I Am A Lobbyist
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Thomas Jefferson
When a reporter asked President Harry Truman whether he would be against lobbyists who are supporting his programs, Truman responded, "We probably wouldn't call those people lobbyists. We would call them citizens working in the public interest."
Why Hire a Lobbyist?
Lobbying is the art of educating and persuading decision makers to support or oppose policies or programs that positively impact your organization or adversely impact your competitor. It can also involve getting a decision maker’s agreement not to change an existing policy or program.
The person who does the educating and persuading is called a "lobbyist." A lobbyist is a person who is paid to represent an organization or group of organizations before the legislative and executive branches of government. The lobbyist is paid to advocate and promote an organization’s interests as well as protect them from laws and regulations that may hinder their mission. A good lobbyist knows the rules of how government works inside and out. There are numerous stories about how the name lobbyist was coined. A particularly popular one is the term lobbyist comes from the special interest representatives who gathered in the lobby of the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. to talk to the Members of Congress who stayed at the hotel while they were in Washington for the legislative session. Another popular notion why representatives of an organization are called lobbyists is they spend so much time standing around the lobbies of the Capitol and the House and Senate Office Buildings waiting to speak to Representatives and Senators.
With every piece of legislation or government action there are winners and losers. Today companies in order to flourish, or merely survive, need to understand and shape government policies. With expert knowledge of the public policy process, a lobbyist helps companies navigate the ever-increasing maze of legislative and regulatory challenges to achieve their objectives by developing and implementing aggressive offensive and defensive strategies to educate and convince government officials to support or oppose action on a given issue. A lobbyist helps a company identify issues and opportunities that affect its success, enhance its bottom line or adversely affects its competitors. Today, more than ever, companies need a lobbyist who is responsible to monitor and affect the day-to-day activities of Federal, State and Local governments.
Educating and persuading decision makers in Washington, D.C. is not like doing business anywhere else. The political and policy making processes present unique problems and opportunities for businesses and a lobbyist is the person who helps a company overcome the obstacles or take advantage of the opportunities. A lobbyist serves as a “bridge” between the political world and the business world. The difference between lawmakers and government regulators taking action to help a company or a company being adversely affected by their actions often depends upon whether a company has a lobbyist.
The outcome of the legislative or regulatory process may affect a company’s profits or worse, whether a company is viable as on an ongoing concern. Today, all companies, especially those in highly regulated industries, should have a fulltime presence in Washington, D.C., especially if they want to be effective in influencing the outcome of the political and policymaking process. The most important thing a company can do is to get to know and establish a relationship with the Representative and Senators representing the District(s) and State(s) where the company has facilities and workers. Companies cannot expect to succeed in influencing the political and policymaking processes if they only come to Washington, D.C. and contact their Representatives and Senators when a bill is about to be voted on or an agency is about to take action or a subpoena to testify before a Congressional Committee has been delivered. To be most effective in Washington, D.C., a company must have a presence in Washington, D.C. before a bill is introduced, marked up in a Committee or a Congressional Committee begins an investigation, when an issue is on the distant horizon. The benefits and results will come later and will be greater if a company already has a presence, is visible and active in the political and policymaking processes in Washington, D.C. While a company may have immediate concerns, to be really effective and successful in influencing the outcome of the political and policymaking processes, it must establish a D.C. presence for the long haul and have visibility on Capitol Hill and with the Administration and be active in the political and policymaking processes.
In summary, companies should hire a lobbyist if they want Congress, the Administration or regulatory agencies to do – or not do – something they care about. Lobbyists have specialized knowledge about how decisions get made in Washington, D.C. and they know how to favorably influence them. Lobbyists are the “eyes” and “ears” of a company on Capitol Hill, the Administration and the regulatory agencies, to monitor, track, report and influence what is happening in Washington, D.C. that may be of interest or affect a company’s operations.
The person who does the educating and persuading is called a "lobbyist." A lobbyist is a person who is paid to represent an organization or group of organizations before the legislative and executive branches of government. The lobbyist is paid to advocate and promote an organization’s interests as well as protect them from laws and regulations that may hinder their mission. A good lobbyist knows the rules of how government works inside and out. There are numerous stories about how the name lobbyist was coined. A particularly popular one is the term lobbyist comes from the special interest representatives who gathered in the lobby of the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. to talk to the Members of Congress who stayed at the hotel while they were in Washington for the legislative session. Another popular notion why representatives of an organization are called lobbyists is they spend so much time standing around the lobbies of the Capitol and the House and Senate Office Buildings waiting to speak to Representatives and Senators.
With every piece of legislation or government action there are winners and losers. Today companies in order to flourish, or merely survive, need to understand and shape government policies. With expert knowledge of the public policy process, a lobbyist helps companies navigate the ever-increasing maze of legislative and regulatory challenges to achieve their objectives by developing and implementing aggressive offensive and defensive strategies to educate and convince government officials to support or oppose action on a given issue. A lobbyist helps a company identify issues and opportunities that affect its success, enhance its bottom line or adversely affects its competitors. Today, more than ever, companies need a lobbyist who is responsible to monitor and affect the day-to-day activities of Federal, State and Local governments.
Educating and persuading decision makers in Washington, D.C. is not like doing business anywhere else. The political and policy making processes present unique problems and opportunities for businesses and a lobbyist is the person who helps a company overcome the obstacles or take advantage of the opportunities. A lobbyist serves as a “bridge” between the political world and the business world. The difference between lawmakers and government regulators taking action to help a company or a company being adversely affected by their actions often depends upon whether a company has a lobbyist.
The outcome of the legislative or regulatory process may affect a company’s profits or worse, whether a company is viable as on an ongoing concern. Today, all companies, especially those in highly regulated industries, should have a fulltime presence in Washington, D.C., especially if they want to be effective in influencing the outcome of the political and policymaking process. The most important thing a company can do is to get to know and establish a relationship with the Representative and Senators representing the District(s) and State(s) where the company has facilities and workers. Companies cannot expect to succeed in influencing the political and policymaking processes if they only come to Washington, D.C. and contact their Representatives and Senators when a bill is about to be voted on or an agency is about to take action or a subpoena to testify before a Congressional Committee has been delivered. To be most effective in Washington, D.C., a company must have a presence in Washington, D.C. before a bill is introduced, marked up in a Committee or a Congressional Committee begins an investigation, when an issue is on the distant horizon. The benefits and results will come later and will be greater if a company already has a presence, is visible and active in the political and policymaking processes in Washington, D.C. While a company may have immediate concerns, to be really effective and successful in influencing the outcome of the political and policymaking processes, it must establish a D.C. presence for the long haul and have visibility on Capitol Hill and with the Administration and be active in the political and policymaking processes.
In summary, companies should hire a lobbyist if they want Congress, the Administration or regulatory agencies to do – or not do – something they care about. Lobbyists have specialized knowledge about how decisions get made in Washington, D.C. and they know how to favorably influence them. Lobbyists are the “eyes” and “ears” of a company on Capitol Hill, the Administration and the regulatory agencies, to monitor, track, report and influence what is happening in Washington, D.C. that may be of interest or affect a company’s operations.
