Advantages And Disadvantages Of Washington Lobbying

Washington lobbying runs the gambit from well-funded, multi-faceted campaigns to low-cost, narrowly targeted efforts.

Congress

• Mark-up sessions provide lobbyists the best opportunity to influence legislation.
• Lobbyists attempt to cultivate good relationships with committee staff who are able to insert language into draft legislation. This is not to imply that staff deviates from the general policy preferences of legislators for whom they work.
• It is not unusual for lobbyists to assist in the passage of bills by providing “substantive and political information and labor” (139).
• Lobbyists are known to spend an inordinate amount of time pressing their agendas with party leaders.
• It is not uncommon to have a division of labor when lobbyists try to influence floor votes.
• Lobbyists also
attempt to influence legislation at the hearing stage.

Executive Branch

• Several interests groups concentrate lobbying efforts on government agencies.
• Draft regulations are published in the Federal Register. Many interest groups us the notice-and-comment procedure to write detailed analyses of proposed administrative regulations.
• Most executive branch lobbying is focused on administrative agencies, although some attempt to influence the White House.
Administrative Agencies

• Lobbying administrative agency personnel is different than lobbying legislators in that the latter are concerned about their electoral fortunes.
• Presidential appointees, who are at the apex of the federal bureaucracy, are concerned about supporting the president’s priorities. Federal civil servants are somewhat distanced from constituency pressure.
• Many career bureaucrats consider themselves as technocrats who make their own policy evaluations based on scientific research and experimental design findings.
• Career bureaucrats must often deal with competing “facts” and theories.
• Political scientists, as well as other keen observers, voice concern over the relationship between interests groups and administrative agencies, as regulators often comes from the businesses they regulate.

The White House

• Interest groups often seek access to the inner circle at the White House.
• The White House builds support for administrative policies through its Office of Public Liaison.
• There is selective access to the White
House.

The Courts

• Litigation is another lobbying tactic.
• Litigation is used as a means to seek policy change or stop a policy from being implemented.
• It is not unusual for interest groups to sponsor important cases, which make their way to the Supreme Court.
• The drawback for seeking redress though the legal system is the cost.
• A group must have standing in order to bring suit.
• Interest groups may file amicus curiae briefs if they are not a direct party to the suit but have an interest in the outcome.
• Interest groups can attempt to influence the direction of the courts by urging senators to support or not support a federal court nominee. Strategic Decision Making

• Interest groups with limited staffs and funds must use their resources judiciously.
• The changing political environment may necessitate strategic adjustments in lobbying tactics.
• Sometimes lobbying is reactionary, making long-term planning rather difficult.
• Gauging success is often difficult, although all groups recognize that compromise is an integral part of the process.