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washingtonpost.com - The Washington Post's Jeffrey H. Birnbaum on Washington's Lobbying Industry
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That's Entertainment -- or Is It? (Tue, 19 Aug 2008)
Whatever you do, do not call the events at the upcoming presidential conventions that feature Kanye West and the band Daughtry "concerts."
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: That's | More...
In a Harsh Climate for Lobbyists, the Forecast Calls for . . . More Lobbyists (Tue, 12 Aug 2008)
To hear the presidential candidates talk, you'd think that lobbyists were about to be exiled from the capital city.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: In | More...
Mortgage Group's Next Leader Brings All Kinds of Experience (Tue, 05 Aug 2008)
The man who will soon head the Mortgage Bankers Association is not just a veteran of the mortgage business. He is also a person who has felt the industry's pain. Personally.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Mortgage | More...
The Man Behind the Byline Isn't Behind the Article. So, Who Is? (Tue, 29 Jul 2008)
C harles Steele Jr. is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a very prominent fellow. Two of his distinguished predecessors were Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy, leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...
Why BlackBerry When You Can Take the Bus? (Tue, 22 Jul 2008)
Lobbying has gotten fairly high-tech lately, with Web sites, e-mails and viral advertising campaigns.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Why | More...
The Sector Where the Energy Is (Tue, 15 Jul 2008)
You're nobody in Washington these days unless you're part of a coalition that's lobbying on energy prices.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...
Disclosure Form Makes It Hard for Lobbyists to Disclose (Tue, 08 Jul 2008)
Congress passed an ethics law last year that was meant to force lobbyists to reveal more about what they do.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Disclosure | More...
The Cold Calls Behind Those Personal Letters to Congress (Tue, 01 Jul 2008)
In the past five years, 44 percent of Americans -- about 100 million people -- have contacted their elected representatives in Washington. Most of them did so at the prompting of a third party -- often a lobbying group -- according to surveys done for the Congressional Management Foundation.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...
A House Seat Won, a House Lost, and a House Leader Divided (Tue, 24 Jun 2008)
Every once in a while, events move fast in the nation's capital.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
A Rising Star in the Hold-Your-Nose Industries (Tue, 17 Jun 2008)
Jack N. Gerard is about to become the most hated man in Washington. Gerard, 50, will take over this fall as president of the American Petroleum Institute. That will make him chief spokesman for the oil and gas industry, the delightful folks who brought us $4-a-gallon gasoline.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
Lobbying's Good Guys? On the Campaign Trail, They're Invisible. (Tue, 10 Jun 2008)
Lobbyists have been pariahs for nearly a century -- at least to presidential candidates.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbying's | More...
Is There Life After Earmarks? (Tue, 03 Jun 2008)
It looks as though 2008 will be a year of few earmarks.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Is | More...
Big Bank Brings In a Face From the Clinton Administration (Tue, 27 May 2008)
Washington is likely to be a much more Democratic place next year. That's Democratic with a capital D.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Big | More...
For Campaign Contributions by the Wheelbarrow, the Back Door Is Open (Tue, 20 May 2008)
Surely a presidential contest between such well-known campaign finance reformers as Barack Obama and John McCain will be free of big donations from fat cats, right?
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: For | More...
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending (Tue, 13 May 2008)
Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Companies | More...
An Extra Year Before He's the Retirees' Retiree (Tue, 06 May 2008)
The chief executive of AARP, William D. Novelli, has decided to step down as head of the nearly 40 million-member organization. But not right away.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: An | More...
Friends of the Earmark Make Themselves Heard (Tue, 29 Apr 2008)
The hottest document on Capitol Hill is an anonymous six-page white paper that defends, of all things, earmarks -- those much-maligned home-state projects that lawmakers shoehorn into spending bills.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Friends | More...
Breaking the 'Be Nice' Rule in the Energy Family (Tue, 22 Apr 2008)
To everyone feeling glum about $3.50-a-gallon gasoline, here's some good news: The fat-and-happy energy industry is fighting with itself.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Breaking | More...
Maybe Just Name the Building's Lobby After Her? (Tue, 15 Apr 2008)
One of Washington's minor traditions is to name post offices after heroes, usually recently deceased. A lot of them have been named recently for service members killed in Iraq.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Maybe | More...
Firms Battle States Over Taxation Without Location (Tue, 08 Apr 2008)
Question: What do American Express, Microsoft, General Electric, J.P. Morgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson and Disney have in common?
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Firms | More...
'Wynn-Win' for K Street, Loss for the Public? (Tue, 01 Apr 2008)
Rep. Albert R. Wynn is the new envy of K Street.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: 'Wynn-Win' | More...
Storm Brews Over Adding Wind Coverage to Federal Flood Program (Tue, 25 Mar 2008)
Industries fight government all the time, but not usually over which of them can run an actual business.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Storm | More...
New Pro-Gun Group Hopes to Draw From the NRA (Tue, 18 Mar 2008)
The National Rifle Association always seems to have a target painted on its back. As one of Washington's most powerful and controversial interest groups, it is constantly dodging potshots from one group or another.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: New | More...
House Floats Idea for Fish Inspections, but No One Is Biting (Tue, 11 Mar 2008)
What follows is a fish tale, though this one is actually true.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: House | More...
A Measure to Ease Mortgage Rules? Not So Fast, Critics Say. (Tue, 04 Mar 2008)
The housing market has been in meltdown largely because home buyers too quickly snatched up mortgages they could not afford and lenders were too eager to sell those mortgages to them. As a result, the last thing anyone would want is to ease government regulation of mortgage lending.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
Campaign Contributions Nearly Double Old Record (Tue, 26 Feb 2008)
This year's presidential contest has been groundbreaking in many ways, but none more than in the race for campaign cash.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Campaign | More...
Common Cause, Washington Monthly Explore a Common Future (Tue, 19 Feb 2008)
Two of the capital's most venerable institutions -- the lobby group Common Cause and the scrappy magazine Washington Monthly -- are in serious talks about merging.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Common | More...
Honor Bound? (Tue, 12 Feb 2008)
Congress is a very special place. Not only does it write the laws, it also instructs people about how to get around them.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Honor | More...
Lobbyists Hug High-Tech Hub (Tue, 05 Feb 2008)
When tech experts Josh Ackil and Matt Tanielian were looking to name their new lobbying firm, they had little hesitation. They decided to call themselves the Franklin Square Group -- even though their offices aren't on Franklin Square.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbyists | More...
The Money's Coming, But Where's It Going? (Tue, 29 Jan 2008)
The feeding frenzy begins this week at the Senate Finance Committee.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...
As Congress Talks Stimulus, Labor Leaders Worry They Won't Have a Voice (Tue, 22 Jan 2008)
Organized labor, a fundamental constituency of the Democratic Party, is unhappy about lots of things these days, even though Democrats are in the majority in Congress.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: As | More...
Suit Could Threaten Practice of Taking Clients to Next Firm (Tue, 15 Jan 2008)
Lobbyists switch jobs all the time and usually take their clients with them. But a lawsuit in D.C.'s federal district court is challenging that practice, in a way that could rock the capital.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Suit | More...
While Candidates Decry Lobbying, Ex-Lawmakers Embrace It (Tue, 08 Jan 2008)
Both winners of the Iowa caucuses sneer at lobbyists whenever they get the chance.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: While | More...
A Look Back at the Year's Winners and Losers (Tue, 01 Jan 2008)
2007 was not exactly a barn-burner on Capitol Hill. It was notable mostly for its record number of delaying tactics in the Senate, which helped stymie almost every attempt at major legislation.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
A Tip of the Santa Hat to the Givers of Gucci Gulch (Tue, 25 Dec 2007)
When Global Action for Children, an advocacy organization for orphans and vulnerable children in developing nations, needed professional help to stage a Washington news conference this past April, it turned to Quinn Gillespie & Associates.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
At the Tower of Barbour, Adjusting That Rightward Tilt (Tue, 18 Dec 2007)
The granddaddy of Republican lobbying shops, Barbour Griffith & Rogers, has decided to go bipartisan.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: At | More...
Guns Drawn on K Street After Video Game Survey (Tue, 11 Dec 2007)
The Entertainment Software Association -- better known as the lobby for video game producers -- thought it was living in an alternate reality last week when a major public relations firm released the results of a national poll about its industry.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Guns | More...
Engler Isn't Angling for Criticism (Tue, 04 Dec 2007)
Washington was abuzz last week that something must be up at the National Association of Manufacturers.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Engler | More...
Ads of Steel -- Results After Just Moments a Day (Tue, 27 Nov 2007)
It's one of the biggest questions on K Street: Do expensive advertising campaigns, lately so prevalent in Washington, actually buy influence? The answer, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, is yes.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Ads | More...
A Call to Advocacy for Nonprofits (Tue, 20 Nov 2007)
Charities are sweet things, but Gary D. Bass wants them to get rough and tumble when it comes to dealing with government.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
Musharraf Makeover Proves Too Much for One Lobby Firm (Tue, 13 Nov 2007)
Lobbying can be an unsavory business. Just ask former senator John Edwards of North Carolina. He hopes to ride that fact to the Democratic nomination for president.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Musharraf | More...
A Tax Break for Legislators, Whether 'On the Job' or 'Working' (Tue, 06 Nov 2007)
It's nice to have friends in high places. Just ask the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
Former Gun Lobbyist Says NRA Aims Mostly for Money (Tue, 30 Oct 2007)
R ichard Feldman is a rarity -- a former gun lobbyist who is publicly taking a shot at the National Rifle Association.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Former | More...
Seeing the Ethics Rules, and Raising an Exception (Tue, 23 Oct 2007)
Shhhh! Don't tell anyone, but lobby groups are plotting all sorts of ways to get around the new ethics rules.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Seeing | More...
Lobby Group's 'No Dough' Strategy Stops at Executives' Doors (Tue, 16 Oct 2007)
The National Association of Manufacturers, one of Washington's oldest and most deeply established trade groups, has an unconventional streak.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobby | More...
'Distinguished Gentleman, May I Have Her Hand . . .?' (Tue, 09 Oct 2007)
The new ethics law has K Street in an uproar. Questions about what is and what is not permitted have flooded into law firms.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: 'Distinguished | More...
Tax-Cut Supporters Ready for 'World Series of Lobbying' (Tue, 02 Oct 2007)
Charlie Rangel, get ready to rumble.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Tax-Cut | More...
Tech Industry Builds Lobbying Machine for Patent Fight (Tue, 25 Sep 2007)
Just about every industry you can think of has worried about, and lobbied on, legislation that would alter the way patents are enforced.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Tech | More...
Health Insurance Industry Looks to Senior Lobbyists (Tue, 18 Sep 2007)
If the rumor mill is correct, Karen M. Ignagni is about to notch a major victory for her employer, the nation's health insurance industry.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Health | More...
How Outgunned Broadcom Won a Major Cellphone Battle (Tue, 11 Sep 2007)
The price of a cellphone might soon get higher because of a strange-but-true lobbying battle that took place over the past few months.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: How | More...
Two Rivals. Two Infrastructure Campaigns. Too Much. (Tue, 04 Sep 2007)
The collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis last month will probably ignite a frenzy of legislating as Congress returns from vacation this week. It will also open a new front in one of the great, perennial, inside-the-Beltway rivalries, between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Two | More...
A Steadfast Force in Dislodging Money From Politics (Tue, 28 Aug 2007)
Fred Wertheimer is not what you would call laid-back. Earlier this year, the veteran government reformer canceled a two-week vacation to Sicily so he could attend oral arguments before the Supreme Court in an important campaign finance case -- even though he was not making the arguments himself.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
Wall Street Paying High Price to Keep Cash (Tue, 21 Aug 2007)
The nascent fight over whether to raise taxes on Wall Street hot shots has become one of the year's biggest lobbying bonanzas.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Wall | More...
Congressman, It's (Still) on Us: The Ethics Law's Many Loopholes (Tue, 14 Aug 2007)
Activists on the reform side of the lobbying debate have been celebrating that Congress finally got around to passing an ethics bill. The question is: Should voters celebrate as well?
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Congressman, | More...
For Gephardt, a New Career in Lobbying -- and a Lot More (Tue, 31 Jul 2007)
R ichard A. Gephardt used to be the Democratic leader in the House and a presidential candidate. Now he's Gephardt Inc.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: For | More...
Lobbyists Make Themselves at Home on the Hill (Tue, 24 Jul 2007)
What do you get for the lobbyist who has everything?
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbyists | More...
Airline Lobbyist's Job Is a Dogfight (Tue, 17 Jul 2007)
At the end of another tough day of wrangling with government officials, James C. May sat, tie askew, in his big, brown leather chair and sighed. "A lot of people shoot at you," he said. "To cope, you need a good hard shell."
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Airline | More...
Firm Finds Its Niche in Obscure Trade Associations (Tue, 10 Jul 2007)
Pop quiz: What do birthing classes, spice sellers and crematoriums have in common -- besides bracketing the cycle of life?
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Firm | More...
Radio Royalties: Reprising Ol' Blue Eyes' Battle (Tue, 03 Jul 2007)
Sometimes in Washington it takes a while for issues to ripen. Sometimes decades.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Radio | More...
Lobbyist Built a Career On Unconventional Wisdom (Tue, 26 Jun 2007)
Getting fired is not usually a good thing. Except if you're William T. Archey.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbyist | More...
Hope for a Veterans Windfall Above All Hopes (Tue, 19 Jun 2007)
After years of fighting in vain for what he believed disabled war veterans deserved, David W. Gorman is on the verge of getting more than he asked for.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Hope | More...
Thompson Will Take On Outsider Role After Playing Access Man (Tue, 12 Jun 2007)
By all accounts, Fred D. Thompson will soon be running for president, portraying himself as a Washington outsider on the campaign trail. But over the past three years he showed up every two weeks or so at a lobbying and law firm in downtown D.C. to plot how best to persuade Congress to help a British company.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Thompson | More...
For the Next Big Bout, Tune In to Channel 41/2 (Tue, 05 Jun 2007)
Only in Washington would major industries spend millions of dollars to fight over, essentially, nothing.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: For | More...
His New Lobbying Job Looks a Lot Like His Old Treasury One (Tue, 29 May 2007)
Lobbyist Robert S. Nichols was, and in many ways still is, a spokesman for the Treasury Department.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: His | More...
Lawmakers Feel the Pull of Future Paychecks (Tue, 22 May 2007)
It's now official: The balance of power in the nation's capital has shifted downtown from Capitol Hill.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lawmakers | More...
It's a Good Time to Be The Hill's Mr. Ethanol (Tue, 15 May 2007)
Photo crews are not chasing Robert Dinneen down the hall, but, for a lobbyist, he's a very popular guy.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: It's | More...
Fruit and Vegetable Growers Hope to Harvest More From Farm Bill (Tue, 08 May 2007)
After years of derision and obscurity, the nation's fruits and vegetables are finally getting the respect they deserve.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Fruit | More...
Why the Nation's Richest Man Is Looking for Government Money (Tue, 01 May 2007)
With a $33 billion endowment, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's largest philanthropy. If you add in donations expected from billionaire Warren Buffett, the charity's assets will grow to twice that size, making them nearly as large as those of oil-rich Kuwait.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Why | More...
On Issues From Medicare to Medication, AARP's Money Will Be There (Tue, 24 Apr 2007)
"Whatever it takes."
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: On | More...
To Conceal Donors, Some Political Groups Look to the Tax Code (Tue, 17 Apr 2007)
An increasing number of organizations working to influence elections also are working to hide who is paying for their activities.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: To | More...
Chemical Makers and Trial Lawyers Square Off Over Iraq Spending Bill (Tue, 10 Apr 2007)
Everyone knows that President Bush is angry because the Iraq spending bill is larded with billions of dollars of giveaways to spinach farmers, peanut storage facilities, shrimp fishermen and the like.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Chemical | More...
Wal-Mart, the Democrats' New Friend (Tue, 03 Apr 2007)
Wal-Mart has taken its lumps lately, especially from the Democratic Party over its treatment of employees. So the company has been courting the new majority on Capitol Hill by doing a lot of the standard stuff: hiring Democratic executives and donating more to the campaigns of Democratic candidates. Its political action committee has given 49 percent of its funds to Democrats this year, up from 32 percent in last year's election.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Wal-Mart, | More...
Lobbying Is Lucrative. Sometimes Very, Very Lucrative. (Tue, 27 Mar 2007)
Lobbyists, as they say, make the big bucks. That's why so many lawmakers, congressional staffers and political appointees move downtown when they leave government.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbying | More...
Retailers, Credit Card Companies Quibble Over Footing the Bill (Tue, 20 Mar 2007)
Retailers and credit card companies normally love each other. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that they can't live without each other. Except on Capitol Hill.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Retailers, | More...
Podesta, Livingston Look for Balance, Brawn in New Partnership (Tue, 13 Mar 2007)
Two of K Street's best-known names -- Anthony T. Podesta and Robert L. Livingston-- are combining forces to attract some of Washington's largest lobbying campaigns.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Podesta, | More...
Lobbying Bill Sparks Populist Uprising -- on Both Sides (Tue, 06 Mar 2007)
The National Right to Life Committee and Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) are locking horns -- not over abortion, but over whether thousands of top executive branch officials should have to disclose the names of people who lobby them.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Lobbying | More...
Insurers Prepare a Battle Strategy to Protect a Key Exemption (Tue, 27 Feb 2007)
The insurance industry is one of Washington's fiercest and best-funded lobbies, so it rarely gets surprised. But last week several industry representatives privately acknowledged amazement that their most important federal benefit -- an antitrust exemption -- is in danger.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Insurers | More...
A Few Degrees of Separation From Hillary Clinton's Top Adviser (Tue, 20 Feb 2007)
Mark J. Penn is a man who wears many hats: high-paid political and corporate pollster, chief executive of an international communications and lobbying company, and chief strategist to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: A | More...
When House Changed Rules for Travel, He Lobbied for the Lobbyists (Tue, 13 Feb 2007)
Loopholes in laws and regulations sometimes seem to appear by magic, and often no one wants to claim to be the magician. But one man actually wants credit for a couple of big loopholes in the new ethics rules the House passed last month: John H. Graham IV.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: When | More...
Probe Amplifies Conflict-of-Interest Questions for Chamber of Commerce Chief (Tue, 06 Feb 2007)
As president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue has long been obliged to talk tough against federal regulation, especially by the Securities and Exchange Commission. But now, it's personal.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Probe | More...
The Humane Society Becomes a Political Animal (Tue, 30 Jan 2007)
Many people may consider the Humane Society of the United States a pussycat. But with 10 million donors and a $120 million budget, it is becoming a tiger among Washington's interest groups.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...
Consistently Conservative Small-Business Lobby Reaches Out to Democrats (Tue, 23 Jan 2007)
The National Federation of Independent Business is a bastion of Republicanism. Its staff has for decades been a farm team for GOP operatives and its campaign giving has been notably one-sided. Of all major lobbying organizations last year, NFIB gave the lowest share of its political action committee money to Democrats, a mere 8 percent.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: Consistently | More...
The Hill's Revolving-Door Rules Don't Work in Both Directions (Tue, 16 Jan 2007)
In November, as a lobbyist and strategist for DaimlerChrysler, Dennis B. Fitzgibbons labored to block congressional proposals to mandate the production of more cars that use alternative fuels and to stop the most aggressive efforts to force auto companies to make their vehicles more energy-efficient.
Author: Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | Category: The | More...