Legal Times is out with it's annual list of the biggest spending lobbyist outfits in Washington. At the top:
- Patton Boggs -- $65.8 million
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld - $64.2 million
- Hogan & Hartson — $51.6 million
- DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary — $42.4 million
- Cassidy & Associates — $28 million
The bottom of the top 50 still spent $6.7 million to influence your Hired Hands on the Hill.
So how do you get a word in edgewise? You could try the Internet.
Taegan Goddard at PoliticalWire.com quotes Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) as saying how politicians take blogs pretty seriously:
"Wealth and power control most everything in this country. But one thing they do not control — wealth and power does not control the Internet. Through the Internet, regular ordinary people have a voice. That’s why I go out of my way to communicate any way that I can on the Internet and I think the blogs are a tremendously important way for the American public to find out what’s really going on."
But a Gallup Poll shows that blogs are still pretty elitist. Saying "Blogs are still not in the media big leagues," Gallup found that few Americans read blogs with any frequency. And those that do fall into a narrow 18-to-29 year old age range. Only about 3% of Americans check blogs on a daily basis.
Needless to say, that breaks my heart and I no longer believe in polls.
But for Americans without blogs, there's still snail mail. You may not be able to spend like Patton Boggs, but a 37-cent stamp can still carry some weight in Washington. And a letter still carries more weight with most politicians than an e-mail. It's a rule of thumb in politics that for every one letter expressing an opinion, there are 100 people with the same opinion who didn't have time to write.
Might want to write that down — and share it with a few friends.
[Crossposted at Watching Washington]
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
If Harry Reid is checking in with internet bloggers he sure isn't getting the message or he's being very selective about his blog sources.
I'm pretty sure that most of the bloggers - even democrats aren't wildly enthusiastic about trenchant, irrational obstructionism as party policy.
Dave
2 - Denny Hix
Spoken like a true partisan Nalle. You don't become leader of your party in the Senate by being out of touch, irrational, or an obstructionist.
But the Republican spin machine would paint him that way.
3 - Eric Berlin
Dave - I think you'd be more correct in saying that Reid isn't getting your message.
Nice post, Terry. I don't see anything wrong with that 3% figure. That's a lot of vocal, active, passionate folk getting their voices out there and taking other voices in. If there's an impact at 3% -- and obviously there is, even if it's a small one at this stage -- think what it will be when (not if) the number goes up to 6, 10, etc.
4 - Terry Turner
It's a start, Eric. Television had low penetration in the early years. Blogs are still getting a footing and will probably play a greater role in a relatively short time.
Part of the problem in reaching elected leaders is in finding those who embrace technology. They've been slow to do that.
I saw somewhere recently that Bill Clinton only sent one e-mail the whole time he was President. And President Bush told a reporter friend of mine -- his staff didn't allow him to send any (creates a paper trail that may not reflect an accurate record of policy).
5 - Eric Berlin
I think you're going to see politicians embracing technology more and more because... there's lots and lots of money in it. It's much easier to fund raise electronically than the traditional means, and Howard Dean proved that you can be a relative unknown and skyrocket to the top (of course, he fumbled once there, but that's another story).
Blogs are going to be a part of this process. We saw the start of it in '04 and I think as '06 and '08 roll around they're going to play an ever increasing role in fund raising, grass roots efforts, communication, blabbin' & bitchin', educating, etc.
Should be fascinating to see.