Say you are a Representative or Senator, and lo and behold, people lobbying for some cause that you oppose (the opposite side of whatever you identify with on gun control, abortion, LGBT, taxes, healthcare, immigration, or any other cause, etc.) gently knock on your door or call/email/mail you and “want to talk about things.” How do you respond?
Get some of that sweet lobbyist money then vote against their idea…it’ll reduce the money they have to bribe other people and I get to buy another yacht.
I’d talk to them. I’ll listen to anybody for a little while. What else do I have to do all day?
Then I’d tell them why I disagreed with whatever they were urging, and thank them for sharing their views.
You have them talk to whatever staff member you’ve put in charge of that particular issue. That’s why you have a staff!
If you’re an extremely polite elected official, you allow them to come in and shake your hand - on their way out.
I’d sit down with them. Why not they might have a new argument that makes sense. If not well that’s what reps are there to do talk with people.
Exactly. Unless you have reason to believe that some sort of gotcha is in play or that the meeting may not be entirely civil, getting lobbied is part of the job description. **kunilou **describes the normal, expected course of events quite well. If the matter is of special importance for you and your district, you escalate to giving them 15-30 minutes to have someone higher-up in the lobbying organization meet with you, the staffs having previously told one another what will be talked about.
Are we speaking strictly of registered lobbyists, or any group or individual engaging in advocacy on a certain issue? If the former, generally a professional lobbyist who knows that a member of Congress has a well-established position isn’t going to waste a lot of time trying to change his or her mind – their time (and money) is better spend buttressing allies and persuading the persuadable. But Congressmen (more likely their staff) regularly meet with representatives from all kinds of interest groups and organizations taking positions that run counter to their positions, especially if the group includes or speaks for people from their district. Much better to set aside 15 minutes to let them feel that their position has at least been heard than to have them back home talking about how their Representative’s office wouldn’t give them the time of day.