Lobbyists may be find work harder to come by under the upcoming Obama administration. The New York Times is being open about what they do and why they will be hard to shift:

For an industry that prefers to talk about selling policy expertise and sophisticated arguments, the turnabout is a stark reminder that what clients want are personal connections. “People who need to get something done know what the price of a drink is,” Mr. Metzger said. “This may sound terribly Washington, but access trumps expertise.”

and:

Republican lobbyists would always be in demand because Democrats lack the stomach to push for industry goals that go against their party, like rolling back environmental regulations.