Former Lobbyists Return To Capitol Hill To Assist The Powerful Interests That Employed Them

"Sometimes They Come Back" is the name of an old Stephen King short story in which some dead greasers become ghost-zombie killers who return to this earthly plane to finish murdering a schoolteacher. Scary stuff! Almost as scary as what happens in Washington, D.C., where the "sometimes they come back" scenario applies to lobbyists who come shambling back as congressional staffers after serving powerful interests. What do they do when they come back? Mainly they keep serving their former paymasters, thanks for asking!

The story of the backside arc of the revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street is told well and in great detail in a story in today's Washington Post by R. Jeffrey Smith and Dan Eggen, titled, "Lobbyists flock to Capitol Hill jobs." I know, I know: the conventional wisdom is that our legislative branch mainly produces the lobbyists of the future, and that those top-dollar rewards are the main reason that anyone goes into public service in the first place. But sometimes lobbyists return to the Hill, to continue their private-sector advocacy by saying to legislators, "Here, let me just write that energy bill for you, the way my old boss, who purchased this seat for you, wants it to be written."

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