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Lobbying
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
Lobbying Methods
• Inside - Direct lobbying
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Personal persuasion
Research
Testifying at hearings
Bribery
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• Inside - Indirect lobbying
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Contact by constituents
Contact by friends
Personal entertaining
Party giving
• Outside lobbying
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Public relations campaigns
Letter/telephone/email/internet campaigns
Publicizing voting records
Contributing money
Campaign work
A Lobbyist’s Ranking of Members
• Supporters, actively working for your bill - Best
• Supporters, inactive
• Undecided
• Opponents, inactive
• Opponents, actively working against bill - Worst
Who Gets the Money?
• Supporters, actively working
• Supporters, inactive
• Undecided - Hollywood
• 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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Key Variable: Legislator’s Attention
350 bills
pass
10,000 bills
Rule for Lobbyists:
Contact Supporters or Neutrals
• Do not contact opponents & try to persuade
them
– You may mobilize opponents
• Legislators don’t like pressure
– They can retaliate
Access is the Key
• In order to give the pitch, lobbyists must
have access
The skill of
“Super-lobbyists” is
high-level access
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Michael Deaver
Deputy Chief of Staff
Reagan White House
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Access is the Key
Michael Deaver
Lobbyist
Ex-Deputy Chief of Staff
Reagan White House
Lobbying vs. Public Opinion
High
Freedom
of a
Legislator’s
action
Low
Low
High
Salience of Issue to Voters
Examples: FAA to SOPA
High
FAA Modernization & Reform Act
Consumer Protection Act
Freedom
of
Legislator’s
action
Loretta Lynch
Confimration
Iran
negotiations
Low
Low
High
Salience of Issue to Voters
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Campaign $$ vs. Public Opinion
• Campaign money is used to win votes
• High salience issues: Voters care
– Money has no influence
• A $5,000 donation can win a few votes
• A bad vote on Iran Deal could cost 1,000’s of votes
• Low salience issues: Voters don’t care
– So MC can vote his/her conscience
– Or vote with campaign donors to win votes
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