The 508(c)(1)(a) Initiative Workshop

Access is important and often means a one-on-one meeting with a legislator. Getting
access can sometimes be difficult, but there are various avenues: email, personal
letters, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, meals, get-togethers, and even chasing after
congresspersons in the Capitol building:
My style of lobbying is not to have big formal meetings, but to catch
members on the fly as they're walking between the House and the office
buildings.
—Lobbyist, commenting on access
When getting access is difficult, there are ways to wear down the walls surrounding a
legislator. Jack Abramoff explained:
Access is vital in lobbying. If you can't get in your door, you can't make
your case. Here we had a hostile senator, whose staff was hostile, and we
had to get in. So that's the lobbyist safe-cracker method: throw
fundraisers, raise money, and become a big donor.
—Lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2011
Lobbyists often assist congresspersons with campaign finance by arranging fundraisers,
assembling PACs, and seeking donations from other clients. Many lobbyists become
campaign treasurers and fundraisers for congresspersons. This helps incumbent
members cope with the substantial amounts of time required to raise money for
reelection bids; one estimate was that congresspersons had to spend a third of their
working hours on fundraising activity. PACs are fairly easy to set up; it requires a lawyer
and about $300, roughly. An even steeper possible reward which can be used in
exchange for favors is the lure of a high-paying job as a lobbyist; according to Jack
Abramoff, one of the best ways to "get what he wanted" was to offer a high-ranking
congressional aide a high-paying job after they decided to leave public office. When
such a promise of future employment was accepted, according to Abramoff, "we owned
them". This helped the lobbying firm exert influence on that particular congressperson
by going through the staff member or aide. At the same time, it is hard for outside
observers to argue that a particular decision, such as hiring a former staffer into a
lobbying position, was purely as a reward for some past political decision, since staffers
often have valuable connections and policy experience needed by lobbying firms.
Research economist Mirko Draca suggested that hiring a staffer was an ideal way for a
lobbying firm to try to sway their old bosses—a congressperson—in the future.
Lobbyists, according to several sources, strive for communications which are clear,
straightforward, and direct. In a one-on-one meeting with a lobbyist, it helps to
understand precisely what goal is wanted. A lobbyist wants action on a bill; a legislator
wants to be re-elected. The idea is to persuade a legislator that what the lobbyist wants
is good public policy. Lobbyists often urge lawmakers to try to persuade other
lawmakers to approve a bill.
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