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Special Interests
Washington lobbyists, influence, and money are concatenate forces in the current political dynamic. The 2008 election cycle saw Barack Obama spend in excess of 730 million on his run for the Presidency. John McCain was seemingly dwarfed, spending only 333 million" (OpenSecrets.org. N.D. 1). The spending however was only a portion of the 5.2 billion spent nationally in the 2008 election cycles (OpenSecrets.org. N.D. 1). Further, the situation seems to be accelerating. In 2010, a midterm election year when political spending tends to wane, the election cycle proved "the most expensive in history, with a total cost that is now expected to equal roughly $4 billion" (Kurtzleben 2010, 1) This figure will be seemingly insignificant to the 2012 election spending, which according to Bill Holman, government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen, could be as much as $8 billion" (Gorenstein, 2011, 1).
The growing ubiquity of money in the political system highlights the enormous influence which insiders and special interest have in Washington. James Barnes article Insiders Say Special Interests Here to Stay discusses this influence in the context of President Obama's new ethic rules.
The Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
requires that lobbyists who become members of Obama administration will not be able to work on matters they lobbied on for two years, or in the agencies they lobbied during the previous two years. Anyone who leaves the Obama administration will not be able to lobby his administration. The orders also instituted a ban on gifts by lobbyists to members of the administration. (ABC News 2009, 1)
If the influence of special interests will only continue to grow, how will the political process be impacted, who will be the winners and losers, and will the average citizen's voice be drowned out, if that fact has not already occurred?
Bipartisan Agreement
Rarely does one find agreement between Democratic and Republican parties in Washington on any issue however, in the context of the lobbyist influence prevalent in the Nation's Capital, "more than two thirds of the Democratic Insiders said that the Obama guidelines would not reduce the influence of special interests in Washington, and an astonishing 100% of Republican Insiders concurred" (Barnes 2009, 1). The Obama guidelines are designed to stop the turnstile of lobbyists who become political consultants...
Interestingly though, despite the belief that the rules will not significantly impinge on lobbyist conduct and influence, the respondents indicated that both Republican and Democratic Insiders "who are part of the influence industry said that Obama's rules were too restrictive" (Barnes 2009, 2). This bifurcation between the reality that ethics laws will not substantively effect lobbyist influence, and the perception that the rules are too tough, can be summed up by a non-lobbyist who is close to the administration; "the cries of unfairness coming from K. Street are proof that the medicine is working just fine" (Barnes 2009, 4).
Winners and Losers
The nature of legislation is that there are winners and losers, in some cases defined, and in others unintended. Because legislation crafted by 535 Congressional members directly and indirectly impacts millions of American, businesses, and advocacy groups, there is a need for the voice of those impacted to be heard. "As long as there is legislation there will be lobbyists" (Barnes 2009, 4). Independent of Obama's new ethical guidelines the influence of specific lobbyists will change as it does from administration to administration. Under Bush's tenure the lobbying and campaign donations poured in from the financial, oil and gas, and Fortune 500 firms (OpenSectrets.org. N.D. 1). Under the Obama Administration, political insiders predict: wind, solar and alternative energy groups, environmental groups, and the AFL-CIO will provide the campaign funding and control the biggest influence in Washington. The winners under President Bush will invert to the bottom of the pecking order as the American Petroleum Institute, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America will take a substantial hit in their clout (Barnes 2009, 2).
Which Voice Matters?
The considerable influence of money and lobbyists on legislation and executive decisions begs the question as to whether those without either (money or influence) have any real voice in Washington. Obama's ethical guidelines are an attempt in some ways to dull this overwhelming lobbyist…
References
ABC News. January 21, 2009. President Obama Sets Rules on Ethics and Transparency.
ABC News. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/president-oba-3.html
Barnes, James. March 21, 2009. Insiders Say Special Interests Here to Stay. National Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/sl_20090321_6799.php
Barnes, James. March 21, 2009. Who Will Win Who Will lose? National
Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/who-will-gain-who-will-lose -- 20090321?mrefid=site_search
Likely To Top $8B. Yahoo Finance. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/don-t-call-stimulus-2012-election-spending-likely-20110414-084921-208.html
6, 2011 from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/11/09/4-billion-in-election-spending-a-drop-in-the-bucket
Liptak, Adam. January 21, 2010. Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit. The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22scotus.html
Open Secrets.org. N.D. The Money Behind the Elections. Open Secrets.org. Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/index.php
Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.opensecrets.org/pres04/contrib.php?cid=N00008072
Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php
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Each of these was included in the initial Senate bill, but was struck from the final Senate version. Despite the victories, the group isn't ready to pledge support for health reform bills. The AMA will not endorse any legislation unless Congress gets rid of the mandated payment cuts of more than $200 billion over 10 years in the government's Medicare program for the elderly. The cuts are part of
But there more to the personal side for Duke Cunningham, for doling out contracts was more than a matter of choosing the most qualified and lowest priced as mandated by federal rules. It was also a matter of choosing the contractor that could provide the most for him. The white collar criminal always looks to personal advantage. Lobbyists, like the now-convicted Mitchell Wade, helped steer paying clients to Cunningham.