Choose the statement below that you most agree

Choose the statement below that you most agree with • Lobbyists have a legitimate role to play in a democratic society, and they help special interests make their arguments to legislators. • Lobbyists unfairly manipulate the system, and they use devious methods to convince legislators to do what they want. • http: //www. c-spanclassroom. org/ • LOBBYISTS, WHO, WHAT, AND WHY

• a lobbyist’s job is to try and convince a government official to support a specific policy position, usually on behalf of a special interest group. • many people have a negative perception of lobbyists because of scandals like that involving Jack Abramoff.

Watch the video clips and then answer the following questions: • What do lobbyists do? • How do lobbyists achieve their goals? • Are lobbyists fairly or unfairly perceived? Is the lobbying profession ethical or unethical?

Jack Abramoff 1. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/4 460028 (4 mins) 2. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/4 460031 (7 mins) 3. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/4 460045 (4 mins), http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/4 460050 (2 mins) Washington Journal Excerpts 1. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/ 4460058 (10 mins) 2. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/ 4460059 (3 mins) 3. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/ 4460062 (9 mins) Lobbyist Panel 1. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/44 60067 (5 mins) 2. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/44 60065 (7 mins) 3. http: //www. cspanvideo. org/clip/44 60071 (4 mins)

Groups share what they’ve learned, and briefly discuss the questions as a class. • Return to the original statements: • Lobbyists have a legitimate role to play in a democratic society, and they help special interests make their arguments to legislators. • Lobbyists unfairly manipulate the system, and they use devious methods to convince legislators to do what they want. • Did you change your mind? • Which speakers did you find believable and trustworthy.