Former senator John Breaux left the Senate and became a lobbyist for Patton Boggs. He was criticized for doing that. His answer? "I have been in government my entire life. What do you expect me to become -- an auto mechanic?"
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STEVE EMBER: Lobbyists are expected to be able to reach important people who decide on laws and policies. Reporter Tim Carney at the Washington Examiner newspaper says knowing the right people is important.
He says a lobbyist might be somebody who used to work for a particular congressman. So the lobbyist can easily get a meeting with that congressman.
Ken Vogel of the newspaper Politico says lawmakers are targeted in many ways. Traditional lobbying is meeting in an office. But there are also advertisements in newspapers, on the subway and on television.
All of this is designed to do the same thing -- to influence the decisions that are made in Washington.
One example of a multimedia lobbying campaign involves two aircraft makers, Boeing and EADS, parent company of Europe's Airbus. They are competing to win an Air Force contract to build new refueling planes.
Both companies have used traditional lobbyists. They have also put out their messages through television and newspaper advertisements and other media.
The fight also shows the growing effort of foreign corporations and even nations to use lobbyists to influence decisions in Washington.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25