Is lobbying just legalized corruption?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is lobbying just legalized corruption?". Your opponent's style: Frederick Douglass

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

You're wrong from the first breath. Lobbying isn't corruption, it's the lifeblood of representation itself. Every citizen group, every union, every environmental organization that walks into a legislator's office to petition for their interests—that's lobbying. That's democracy working. Corruption is bribery, extortion, secret deals in the dark. Lobbying is transparent, regulated, and recorded. A coal company and a climate group can both lobby the same senator. One isn't more "legalized corruption" than the other—they're both citizens exercising their constitutional right to petition. The problem isn't lobbying. It's when people confuse "I disagree with who won" with "the system is rigged." What's your counter?