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Lobbying
Lobbying Methods
• Inside - Direct lobbying
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• Inside - Indirect lobbying
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A Lobbyist’s Ranking of Members
Contact by constituents
Contact by friends
Personal entertaining
Party giving
• Supporters, actively working for your bill - Best
• Supporters, inactive
• Outside lobbying
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Personal persuasion
Research
Testifying at hearings
Bribery
Public relations campaigns
Letter/telephone/email/internet campaigns
Publicizing voting records
Contributing money
Campaign work
• Undecided
• Opponents, inactive
• Opponents, actively working against bill - Worst
Clyde Wilcox, “The Dynamics of Lobbying the Hill.”
In Paul Herrnson, Ronald Shaiko, and Clyde Wilcox,
ed. The Interest Group Connection
Key Variable: Legislator’s Attention
Who Gets the Money?
• Supporters, actively working
• Supporters, inactive
10,000 bills
• Undecided - Hollywood
350 bills
pass
• Opponents, inactive
• Opponents, actively working against
Richard Hall & Frank Wayman, "Buying Time: Moneyed Interests
and the Mobilization of Bias in Congressional Committees."
American Political Science Rev, 84 (Sep '90):797-820
Richard Gere
Power
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000152/photogallery-granitz-0
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Rule for Lobbyists:
Contact Supporters or Neutrals
Access is the Key
• In order to give the pitch, lobbyists must
have access
• Do not contact opponents & try to persuade
them
– You may mobilize opponents
The skill of
“Super-lobbyists” is
high-level access
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• Legislators don’t like pressure
– They can retaliate
Michael Deaver
Deputy Chief of Staff
Reagan White House
Access is the Key
Michael Deaver
Lobbyist
Ex-Deputy Chief of Staff
Reagan White House
Information is the Main Product
• Lobbyists form an “extended staff” for Congress
• They provide all sorts of information:
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Technical research on bills
Political information on bills
They write speeches
They provide witnesses for hearings
They organize legislative coalitions
They provide info for constituents on MC’s behalf
What Lobbyists Do
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Research issues
Build coalitions w/ other groups
Develop strategy
Meet with legislators & staff
Attend/testify at committee hearings
Negotiate with other legislators,
administration, etc.
• Campaign to build public pressure
Why Lobbyists are Honest
• Lobbyists work with allies
– They act as “extended staff”
• MC’s can cut off access for lobbyists
– So MC’s can retaliate if a lobbyist lies to them
• Lobbyists & MC’s work as teams on
legislation
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Reliability of Information Varies
• Professional legislatures are well served by
lobbyists
– Professionals have:
Lobbying is 2-way Communication
• Lobbyists provide info to Congress
• Lobbyists also provide info to clients
– What Congress or agencies are doing
• Long careers
• High pay
• Large staffs
• Lobbyists may act as negotiators
• Amateur legislatures are poorly served
– They are diplomats trying to win the best deal
– Amateurs have:
• Short terms, low pay, small staffs
Campaign $$ vs. Public Opinion
• Campaign money is used to win votes
Lobbying vs. Public Opinion
High
Freedom
of a
Legislator’s
action
• High salience issues: Voters care
– Money has no influence
• A $5,000 donation can win a few votes
• A bad vote in Congress can cost 1,000’s of votes
• Low salience issues: Voters don’t care
Low
Low
– So MC can vote his/her conscience
– Or vote with campaign donors to win votes
High
Salience of Issue to Voters
Examples: FAA to SOPA
High
FAA Modernization & Reform Act
No Rate Regulation of
Broadband Internet Access Act
Freedom
of
Legislator’s
action
Immigration reform
Low
Low
High
Salience of Issue to Voters
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