The man's a lobbyist, I tell ya!

As Fred Thompson's campaign continues to gain traction, so do the stories that examine Fred's background. One issue that lurks in the shadows is his prior lobbying history. I sense this will remain an undercurrent for a few reasons. One, lobbying connotes Fred as a political insider, and further, that's a "bad thing." Two, most people have no idea what lobbying involves, but have a general queasiness about it. And three, most people no longer understand the ethical obligations of attorneys.

Now to be fair, I'm an attorney. And yes, there are some bad and some famously bad ones in our midst. There are even some famous ones who are not really that bad, but who come off as buffoonish in the press. Some of the famous ones have been lionized when their actions really didn't deserve it, and others have been unduly criticized for doing their job.

Most lawyers are not what you see in the news. Most toil in obscurity and are good at what they do. They make a reasonable, not wealthy, living while dealing with the minutiae of paperwork and picayune clients who are rarely happy with the result, no matter how good that may be.

The role of attorney has been denigrated. That's been mostly self inflicted, I think, because of tacky, greedy lawyer advertising, and Hollywood style trials and commentary. (I know, or have known, and worked with some of the more famous ones you now see in various forums on television, and truthfully, it's mostly an embarrassment. It's nothing more than self-promotion disguised as analysis. But that's the subject of another post.) The importance of law, and lawyers, to America has been reduced to the level of cocktail banter. We're a punchline. Denny Crane is the new Atticus Finch.

But the essence of a lawyer as independent thinker, defender of rights, and advocate is as important today as ever. Healthy discussions about democracy, law, and the adversarial system have been lost to snippets of tabloid sensationalism. And a quick perusal of the the Fred Thompson was a Lobbyist! headlines suggest the sensationalism runs rampant.

Now, let me put this plainly.Fred's lobbying efforts were part of his work as an attorney, and it's part of what his former law firm did for clients.

Notwithstanding what your personal thoughts on lobbying are, it is a legal and regulated endeavor. And an attorney's obligation is to his client, and in these matters, the attorney's work consists of pushing the ideas of his client. It's the lobbyist's job to have access and bend the appropriate ears. It's not illegal, nor unethical, and it shouldn't be the subject of a plainly hidden whisper campaign.

Let's move on.