the guy used to always go to 78 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: this hotel and you like to kick back in the lobby, uh, 79 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: you know, drinking brandy, smoking fine cigars. And once people 80 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: got word that the literal president of the United States 81 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,600 Speaker 1: was just hanging out and getting a little loose various 82 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: like powerbrokers or would be powerful people started just sort 83 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: of you know happening by like, oh, mr, you're also 84 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: at the hotel. I also like Brandy, let's talk about railroads. 85 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: And they would take the opportunity to bend his ear 86 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: about whatever issue was important to them. And then other 87 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: members of Congress the legislature started kicking it there too, 88 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: and they also began receiving pitches from these people who, 89 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: for one reason or another, preferred not to use official 90 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: communication channels. And so eventually, according to the legend, President 91 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: Grant started calling these people lobbyists because they were always 92 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: at the lobby of the Willard Hotel. And I think 93 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: it's funny to imagine, you know, the little little directions, uh, 94 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: that history can go. We came pretty close maybe to 95 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: him calling him something else. We don't know how much 96 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: brandy he was drinking. He might have just called him 97 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: to Brandy boys, or maybe the Willard's. Just to correct 98 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: myself really quickly, the the my version of this myth, 99 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: you know, because again it is something that's a little 100 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: bit tough to fully nail down, you know, which version 101 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 1: is true, as street kind of you know, builds on itself. 102 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: Like you said, ben Um, it wasn't necessarily the lobby 103 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: of the capital. It was the lobby of the New 104 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: York The US capital is the lobby of the New 105 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: York State Capital in albany Um, which is I think 106 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: the word appeared in the dictionary around eighteen fifty or 107 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: before eighteen fifty, and one version of this traces it 108 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: back to what I was saying, people hanging out in 109 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: the lobby of the Capitol waiting for lawmakers to pass 110 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: and then saying, you know, like almost reporter style, can 111 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: I have a moment of your time? Let me bend 112 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: you here. I want to jump into the psychology of 113 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 1: it really quickly, because you hit something really important. There 114 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: have been just the fact that the president was kicking 115 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 1: back a little bit. The president wasn't in you know, 116 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: the go go go mode of being in the office, 117 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: being in any of the official government buildings where you know, 118 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: the way you would feel if you're at your job place. 119 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: There's a certain pressure that exists there. There's a formality 120 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: to a lot of it. And if you can, you know, 121 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: informally talked to the president just to have a conversation 122 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: and where there's you know, a good feeling that that 123 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: he's having because of the brandy, because of the cigars, 124 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: because of just being in a different environment, you're gonna 125 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: probably be more successful at getting the president whoever it 126 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: is to feel a little bit better in some small 127 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: way about whatever it is you're talking about. Seen and 128 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: setting is not just for LSD, not at all. It's 129 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: about relationship building, you know. I mean it's like I 130 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: am your friend, you are my friend. How can we 131 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: help each other? You know? Um, it's it's just like 132 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: a lot. You're right, it is psychological dance, and I 133 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: think both parties are very much aware of it. But Matt, 134 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: you're absolutely right. It is almost subconscious where when you're 135 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: hanging out and having a few drinks with your quote 136 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: unquote friends, it's a lot different than if you're having 137 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: a formal sit down meeting, like say in an office, 138 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: where you're much more on guard. Yeah, trying to keep 139 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: a lot of personal opinion out of this, But I 140 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: think nepotism and networking are they have a terrible effect 141 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: on overall performance of organizations. But that's that's the imperfect 142 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: way humans have decided to pursue things. And while while 143 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: these lobbies stories are are fun, right, and while they 144 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: all are somewhat true, it's correct that there's a murky 145 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: origin to how we began using this word today, and 146 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: it's all the stories do describe exactly what the term depicts, 147 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: people literally hanging out, trying to catch powerful policymakers off guard, 148 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: and then pushing them by hook or by crook to 149 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: use their influence to some specific end. And the Oxford 150 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: English Dictionary records some sense of the noun lobby back 151 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: as far back as sixty which was just a place 152 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 1: for legislators and members of the public to meet and 153 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: discuss matters of import that, I would argue is a 154 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: lot more like what we would call a town hall today. 155 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: Like you can't it would be unusual for the average 156 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: American voter to drive or fly to Washington, find their 157 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,439 Speaker 1: representatives office and just do a walk in. I mean 158 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: they could, but it'd be really unusual for that senator 159 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 1: or representative to be like, oh, yeah, I'm not doing anything. 160 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: What's up with you? Do you want some tang? It 161 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: was on the moon. Most importantly, it probably wouldn't be 162 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: welcomed by that legislature or powerful person, like just a 163 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,680 Speaker 1: walk up right right, will they be? Yeah? And that's 164 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: not them being jerks, you know, that's very that's just 165 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: very busy schedule exactly. Yeah, and so now here in 166 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: the US lobbying is this strange but crucial part of 167 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: American government. It's an unelected part of American government. Uh. 168 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: They have lobbyists and the forces they represent are all unelected, 169 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 1: and they have much much more influence than the average 170 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: voter will ever have. Their well connected professionals. They thrive on, 171 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: you know, the poisons of nepotism and networking. Uh. That 172 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: doesn't make them bad people, that's just again, that's how 173 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: the process works. Uh. They're often lawyers, and you'll hear 174 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: a ton of true stories about lobbying, controversial stories, scandals. 175 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 1: You'll also hear some unfair defamation. But there's one huge 176 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: fact a lot of people miss. Lobbying is not just legal. 177 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,679 Speaker 1: The precedent for it is literally spelled out in the Constitution, 178 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: at least as court rulings have interpreted it. It's it's 179 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: uh protected free speech. It's a way to quote petition 180 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: the government for the redress of grievances. Those are two 181 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,839 Speaker 1: freedoms protected under the First Amendment. Yeah. Absolutely, It's like 182 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: I was saying, I mean, you know, you can look 183 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,199 Speaker 1: at the sentences in the same way many interpretations of 184 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: the Constitution lead to massive movements like say gun rights, 185 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,559 Speaker 1: you know, or this is another great example, like I mean, 186 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: it is this somewhat vague thing that feels more like 187 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: my right as a citizen is to address the government. 188 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: But then, because of all the reasons you mentioned, I 189 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: as an individual, I mean capable of truly doing that 190 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: outside of voting or perhaps you know, joining some sort 191 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,559 Speaker 1: of protest um. But this is a very specific industry 192 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: that has jumped up around these two or three sentences 193 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 1: and become a massive, massive, billion, multibillion dollar industry. Yeah, 194 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: it's it's a good point. I mean, let's uh, Doc, 195 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to pick on you too much because 196 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: you're doing a massive favoryfy being on the show today. 197 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: But let's say Doc is in a district that has 198 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: a worrisome amount of pollution that's hitting the river, like 199 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: the main water source for the town, and then Doc 200 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: writes a letter is an individual but then organizes locally 201 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: and gets the rest of the people in the town 202 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: to pull their money together and hire a lobbying firm 203 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: to go to Congress and press for better environmental standards. 204 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: That that is also lobbying and that's very much not 205 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: a bad thing. It's a it's an umbrella term, is 206 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: what we're saying. Like as if doc is writing a 207 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: letter by herself to a representative, then she is personally 208 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: lobbying that representative. But if you talk about an organization 209 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: like the n r A or a PACK or something, 210 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: they're lobbying professionally. That is several people's job and they 211 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: probably live in Washington. And we're not gonna the problem 212 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: is so complex that we're not gonna look at a 213 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: ton of specific lobbies because each of those would probably 214 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: be an episode of their own, but they're all What 215 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: what we're saying is everything under the L word is 216 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: a First Amendment right, and it's a huge political is 217 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:55,319 Speaker 1: a huge part of the process. Like politicians honestly are 218 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: gonna have a tough time caring about what every single 219 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: individual voter thinks. And that again doesn't mean that they're 220 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: statistic or monstrous. It just means that they're trying to 221 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: represent thousands or millions of people who have a lot 222 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: of conflicting interests, right, So it's hard to build that consensus. 223 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: That's why organizing new groups around a specific cause is 224 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: one of the best ways to you know, register on 225 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: the politicians scale, and there are, oh my god, there 226 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: are lobbies for everything. We might accidentally have a lobby. 227 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know. I didn't I didn't check. 228 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: Like there's if you like, imagine something in your head, folks, 229 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: there is a lobby associated with it at this point 230 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: because there's just so much money involved. Doing in that 231 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: way is a lot like porn. It's a very good point, man, 232 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:45,959 Speaker 1: it's a very good point. But we will You think 233 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: of organizations like you know, say unions or trade groups 234 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: for example, that you think, oh, that's the way that 235 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 1: workers organized and protect workers rights. But that's not enough. 236 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: Those organizations that then have to go out and pull 237 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: those resources and those dues and higher lobbyists to actually 238 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 1: represent truly their interests in Washington. Otherwise they're not that's 239 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 1: not their wheelhouse. Their wheelhouses to kind of help craft policy, 240 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: but not necessarily to directly reach I mean it's complicated 241 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: because certainly there are high ranking officials in unions that 242 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: got elected that way because they have influence, um, But 243 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 1: the lobbyists are just an extension of that. Right then 244 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: I want to I wanna get into something that you 245 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: brought up early on. It was the example with us 246 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: deciding to vote for Doc Holiday to represent us. This 247 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: this concept that we have, we have things that we 248 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: want and we're going to vote for her to go 249 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: represent us and do those things. Um. It's interesting the 250 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: way campaigns have evolved over this the center well, I mean, 251 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: let's just say decades in the United States, but how 252 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: campaigns have evolved. Where there's a platform for a candidate, generally, 253 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: the you know, electorate, the ben Matts and Knowles choose 254 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: the candidate that has that platform, that has the most 255 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: things that we agree with or or want right then 256 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: that person gets hopefully elected if if you know, we 257 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: have our way and then goes off to Congress, and 258 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: then we really have almost no say in it. And 259 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: it's almost as if we're not we don't get to 260 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: elect somebody, um who is specifically going to represent our 261 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: wishes in that way. It's more like we hope because 262 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: of what they state their platform is they're going to do. 263 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: And the danger here that we're about to get into 264 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: is and we we keep talking about it, but we 265 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: don't then have that access anymore. And yeah, exactly, that's 266 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 1: that's where we're headed in this episode just so it's 267 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: it's this weird thing I suppose, and well, I've got 268 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: I've got some great and I've got some great analogies 269 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: lined up, by which I mean dumb analogies sounded funny 270 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: at like three am. But let's hope they land. We'll 271 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: see you guys are absolutely right. Uh and this you 272 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: know a lot of politicians. I would say that one 273 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: of the missing pieces there that that we also need 274 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: to fill in is that um our move to elect 275 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: doc Holiday is gonna be much more successful if we 276 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: ourselves are wealthy and we are able to channel our 277 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: funds not just an individual donations, but into things like 278 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:34,320 Speaker 1: super political action committees. Uh so this this gets sticking. 279 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 1: We're talking about special interest groups. This became somewhat of 280 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 1: a bad word in recent decades, but it just means 281 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,600 Speaker 1: people are interested in a specific thing, and there's nothing 282 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: wrong with that. But the issue is that, like many 283 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: other fundamental parts of the US government, this looks great 284 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: on paper, right as well? Cool, I can talk to 285 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: my boss or I can talk to my representative. But 286 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: as we're saying, in recent decades, where more people are 287 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: concerned that lobbying has morphed into something different, something weaponized 288 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 1: and increasingly out of control. What are we talking about. 289 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: I'll tell you afterward from our sponsor. Here's where it 290 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: gets crazy. So been that, um the porn analogy here. 291 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: I was just imagining that they're all special interest groups. 292 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: So it's like but specifically group, the bondage special group. 293 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: But I want to know, what is there a porn lobby. 294 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: There has to be a porn there's I mean specifically, 295 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: you know, it's probably about those like billboards they have 296 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: to put before porn videos and what the language has 297 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: to be. I don't watch. I don't know the censorship. 298 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: I think we'll probably be the way they get in. 299 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: But I doubt it'll be like toe Freaks of America 300 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: or something like that. It'll be like citizens or freedom 301 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,360 Speaker 1: of expression or something. But since this is big, when 302 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 1: we talk about big business, we have to understand it 303 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: propagates itself. It becomes a big business all its own. 304 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,959 Speaker 1: Since the nineteen seventies, lobbying exploded in the US, and 305 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: today it's worth over three point five billion dollars. Twelve 306 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: thousand registered lobbyists full time lobbyists are representing hundreds thousands 307 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:33,159 Speaker 1: of organizations and in some cases very powerful individuals, you know, 308 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: like the the billionaires, the multimillionaires, the heads of industry. 309 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: These are twelve thousand individual lobbyists, human beings. That's a 310 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: lower number than I would have thought, but I guess 311 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: it always in Washington, it's a relatively niche, you know, 312 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: community of folks. Yeah. Small, Actually, a small number of 313 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:58,199 Speaker 1: lobbying groups or organizations do the majority of this stuff 314 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 1: because they've aggreg aided those connections and relationships. They've scratched 315 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: enough backs, shook enough hands. But there's a sobering perspective 316 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: I want to add here. So over three point five billion, okay, 317 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: in specifically, that was three point five one billion dollars lobbying, 318 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: and the total budget for the US House and Senate 319 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: combined that year was only two point one six billion. So, 320 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: as frightening as it is to admit, lobbying itself is 321 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: bigger than Congress, the organization it exists to influence in 322 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: through this financial lens. That's while that already seems kind 323 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: of off, doesn't it. What the two point one six billion? 324 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: What does that include? Does that include Swimming's? I mean, 325 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 1: it's a budget for Congress works day today, right exactly, 326 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: got it? Just just making sure because that does seem insane, 327 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: um insane mismatch my brain is like it's one of 328 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 1: those like memes of the brain, like firing, you know, 329 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 1: that's what's happening with me. But we got we gotta 330 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: pull it slightly into perspective though, because if you imagine, uh, 331 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: let's just say the Capitol building with all of the 332 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: House and Senate, all the members in there, the elected 333 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 1: officials and yeah, but then imagine that each one of 334 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,800 Speaker 1: those individuals is our Ulysses S Grant individual going to 335 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: a hotel lobby. Now imagine that you know, these varying 336 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,880 Speaker 1: groups all want to talk to that individual if they're 337 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 1: from that state or whatever. Um. So you can imagine 338 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: that there would be like one point five of lobbyists 339 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: per per elected official, or two or three or twelve, 340 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: and there's some some specialists right like this is this 341 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: is the hit man. When you want to get these 342 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: four senators to do something, no matter what it is, 343 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 1: that happens, and it happens way more often, I think 344 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: than the average person realizes. And that's why, like lobbying 345 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: is one of those main drivers of how laws get 346 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: written in the US, and it's due to a couple 347 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,800 Speaker 1: of factors. And they're not all in the farious, but 348 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 1: they create some dangerous conspiratorial opportunities. Like we said, politicians 349 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,400 Speaker 1: they're doing their jobs, are extremely busy people, and they're 350 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,360 Speaker 1: often honestly not going to be familiar with the specifics 351 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: of a given issue. This doesn't mean that they're in 352 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: any way unintelligent. It just means they have so much 353 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: stuff that they need to think about on an expert level. 354 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: So they need teams subject matter experts, analysts, polsters they 355 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: have to help them learn what their constituents care about 356 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,439 Speaker 1: the ins and outs of an issue concern. You know, 357 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: like you might have you might have an elected official 358 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,719 Speaker 1: who has a PhD or masters in economics, but that 359 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that they understand how an estuary works right, 360 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: or how an ecosystem should be maintained. So they get 361 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: these people together, and then they also have these folks 362 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 1: pitching them ideas about how to address these concerns. Lobby 363 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,239 Speaker 1: can fill any or all of these roles. Yeah, you've 364 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: seen it in any hierarchy in business or you know, 365 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,119 Speaker 1: any organizational hierarchy where kind of typically the higher up 366 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: you are um in a leadership role, the less specialized 367 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: your knowledge basis and the more you really depend on 368 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: these like team members to like kind of have that 369 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: certain set of skills, and oftentimes that can lead to 370 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:24,360 Speaker 1: some pretty significant disconnects um depending on you know, how 371 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 1: good you are managing your team. Like every time, every time, 372 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: if you watch C SPAN for the it's you know, 373 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,880 Speaker 1: for its thrill ride programming. You just had to look 374 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:38,439 Speaker 1: to it, doesn't it Just like everything always looks like 375 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: the early nineties on c SPAN. It never changes. I 376 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: can never help but roll my eyes when I see 377 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: a politician talk about cyber It's like our episode on 378 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: John McAfee where I I think I had asked it 379 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: was like, look, I'm not not saying anything about either 380 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 1: political parties and specific but should people who can't open 381 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: emails be in charge of laws about emails? That's exactly 382 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: the disconnect. That's how it happens, and it's because it's 383 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: all about who, you know. The euphemism they use for 384 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: doing these backdoor favors for each other is relationships, the 385 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,720 Speaker 1: relationships I've cultivated. What they're saying is the money I've 386 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: given this person and the things they've done for me. 387 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,159 Speaker 1: They're not talking about going to each other's like kids 388 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 1: can sinneras or something. And one that I really loved 389 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:29,520 Speaker 1: to Ben that I just heard. I think I may 390 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: have heard it before. And I'm sure you fellas have to. 391 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: But if you're not at the table, you're probably on 392 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 1: the menu. Oh yeah, that's a good one. And uh 393 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,719 Speaker 1: that's a scary one too. And for what we're going 394 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: to talk about today, Oh yeah, absolutely good call. And 395 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: so this is where these relationships is where the money 396 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: comes in. Former and current lobbyists acknowledge one level or 397 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: another that money translates to access to face time to 398 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: the meetings. Picture it this way. Okay. Uh So, now 399 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: code named Doc Holiday has gotten elected and is in Congress. 400 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: The Constitution protects the right to send a letter to 401 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: your congress person, but it says nothing about what how 402 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: that congress person needs to respond, Whether they need to respond, 403 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: or when they need to respond, that part is up 404 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,119 Speaker 1: to them. So you know what, Now, we voted for 405 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: Doc because she's the right candidate. We're not going to 406 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 1: talk about her. We're talking about the person next to her. 407 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland is also in office. He's next door, don 408 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: help us. He's he's the House representative for insert district here. Uh, 409 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: he's busy, he's got he's got just thirty minutes free 410 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: at three pm tomorrow, and there are two different folks 411 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 1: trying to meet with him, and they're saying, Congressman Strickland, 412 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 1: we have a very important issue that we want to 413 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: talk to you about. And these two groups maybe on 414 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: different side of this issue, but they can only he's 415 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:06,440 Speaker 1: only got that one thirty minute slot, and he starts 416 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: to look at them, you know, get the background. One 417 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 1: group has already donated pretty generously to his previous campaign, 418 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: and several of his colleagues in the House have also 419 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,120 Speaker 1: dropped by and asked him to give this group some 420 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: face time as a personal favor. And then later they're saying, 421 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: maybe we'll partner with you on that other bill you 422 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: want to do. You can see how it becomes easy 423 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 1: to choose who gets that time with Congressman Strickland at 424 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: three pm. In theory, of course, it would be best 425 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 1: to meet with both parties, because if you understand opposing 426 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:43,160 Speaker 1: views of an issue, you have an overall deeper understanding 427 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 1: of the thing entire you know, But how often that happen, right, 428 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: But how often does that happen? Yeah? I want to 429 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,640 Speaker 1: bring weaponized psychology back into this guy's because I think 430 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: it's exactly what you're hitting on here. Ben. Imagine Ben 431 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: bowl in the podcaster, has you know, left a message 432 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:05,120 Speaker 1: with your secretary and Ben Bullan just this guy. Maybe 433 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: it's an important person like Ben, but but it's just 434 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: one person, right. But maybe you aren't familiar with podcast 435 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: you don't know who Ben is. But you've also got 436 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,920 Speaker 1: a potential meeting with the American Association of Podcasters, a 437 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: potential meeting with them, and you know it's a representative 438 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: of this group, this name that feels and sounds official. Um, 439 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 1: I almost guarantee that congress person is going to have 440 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 1: the meeting with the official who's going to meet with 441 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: that official sounding representative? I think. And it's a calculation, right, 442 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: I mean it's an opportunity cost right. I mean, like 443 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: you you just like for all the reasons you you 444 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: you laid out, Ben, Um, it's a no brainer. And 445 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 1: it's not necessarily implying some kind of quid pro quo. 446 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's there if you look at it 447 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: and you track the money. But it's not a direct 448 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 1: you know, pay to play. You can't necessarily point to 449 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: it as being a conflict of interest. It's just that's 450 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,400 Speaker 1: just the rules of engagement. You know, of course, you're 451 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: gonna give your time, your limited time to someone who 452 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:08,439 Speaker 1: your colleagues of petition you to give time to, and 453 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: who is donated to your campaign. But you can't necessarily 454 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: go back and correlate and say, oh, they only got 455 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: this meeting because they paid to play. Yeah, exactly. And 456 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: there's and you know, to be fair, there's a really 457 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: solid argument there when you're saying, look, it is my 458 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: duty to represent the interests of you know, my constituents. 459 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: And I've got one person who wants to do their 460 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: one person thing. But then I have this group. So 461 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: I am now using my thirty minutes. I'm getting more 462 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: bang for my buck chronologically. Uh So, now we're in 463 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: a situation where we can see the we can see 464 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 1: the beginning of the problem. If you have ever wondered 465 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 1: why the biggest corporations in the country and the international 466 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: corporations based in other places, if you ever wondered why 467 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 1: in times of crisis they get regulatory backs, they get 468 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: the tax breaks, they get the bailouts. You know when 469 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: the average citizen, like during the pandemic, Uh, many people 470 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 1: are just are literally struggling to eat. If you've wondered 471 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: why those corporations got the money first, it is because 472 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,640 Speaker 1: of lobby you can, you know, regardless of the calculus 473 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: of like trickle down or whatever you know rationale you 474 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 1: want to use, it wasn't those people who were hungry 475 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,760 Speaker 1: and had food insecurity and uh you know we're running 476 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: out of unemployment benefits. It wasn't them. I was able 477 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: to speak to senators. It was a lobbyist representing a 478 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: wealthy client. And that lobbyists can frame their advocacy of 479 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: an issue as educational. Oh and let me tell you 480 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:46,520 Speaker 1: about that, you know what. Let's get out of this. 481 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: Let's do you like cocktails because I know a great 482 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 1: meant julip place. They make a mean meant Julip you know, 483 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: I think, uh, you know some presidents went there. Actually 484 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: the co owner of this amazing five star restaurant that 485 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: we can bring you to and get all your get 486 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:10,479 Speaker 1: all your stuff comped um and now. But Ben, you're right, 487 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: the framing of it is so important because you can 488 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: also even tie that framing back in a way that 489 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: works in terms of optics for that constituency, where you 490 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: can say, oh, it's about jobs. You can't we can't die, 491 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: We can't you know, go bankrupt, because then it will 492 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: affect all of our employees who are your constituents and 493 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: they need jobs. You know. Yeah, Bezos to say, look, 494 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: if Amazon has to pay taxes, civilization will crumble. And 495 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: also here you agree with me, let me help keep 496 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 1: you in office because you are the person American needs. 497 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: So there's a little bit of flattery in there too. 498 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: People love that. That's like the umami of conversation. And 499 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: then you have to ask, like, again, this doesn't mean 500 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: that these corporations are always doing sinister things, just that 501 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:02,959 Speaker 1: they can and will. This is all again completely legal. 502 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: Of the top lobbying entities right now more than our corporations, 503 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: this was not always the case. Some listeners in the 504 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: audience today may have been alive before the rise of 505 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: corporate lobbying. Up until the nineteen seventies. In fact, corporations 506 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: compared to today, they largely stayed out of Washington. If 507 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: you were talking about lobbies back then, you were talking 508 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: about you know, like you mentioned earlier, Mattin, old trade unions, 509 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: special interest groups, those were bigger actors. What changed. What 510 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 1: what changed was regulation. It's so it sounds weird looking 511 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: back on it with a benefit of retrospect, but you 512 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: can trace the rise of corporate lobbying to the rise 513 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: of regulatory agencies. In the sixties and seventies, people are like, hey, stop, 514 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: you know putting lead in everything. Let's have a little 515 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: less mercury you keep some in, or a better example, 516 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: how much rat feces should be allowed in Cereal. And 517 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 1: this terrified corporations because they were like, look, if we 518 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:10,959 Speaker 1: have to start worrying about how often rats are pooping 519 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: and cheerios, civilization will crumble and our our business will 520 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 1: be the first of fall. So politics now can become 521 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: one of two things. It becomes either an increased threat 522 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 1: to our profits or it becomes an increasingly lucrative investment. 523 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: And they went with the ladder. That's there was also 524 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: this concern, and there's a part that it feels a 525 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: little silly and ideological. It was this concern like, oh, 526 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:42,560 Speaker 1: the American public might be moving in a more socialist direction. 527 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: We gotta stand up for free enterprise because you know. 528 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: I am sure that there were corporate heads privately who 529 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:55,479 Speaker 1: were thinking, like, the end, the end of this trend, 530 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: if we do not intervene, the end of this trend 531 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: is going to be nationalization of come decent. That's where um, 532 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:06,080 Speaker 1: that's where a state level power takes over, takes possession 533 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:11,640 Speaker 1: of uh company. Right, Like that's why like, um, for instance, 534 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: let's say there's an oil field in another country somewhere, 535 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: and then that country's government says, okay, sorry, EXON or 536 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: BP or whatever, We're going to take this. This is 537 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: ours now, UM, get out. That's what they were worried about, 538 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: and so they got into lobbying in a big way 539 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,960 Speaker 1: for a while. Doc, can we get some like wild rocks, 540 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: party noises, Yeah, party tag. It's like when Tom Cruise 541 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: is dancing in tropic Uh. What was that Tropic of thunder? 542 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: Tropic traffic. It's like when Tom Cruises dancing and tropic thunder. Uh. 543 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: You can have anything you want, it's free for all, lobby. 544 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: We're talking a wild party like seafood towers, you know 545 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: what I mean. Get get both of the appetizers, lavish dinners, 546 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:01,479 Speaker 1: you want a pedicure, were big, go for it. Nice flex. 547 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: Let's go golfing, right, like to Knowles point, Hey, I 548 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: I have a really great uh swimming resort. Let's go 549 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: there and then maybe we can maybe we can talk 550 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: a little bit about this this whole copper thing. You know, 551 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: I know, I want to make business with pleasure, but 552 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: again they make maint meant jewelup. Oh you're still in Texas. 553 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 1: Representative from Texas. That's fine. We'll just send a private 554 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 1: plane your way. Not a problem, not a tendator. Let 555 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: me get the check. And you know, it's a thing 556 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: that happens. Like I mean, we're we're all pretty invested 557 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 1: in our jobs. And then we hang out socially over drinks. 558 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 1: What do we talk about a lot of time we 559 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 1: talk about our jobs. We we we kick around ideas. 560 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: You know. Um, it's just something that you do. And 561 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: it doesn't it's not inherently insidious. It's not inherently it's 562 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: just kind of the way business is done, you know, 563 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 1: the whole golfing thing, like as a cost of doing business. Sure, 564 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: we all like to play golf. Uh, I mean I don't, 565 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,600 Speaker 1: but like you know, we as in like the corporate elite. Um, 566 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:58,600 Speaker 1: but that's where deals are made. Uh, it's not in 567 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:01,479 Speaker 1: the boardroom. It's it's the golf course. And it's definitely 568 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,200 Speaker 1: not at Bohemian Grove because you can't do that there. 569 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: Or what's what's the new ones Sun Valley? Yeah, you're 570 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:10,880 Speaker 1: talking about that. Yeah, so that's that's for the tech boys. 571 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,680 Speaker 1: We'll get to that. But the but let's so we're 572 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,720 Speaker 1: at the height of we're at the height of lobbying parties. 573 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: It's a very good time to be a politician. It's 574 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,239 Speaker 1: a very good time to be a lobbyist. It's a 575 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:25,880 Speaker 1: very good time to own a fancy restaurant in Washington, 576 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:31,279 Speaker 1: d C. But eventually the bubble starts to burst. What 577 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,239 Speaker 1: are we talking about? Will tell you afterword from our sponsors, 578 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: we're back. Is a name you may have heard, may 579 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:46,239 Speaker 1: not be familiar with it, but you probably heard of 580 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 1: him if you were watching the news in the early 581 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 1: two thousand's. His name is Jack Abramoff. He was a lobbyist. 582 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: If you look at his wickie now, you'll see that 583 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: that is listed amongst his occupations, as well as the 584 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:02,439 Speaker 1: dubious distinction being a convicted felon due to a two 585 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:07,040 Speaker 1: thousand five lobbying scandal which got dirty real quick. Won't 586 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 1: go into it, but it's it's a it's a wild ride, 587 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,719 Speaker 1: and there was a lot of ink and time and 588 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: legislation spent. UH. In response to the scandal, Uncle Sam 589 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 1: started to tighten up the rules. Yeah, I'm gonna give 590 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: everybody just a quick link to jump to on Fox News. Actually, 591 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 1: and it's a great timeline. It's titled Timeline of Key 592 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,239 Speaker 1: Events in Jack Abramoff Investigation. It's just a great place 593 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: to go and just see kind of bullet pointed what 594 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: occurred in that scandal. Yeah, I'm glad you're pointing that out. 595 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:40,120 Speaker 1: It's really helpful because it's easy to get lost in details. 596 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: So curated timeline is one of your best friends in 597 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: that UH in that regard. So Uncle Sam is like, 598 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:50,320 Speaker 1: all right, all right, we gotta we're gonna do something. 599 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,080 Speaker 1: And so they first have something called the Lobbying Transparency 600 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: and Accountability Act of two thousand six and then the 601 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:01,800 Speaker 1: better known Honest Leadership and Open From Acted two thousand seven. 602 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:05,879 Speaker 1: Very pretty title. I like it, noble ambition. This did 603 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: a couple of things. It tightened disclosure and reporting requirements, 604 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:15,399 Speaker 1: so it required UH people to document more of what 605 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:18,840 Speaker 1: they were doing. What was that playing flight for? You 606 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:20,680 Speaker 1: know what I mean, where did you go? What kind 607 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 1: of gifts did you receive? It's set ethical guidelines regarding 608 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:28,719 Speaker 1: gifts and bribes, I mean, sorry, contributions, right, that's what 609 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:35,000 Speaker 1: we're supposed to call them, right, like building relationships, making contributions, 610 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:40,200 Speaker 1: bribing people. All right. So these acts also put in 611 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:45,240 Speaker 1: limits on the infamous revolving door of public private service 612 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 1: in Washington. And so they said, all right, if you're 613 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: a former congressional employee, which doesn't just mean a congress person, 614 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,759 Speaker 1: you could be a congressional aid, then there need to 615 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: be some rules about when about how soon you can 616 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:05,319 Speaker 1: go into the private sector and start lobbying you know, 617 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,319 Speaker 1: all the people that used to be your coworkers. It's 618 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,560 Speaker 1: a very effective relationship. Is that sort of the equivalent 619 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,759 Speaker 1: of like, um non compete clause maybe that one might 620 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 1: sign working in a particular industry, which I know are 621 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,359 Speaker 1: notoriously tough to enforce, But is it similar? Yeah, you know, 622 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,600 Speaker 1: I think they're they do have some similar DNA there 623 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: because you're yeah, you could argue that you're going over 624 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: to the other side, right, It's depending on what client 625 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: you're representing as a lobbyist. They're taking proprietary information and 626 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,399 Speaker 1: using it for personal gain or or for the gain 627 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:44,439 Speaker 1: of others perhaps, Yeah, exactly exactly. And so this law, 628 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:49,439 Speaker 1: this two thousand seven law problem solved right day. Let's 629 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:55,240 Speaker 1: head out. Who wants to go to David Busters? David Busters. 630 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: So unfortunately we're in a not so fast situation. Opponents 631 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 1: they are any opponents, uh, some of the former members 632 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:07,400 Speaker 1: of the lobbying industry. They argue, there's still no real oversight. 633 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:11,439 Speaker 1: They say the majority of these disclosures are voluntary, and 634 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:16,520 Speaker 1: enforcement ranges from lackluster at best drew downright non existent. 635 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,120 Speaker 1: You know why, because that scandal fell out of the 636 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 1: news cycle. Now it's just like a wicked page and 637 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:25,359 Speaker 1: some articles from the early two thousands, and that dude 638 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: he's on a bunch of videos like talking about this stuff. 639 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:29,840 Speaker 1: He's on the news. You know, just kind of like 640 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 1: given the insight. It's one of those things where you 641 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:34,839 Speaker 1: you get caught for doing a bad thing in an industry, 642 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:36,920 Speaker 1: and then the news cycle kind of passes and you're 643 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: no longer demonized, and you almost get to like big 644 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: up yourself by speaking out against the ills of the 645 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: thing that you were totally a part of in the 646 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 1: first place, right right, And so let's fast forward. The money, 647 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:54,880 Speaker 1: like the spice and Dune, must flow. The Supreme Court 648 00:38:55,040 --> 00:39:00,520 Speaker 1: weighed in and said there's no longer there's no longer 649 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:03,399 Speaker 1: be a limit to how much money an individual can 650 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:08,120 Speaker 1: contribute in total to any campaign. And this leads to 651 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 1: what's been called a one to punch. It's like a 652 00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: combo move, you know, kind of like a street fighter 653 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 1: or whatever your favorite is. I'm I'm gonna teck in 654 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 1: soul caliber person. The second punch is the upper cut, 655 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,120 Speaker 1: though that knocks you on your ass, right right. You 656 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:23,759 Speaker 1: gotta watch the frame rate on those. Uh, this is 657 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:26,600 Speaker 1: the combo move. You donate as much as possible through 658 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:30,440 Speaker 1: a political action committee, or you make large individual donations, 659 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:33,799 Speaker 1: or you do both, and then right after that you 660 00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:37,160 Speaker 1: send your crack team of lobbyists to Washington to follow up, 661 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,879 Speaker 1: and they're going to get that three PM meeting, make 662 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 1: no mistake, and they'll probably also later take that senator 663 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:47,800 Speaker 1: to a fundraising event. You know, and thanks to public records, 664 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,800 Speaker 1: we know almost every major entity that puts money into 665 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: lobbying also donates to campaigns. Why because it works. It's 666 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:02,279 Speaker 1: a conspiracy and it works. There's a really cool, very 667 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:06,520 Speaker 1: concise and to the point video on c NBC on 668 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:11,680 Speaker 1: their YouTube channel called how lobbying became a multibillion dollar industry, 669 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,880 Speaker 1: And there's a conversation that takes place between a lobbyist 670 00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,040 Speaker 1: or a former lobbyist. I can't quite remember, but I 671 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,920 Speaker 1: think it's very telling and the the the scenario is 672 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,240 Speaker 1: exactly what you just described, and it's an exchange between 673 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:26,839 Speaker 1: the lobbyist and the lawmaker, and it's framed as like 674 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 1: a Hey, we're friends. What can I do for you? How? 675 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:31,319 Speaker 1: What do you need? And then the lawmaker says, Oh, 676 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,280 Speaker 1: I'm trying to raise a million dollars. Oh, not a problem. 677 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:37,359 Speaker 1: Let me do a fundraiser for you. I can take 678 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:41,080 Speaker 1: care about three k of that easily. Oh, thank you 679 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 1: so much. Now what do you need? Oh, I could 680 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:45,680 Speaker 1: use a little bit of help with these regulators. I 681 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:47,719 Speaker 1: could use a little bit of help with this legislation. 682 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:50,480 Speaker 1: Not a problem. I got your back. And and the 683 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 1: very nature of relationships is that you got each other's backs, 684 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 1: and it's it's not a bribe per se, because you're 685 00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:01,520 Speaker 1: both doing things for each other. And you're not really 686 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:05,160 Speaker 1: soliciting it because it's all in these very low key 687 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:10,919 Speaker 1: terms that are all revolving around this friendship, this mutual understanding. Yes, 688 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:15,080 Speaker 1: the symbiosis. Yeah, I think about the class divide that 689 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 1: this represents, you know, the I mean, just how vast 690 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,720 Speaker 1: a difference there is between some networked person who's working 691 00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:27,719 Speaker 1: as a lobbyist or within a lobbying firm versus a 692 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:33,600 Speaker 1: community somewhere in a city, um that doesn't have representation 693 00:41:33,719 --> 00:41:37,400 Speaker 1: like that, or doesn't know people in those same circles, 694 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,359 Speaker 1: in the same shark tanks where they all hang out. 695 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:45,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's just a it's really alarming. Yeah. Yeah, 696 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:49,439 Speaker 1: And again it only happens because it works in terms 697 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,520 Speaker 1: of the company's perspective. It works for the companies and 698 00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 1: entities involved, as well as the few powerful individuals wealthy 699 00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:02,080 Speaker 1: enough to play the game. But again, this inherently conspiratorial 700 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,720 Speaker 1: swirl of deep money and re election cycles. Critics believe 701 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:09,800 Speaker 1: the normal citizens, whatever their personal political beliefs or leanings 702 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:13,239 Speaker 1: might be, often get left behind. And the reason they 703 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:17,879 Speaker 1: believe that is because it's true. It's absolutely true, as 704 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,920 Speaker 1: we'll learn in Part two, Because this is just the beginning. 705 00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:23,279 Speaker 1: In part two of our series un Lobbying, we're gonna 706 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,200 Speaker 1: dive deeper into some stories of scandals, and then we're 707 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:32,080 Speaker 1: going to explore the troubling future of this devilishly effective practice. 708 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:35,279 Speaker 1: But for now, follow conspiracy Realist. We want to know 709 00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: what you think should lobbying be more rigorously regulated? If so, how, 710 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:47,520 Speaker 1: because it seems pretty tricky to ban lobbying altogether, because again, 711 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: it is literally enshrined in the Constitution, is based on 712 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:57,520 Speaker 1: a fundamental, crucial right that the founding fathers wrote down. 713 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,360 Speaker 1: And the reason they wrote it down, people believe, is 714 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,879 Speaker 1: because they didn't want any one single interest to have 715 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,640 Speaker 1: too much influence. They already knew they were building a 716 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:12,479 Speaker 1: cauldron of tremendously contradictory aims and ideologies. Well, guys, I 717 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 1: you know, before we come back for the second part, 718 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:17,880 Speaker 1: I think we need to start a political action committee. 719 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:20,839 Speaker 1: I think it's time. What does it take? Is it? Uh? 720 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: And you think it would be somewhat of a barrier 721 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:23,960 Speaker 1: to entry, but I know there's like a bunch of 722 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,800 Speaker 1: these and now with like Citizens United, it's like more easier, 723 00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:30,000 Speaker 1: easier now more than ever to start your own political 724 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:37,560 Speaker 1: Action Committee. Remember when old Johnny Oliver. So our first 725 00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,759 Speaker 1: steps are to get a tax i d and I 726 00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:43,440 Speaker 1: did look into this to get a tax id and 727 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 1: bank account appointed treasurer. You have. The steps are easy 728 00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 1: to find, but they can be complex because there are 729 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 1: you know, there are barriers to entry. Uh but yeah, 730 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:59,479 Speaker 1: why not tell us what we should name our pack? 731 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:04,200 Speaker 1: Tell us? Is it Americans for Applebee's? Like, what what 732 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:08,239 Speaker 1: is our pack about? It's it's about the local sun 733 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:13,040 Speaker 1: dried tomato wings somehow. Okay, we'll call it. We'll call 734 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:17,240 Speaker 1: it the B pack. We you know, it's weird because 735 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:18,799 Speaker 1: the first thing I want to do is have a 736 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 1: pack that like is against nepotism and lobbying. But that 737 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 1: feels like a nonstarter. I feel like the politicians would 738 00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:28,919 Speaker 1: take our contributions and probably take our meetings and eat 739 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:31,160 Speaker 1: the wings. That's what I'm saying. We get in with 740 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:33,520 Speaker 1: the wings. That's how we get started. That's our first 741 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,560 Speaker 1: link move, that's our first play, and then we can 742 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:40,000 Speaker 1: move on after they're you know, addicted to the wings. 743 00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:41,680 Speaker 1: You want to eat the wings? Though? You guys, we 744 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:44,880 Speaker 1: want to eat the rich. Come on, well again, like 745 00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:47,000 Speaker 1: to eat the rich? You gotta get them fattened up 746 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,319 Speaker 1: on the wings. Okay, okay, there it's it's like a 747 00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:52,560 Speaker 1: four pronged plan. Guys. We okay, well we've got we've 748 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:55,680 Speaker 1: got some exciting work to do on our platform. You're 749 00:44:55,719 --> 00:44:59,600 Speaker 1: welcome to join, and of course, as always, to contribute. 750 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 1: Don't like you need to contribute financially. We're much more 751 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:08,960 Speaker 1: interested in having you contribute your ideas and your thoughts 752 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:14,520 Speaker 1: on this again active multipolar, ongoing, quite terrible conspiracy. This 753 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:16,879 Speaker 1: is true. You can find us on the internet. We 754 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:22,279 Speaker 1: are conspiracy Stuff on Twitter, Conspiracy Stuff on YouTube, where 755 00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: you can find daily video clips of each of our 756 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:28,200 Speaker 1: podcast episodes every week. And you can find us on 757 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:33,000 Speaker 1: Conspiracy Stuff Show on Instagram. Yes, and we're also on 758 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:36,760 Speaker 1: Facebook Conspiracy Stuff that's like the show page. But there's 759 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:40,600 Speaker 1: there's a really cool what do you call it, guys 760 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:49,480 Speaker 1: group Facebook pack. Yes, it's a Facebook pack called Here's 761 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,759 Speaker 1: where it gets crazy. We highly recommend you head on 762 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:55,320 Speaker 1: over there, and you can also get out of social 763 00:45:55,320 --> 00:45:58,040 Speaker 1: media and use your phone to give us a call. 764 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:01,080 Speaker 1: Get out of there, call us one st d w 765 00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:04,760 Speaker 1: y d K. That's right, three minutes. Those three minutes 766 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:08,839 Speaker 1: are yours give yourself a wonderful nickname. Uh, tell us 767 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:11,920 Speaker 1: what's on your mind, and most importantly, let us know 768 00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:14,799 Speaker 1: if we can use your name and your voice on 769 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:18,160 Speaker 1: the air. If you have something that's just that that 770 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:20,160 Speaker 1: you want to just tell us, but maybe don't want 771 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:23,399 Speaker 1: the public knowing, that's fine, just leave it at the end. 772 00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:26,799 Speaker 1: But most importantly, do not feel like you have to 773 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:30,120 Speaker 1: censor yourself. Don't feel like you have to call repeatedly. 774 00:46:30,239 --> 00:46:32,280 Speaker 1: Don't feel like you have to squeeze a five minute 775 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: story into three minutes. Write the whole thing out. Send 776 00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:37,120 Speaker 1: us an email. We read every single one we get. 777 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:39,600 Speaker 1: We always love to hear from you. You can send 778 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:43,480 Speaker 1: us a line any time from anywhere at our good 779 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:46,799 Speaker 1: old fashioned email address where we are conspiracy and I 780 00:46:46,920 --> 00:47:07,960 Speaker 1: heart radio dot com. Yeah stuff they don't want you 781 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,640 Speaker 1: to know is a production of I heart Radio. For 782 00:47:10,719 --> 00:47:13,080 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 783 00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:15,920 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 784 00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:16,640 Speaker 1: favorite shows.