People are always asking for my opinion

People are always asking for my opinion concerning the upcoming elections. Even though I try to explain that a Lobbyist is not a political pundit, it’s sometimes difficult to avoid answering such a leading question. Here’s my best attempt:

I like all candidates and elected officials, no matter what party is represented or philosophy is brought forth. I say this for two reasons, one…I have to work with them (the most obvious reason!), and two…I have a lot of respect for anyone willing to put themselves, their families and personal life along with their politics on display for all citizens to judge. Let’s face it, we voters do make judgment calls when we vote.

Once elected, there is a short but sharp learning curve and freshmen legislators have to hit the ground running, not only do they have to establish and staff an office (usually more than one), they also need to establish friendships on the party, cross party and assigned committee levels, not to mention dealing with continuing legislation as well as sponsoring their own bills. Schedules are filled with breakfast meetings, office meetings, sessions, committee meetings, receptions, phone calls and somewhere in all this, Lobbyist get the time to educate the legislator or their staff about upcoming issues. Yes, I have a lot of respect for these people.