'Welcome to my Parlor',....
I think it is imperative that we spell out clearly what a lobby is before we delve into its influence and its effect on the security of the United
States. As the main topic here is the total influence of one lobby over the administration, so understanding what a lobby does is also of
importance.
Dictionary.com
Lobby:v. lob·bied, lob·by·ing, lob·bies
v. tr.
1. To try to influence public officials on behalf of or against (proposed legislation, for example): lobbied the bill through Congress; lobbied the
bill to a negative vote.
2. To try to influence (an official) to take a desired action.
[Medieval Latin lobia, monastic cloister, of Germanic origin.]
So the key word here would be '
influence'. This influence can be anything from a blind kid offering a senator a candy to foreign agents
blackmailing congressmen to betray their country. Lobbing has been used to uplift the downtrodden through favorable benefits, pull companies out of
the red by granting them tax breaks and incentives, to sustain communities through incentives for local companies and businesses, to help corporate
houses safeguard their markets through protectionist legislation, to help insurance companies hold the populace at ransom over medical care, to help
pharmaceutical companies bypass FDA regulations and also most importantly to help foreign companies, nationals and governments benefit through
America's foreign relations. That is we have both the good and the bad and just like the numerous incentives that are promised but never come
through, there are numerous sops promised to companies and governments that also never fall through.
So what do we find unpleasant here ? Is it the fact that our senators are mere pawns that are swayed for particular narrow interests, have they not
given a personal pledge of honor that they are not "employed as agents to persecute any claim pending before congress" or is it the fact that there
are so many organizations that have bought up the hallways of power leaving the common man to believe that we are all at the mercy of these lobbies
and their employers ? Or is it the general paranoia associated with the workings of the legislature and the halls of power ?
I think it is not fair to categorize all lobbies as the nefarious cabals that we make them out to be, for without them many an important legislation
would not have come into effect. One such example is the efforts of various NGO's lobbing for an international ban on landmines which despite
resistance by many major powers was passed through the
influence of these NGO's lobbies. Not only have these lobbies helped these NGO's get
the political will they need to ensure such legislation they have given the government great PR not to mention the many thousands of lives saved
through this. These lobbies not only exert their influence to legislation but also to foreign policy and troop deployments like they did during the
1994 Rwandan Genocide, Congo, Serbia-Kosovo and most recently by bringing situations like Daffur into the spotlight in Washington. All this is done
through lobbing the halls of power to take note of the concerns of a particular NGO or groups. They have in fact gained so much influence that
ignoring such groups/NGO's has become detrimental to the senators and congressmen so much so that their support of such causes effects their
credibility back home and determines their chances of getting elected again. In effect it is nothing more than being coerced into acting upon one
issue or not on another.
Here is a good article that talks more about the clout of such NGO lobbies :
Washington Post-CLOUT WITHOUT A COUNTRY: THE POWER OF INTERNATIONAL LOBBIES
At 27, shambling and Kennedyesque, Marco Cappato navigates the diplomatic world with all the confidence and authority of a nation's ambassador .His
nation is only an office, a cell phone and a global network of like-minded human rights activists.......
"The influence of France on African counties has been effective," Cappato said. "Why shouldn't we be just as effective?"
"Privatizing ideas can be good, especially for the weaker nations who don't have the means to be informed," said Cappato, whose group is an
offshoot of Italy's Transnational Radical Party.
Opening the five-week conference here, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan paid tribute to the way the work of diplomats and statesmen is being
opened up to a broader and more contentious public through NGOs.
"In my judgment, this is a new diplomacy" he told reporters here. "We at the U.N. travel the world encouraging participatory democracy. I think
we should apply a bit of it to ourselves."
"Let me tell you, they are very, very, very important here," said one Western ambassador with grudging admiration.
The most important organizations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, might as well be major countries for the clout they have........ they
want-making what they term "bilateral' calls on foreign ministers around the world,........ and deploying teams of experts.
They are supplying, free of charge, the demand of smaller, poorer countries who want a negotiating voice here but don't have the resources to
support their participation.
When we consider international lobbies it is important to consider the role that the US plays in that part of the world, the level of influence it has
and the amount of interest the State department is showing in that region.
It is ludicrous to assume that Congress would have full knowledge of all the ins and out's of every area of interest that these lobbies would
represent. A comprehensive look at how lobbies effect this nations ability to make decisions and their utility to Congressmen is given by former
Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd essays for the Senate's 1989 bicentennial commemoration:
History of the Senate: "Lobbyists" September 28, 1987 (updated
1989)
An interesting article form 1999 about the most powerfull lobbing groups reveals that the AIPAC is not the most powerfull lobby in the US contrary to
popluar perception.
AARP Tops Fortune'sList of Most Powerful Lobbying Groups for the Second
Consecutive Year
"Washington lobbying isn't what you'd expect," writes Birnbaum. "The capital's mightiest lobbyists aren't shadowy creatures who shun the
spotlight. Many are among the nation's best-known public servants who until recently were Sunday talk-show regulars, and in some cases still
are."
One "myth" that most people on this thread have fallen prey to and this includes the article that works as the premise to this thread, is that a
foreign powers/Israel in this case/ can fund political parties through their lobbies or directly to the individuals. This is simply not possible.
Firstly, I would like to point out "FARA" [ Foreign Agents Registration Act ] which is specifically meant to identify lobbyists or "foreign
agents" as the government would call them.
FAS.org
Foreign involvement in the American political process has long been permitted under federal law. In 1938, the federal government enacted the
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA') to govern the activities of all individuals in the United States who engage in lobbying, political
activities or public relations on behalf of foreign governments or companies.[21] As amended, FARA requires individuals who conduct political or
public relations activities on the behalf of foreign governments or political parties to register as ``foreign agents'' and disclose their
expenditures.
This act not only prevents those engaged in lobbing in funneling money to the political parties and candidates but also seeks to make their accounts
publicly accessible so that their accounts may be monitored with greater scrutiny. It is the responsibility of the FBI to see to it that these
"foreign Agents" do not funnel money into political campaigns and also if this is done to bring this information to the notice of the FEC. But
there is no such caps on Foreign funding for financing their lobbing activities.
FAS.org
In 1992, the Justice Department reported that Hong Kong interests spent nearly $80 million on lobbying and public relations in the United States, with
Japan spending over $60 million, Canada $22.7 million, and Mexico $1.5 million on lobbying for passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
alone.29 By 1996, a summary of the Justice Department figures showing that foreign interests spent over $400 million on such activities in the first
six months of 1996 alone.[30]
A case of the Government of China allegedly trying to influence the electoral process in the 1996 elections known as the " China Plan" was
reported to a Senate committee although no conclusive evidence was found.
Lobbing outside the electoral process would be possible to foreign interests but with certain restrictions of registering the lobbing groups under the
"Lobbying Disclosure Act(pdf) " which makes it mandatory
for every lobbing group in the senate to register themselves to the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk at the House of Representatives so that their
details may be open to public scrutiny at the Office of Public records.
The LDA guidelines are given here:
www.senate.gov...
Also take into consideration the relationship between the LDA and FARA with respect to foreign lobbing groups. Because Federal Law bans :
FAS.org
- Foreign contributions to political campaigns.
- Campaign expenditures paid for by foreign entities.
Also the details regarding FARA can be found here :
www.usdoj.gov...
These laws together make the possibility of foreign governments funding electoral campaigns remote to say the least as not only do the lobbies face
punitive charges but the FEC can also disqualify the candidate for unethical practices if his/her camping goes against Federal regulations. Not to
mention the PR nightmare for the foreign nation in question. No senator or congressman would associate with this interest group and that would mean
the end of their group in Washington.
I have however considered FredT's data regarding the Pro-Israel lobby's contribution to the electoral process, but the important thing here to
realize is that the Government of Israel doesn’t finance these groups nor do they get channel money form Israel to the political parties as this
would contradict with LDA. These pro-Israel lobby is essentially an American lobby that would promote its own domestic agenda while having certain
sympathy to the plight of Israel and the terrorism they face. They fund themselves, they represent domestic interests mostly and sometimes
international interests also as Americans while contributing to political parties. This money is in no way channeled from the Israeli government to
these groups, instead they work mostly autonomously with regards to their missions as American citizens and support the continued existence of the
Jewish people and Israel. This does not mean that there is some coordinated network between all these groups, so that they agree on all issues
regarding Israel and its policies and work with any semblance of unity. This is simply not true! Most of these groups see the domestic situation in
America be it Jewish Affairs, civil liberties, social welfare, healthcare etc to be their primary concerns rather than Israel. Only a few groups like
AIPAC etc are receive funding and aid from Israel directly, mostly by business people and other Israeli interests to help promote and build Israeli
commerce, trade, agriculture and manufacturing services with the US. Military and geo-political policy of the US in the region has always been
curtailing even to the Israeli side with the severe restraint enforced on the Israelis regarding the handling of terrorism and other sorts of
aggression from their arab neighbors.
Note: I will havent responded to the original article yet but I would like to do that in my next post.
[edit on 27-3-2006 by IAF101]
