Forum Post: United States Senate given notice

I would like to introduce you to a new lobbying organization on Capitol Hill. My name is Evan Kendall Babcock, and I am the president and founder of Lobby Democracy. We are a new type of lobbying organization. We are here to represent the perspectives not of special interests or big business, but rather, the interests of the majority. We are here to redefine lobbying. Lobbying has drawn a great deal of criticism over the last several decades. Over the past decade over $25 billion has been spent on lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. The majority of Americans feel that their opinions and perspectives are being overpowered by the interests of these lobbyists on behalf of big business and special interests.
What can be done to prevent this from happening? Although there have been some attempts to limit the effect on money both in lobbying and in campaigning, these efforts have been stifled. The truth of the matter is that these organizations have a constitutional right to make their opinions and desires heard. The Supreme Court has made it very clear that they are not about to suppress this money in any significant way. This means that we need a new approach to the problem. As opposed to suppressing the voice of big business and special interests, we are going to help the voice of the American people rise up and be heard. We are founding Lobby Democracy with the explicit purpose of representing the perspectives of the majority to their elected leaders. The organization has no other political associations. It is not right wing or left wing. It is not even centrist. It exists solely to make sure that the perspectives of everyday Americans are heard by their elected officials. They determine the platform. We deliver the message. I wanted to introduce you to the process of the organization so that you will be clear what it represents when we contact you on a specific issue. We are a membership based organization. All citizens of voting age are welcome to join. There will be a $20 annual membership fee to offset the costs of the organization. We will poll our members on how they stand in relation to the issues. We will take action on any issue that 65% or more of our members support. Once the 65% threshold has been met nationally, we will look district by district to determine every district whose members are aligned with the perspectives of the national membership. We will contact the elected leaders of our members in every district where the 65% threshold is met, and petition them to support the course of action that our membership supports. This process is designed to limit our agenda to issues that have both national support and support in your district.
It is also important to know that we understand and believe in an indirect democracy. You are there to study the issues and make what you think are the best decisions. You might not always agree with your constituents. We as an organization understand that the issues being debated on Capitol Hill are complex. What may appear to be a noble cause could support some line items that you cannot in good conscience vote for. That is why this is designed as an interactive organization. The organization is here not only for the sake of bringing the voices of the majority to Capitol Hill, but also to enable you to respond to their concerns. You will always have the opportunity to respond to your constituents through Lobby Democracy to make your perspectives clear. If you support the issues that our members support, let us know. If you oppose them, we are giving you the opportunity to explain your stance.
We will also be keeping statistics both of our members and of your votes. This will help our members make informed decisions come election time. We may not have as much money to throw around as the pharmaceutical or oil lobbyist can, but, we do have one thing that they cannot offer. We represent the interests of the American people. We represent actual voters.
We look forward to working with you. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. If you would like to compose a piece introducing yourself to your constituents we would be happy to post it and make it available to them.

Sincerely,

Evan Kendall Babcock President Lobby Democracy www.lobbydemocracy.com