Lobbying scandal heightens scrutiny

The emphasis placed on political fundraising by lobbyists such as scandal-plagued Jack Abramoff is a growing problem in Washington, say lobbyists and industry watchdogs.

Robert S. Walker, lobbyist for Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates and a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, says a growing number of lobbyists see channeling campaign funds as the main entree to the political arena, in which their clients’ interests will be determined.

“Fundraising has become more of a factor,” he said, especially as the cost of running political campaigns has ballooned.

Clyde Wilcox, a government professor at Georgetown University, said the intensity and growth of corporate lobbying, combined with the fixation on campaign funds, dramatically has changed the tenor on Capitol Hill.

“I had a corporate lobbyist tell me recently that his job wasn’t much fun anymore … that he didn’t feel that he needed to muster complicated arguments, just round up contributions for the majority, and that he would go into a session asking for twice as much as he thought his client should really get, and be the low bidder in the room,” Mr. Wilcox said.

“This guy believes in lobbying and in the right of corporations to approach government, but he thinks that the greed level is pretty amazing now.”

Abramoff, who said that he had taken part in the “corruption of public officials” when pleading guilty to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud, was known for deftly generating campaign contributions for lawmakers. His cooperation in an ongoing investigation into influence peddling on Capitol Hill has sent dozens of lawmakers scurrying to return contributions.

‘Era of big government’

Douglas G. Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council, a nonprofit that runs lobbying ethics-training programs, said the “increasing complexity and reach of government” has contributed to a lobbying explosion and more opportunity for corruption.

“Campaign contributions, if made legally, are not evil,” Mr. Pinkham said. “Obviously, based on the charges Abramoff [pleaded guilty to], there probably are some members of Congress who are susceptible to bribery and influence peddling.”

Citing a recent University of Washington study that put the estimated cost of running a competitive 2006 Senate campaign at close to $10 million, Mr. Pinkham added that “both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton said the era of big government is over.”

“They were both wrong,” he said.

The Center for Public Integrity estimates that of about 30,000 registered lobbyists, 14,000 are active. It says that nearly 250 are former members of Congress or former agency heads, pursuing interests on behalf of everyone from universities and Indian tribes to companies selling everything from machine guns to candy bars to pharmaceuticals.

Lobbying has a rich history tied to the foundation of the U.S. government, and its practitioners often have been viewed skeptically.

As the story goes, it was in the early 1870s that President Grant coined the term “lobbyist.”

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