Posts by Lindsay Beyerstein

Influence comes in many forms. Often, influencing the influencers is a smart strategy. Free food never hurts, either.
The head of public relations for the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer makes free food a centerpiece of his “tips for managing journalists” an industry conference, Advertising Age reports.

Charitable giving is a time-honored strategy for turning money into influence. If you don’t want to give money to a politician’s PAC, try making a contribution to his or her favorite charity. Charitable donations are harder to trace than political contributions and they have the added bonus of burnishing the reputations of both the donor [...]

The fallout from the Jack Abramoff scandal continues…
Lobbyist Todd Boulanger was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with tickets and meals he lavished upon public officials at the behest of his then-boss, the disgraced über-lobbyist,  Jack Abramoff.

Feminist outrage is making headlines today as women’s groups react to President Obama’s last-minute move to to eliminate a portion of the stimulus package that would have made it easier for states to expand birth control coverage through Medicaid.
The loss of the birth control provision came as a blow to Planned Parenthood, which had lobbied [...]

The lobbying industry enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2008, according to a report by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit that tracks money in politics:

The $700 billion bank bailout was supposed to stabilize banks and get them lending again. However, some of the recipients seem more interested in rallying big business against the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to unionize.
Sam Stein reports in The Huffington Post:

While feminists worried that the economic stimulus package would neglect them, a quiet but concerted pressure campaign to get women’s interests in the bill was underway.

National Association of Evangelicals is in the market for a new top lobbyist, according to The Christian Post. The job description includes a very unusual qualification for a lobbying gig … sincerity:
Required qualifications include, among others, personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, agreement to and affirmation of the NAE Statement of Faith, [...]

Lara Jakes buries the lead in her story about all the money ex-Raytheon lobbyist Bill Lynn will make if he sells his company stock to take the No. 2 spot at the Pentagon:
Testifying before the Senate panel Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said stringent ethics rules are a major reason it is difficult to fill [...]

The premiere lobby group representing the private equity industry has surprised many observers by staying neutral in the epic battle between business and labor over the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would dramatically alter the rules for forming a union.
Unions support the bill because it would make union organizing easier. Big business opposes [...]