“Lobbying is just petitioning the government! Everyone does it!”

What You Say

Petitioning is a First Amendment right — but the revolving door between Congress, agencies, and K Street creates structural capture. OpenSecrets tracks billions in lobbying annually; the Blueprint proposes lifetime lobbying bans for former members and senior officials plus mandatory 48-hour disclosure of all lobbying contacts. 'Everyone does it' is an argument for reform, not against it.