> If the lobbying they do is unfair, then they should change the rules around lobbying

Who is "they"? Plenty of people do want to reduce the amount of money in US politics, but they come up against the same money that's behind the lobbying in the first place.

Congress, via their voters

This is a bit like the "stop hitting yourself" game that kids play. If you ask voters whether they think there is too much money in politics, they overwhelming say there is[1].

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2091... see q32

That sounds like it's going to get really messy really fast, especially with the 1st amendment in play. (Not that we shouldn't try, mind, just that it's not an easy thing to fix)

It has nothing to do with the first amendment. Money isn't actually speech -- bribery is illegal, after all.

The legislators who have the ability to change the rules around lobbying are at the receiving end of millions of lobbying dollars, and they don't want the money firehose to stop.

Legislators tried to reform campaign finance nearly two decades ago.

SCOTUS stopped them in their tracks.

A constitutional amendment is absurdly politically expensive.