Where Have All the Lobbyists Gone?

On paper, the influence-peddling business is drying up. But lobbying money is flooding Washington, DC like never before. What’s going on?

Lee Fang, a reporter for The Nation, went to the Capitol Building on October 4.  His goal was to interview some law makers coming from the House of Representatives during the government shutdown in October.    He reported many people, in business clothing, were out making the city come to life.  Fang encountered former lawmakers and associates.  Amoong them, former Senate majority leader Tome Daschle was there escorting a group of internatnional attorneys into a meeting with other lawmakers.  The men said they were with Alston &Bird, a law firm heavily involved in lobbying.

Lobbying is defined as people seeking to influence a political issue.  These people are employed to persuade legislators to vote for certain legislation, of which the lobbyist's employer is in favor. 

Fang heard former congressman Zach Wamp.  Fang reports that Wamp is now working for Palantir, a controversial intelligence contractor.  When asked about the scandals associated with the firm, Wamp ended the conversation.  Fang found a computer and searched the lobbyist registration database.  Lobbyists are required to register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) to give the public an idea about the lobbyists employers.  Wamp, and most of the others Fang saw that day were nowhere to be found.  As a side note, Matt Long, Palatir's corporate counsel,  would not comment on Wamp's job in company.

Tom Daschle is known as a "policy adviser" to many different corporate interests and a close confidant to many top Democrats.  He has become a famous unregistered lobbyist in DC.  Daschle is so well known that the technicality in the LDA law is called the "Daschle Loophole."      

On paper, the lobbyist industry is disappearing; however, it is simply going underground, according to experts.  American University professor James Thurber stated, "Most of what is going on in Washington is not covered [by the lobbyist-registration system]."  He is currently advising the American Bar Association's lobbying-reform task force.  Thurber also states that his research suggests the true number of active lobbyists is closer to 100,000.