The Shadow Lobbyist
I wonder how many lobbyists represent the poor?
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/the-shadow-lobbyist/
In fact, lobbying techniques have evolved so as to elude the regulations that implement the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act. These regulations are revised every 6 months in “written guidance on LDA registration and reporting requirements” issued by the Clerk of the House and The Secretary of the Senate.
Lobbyists and their lawyers are capitalizing on arcane gaps in regulatory guidelines. For example, constricted definitions of lobbying contained in Congressional regulations have been construed to exempt from disclosure money spent on grass roots mobilization; on television, digital and social media campaigns; and on public relations efforts to build support among voters and key elites. With these exemptions not counted, an analysis of annual lobbying revenues shows that after increasing by 153.3 percent between 1998 and 2010 (from $1.4 billion to $3.55 billion), disclosed fees have dropped by $250 million, to $3.3 billion in 2012.
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Increasingly sophisticated forms of political engagement on both the left and the right have outrun old forms of regulation. Most recently, the success of the Obama campaign in advancing computer-driven techniques to reach key segments of the electorate has produced a blossoming industry of digital and specialized communications firms using data analysis, microtechnology and computerized list-building to create public support for or opposition to legislative and policy initiatives – virtually all of which goes effectively undisclosed.
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Taken together, these regulations have encouraged those interested in public service to find jobs that do not require them to register as lobbyists. Or, put another way, those who are eager for government work are not going to formally register themselves as lobbyists and thus make themselves ineligible.
