It turns out that the special interest most in need of a good lobbyist is K Street.
At least that’s the idea behind the American League of Lobbyists’ just-unveiled, first-ever public relations offensive.
At the group’s annual meeting Tuesday, during which it also elected new officers and board members, ALL premiered a promotional video in an attempt to dispel what it considers misconceptions about the profession. Expect more such messaging next year, when President-elect Howard Marlowe assumes office.
“This is the first salvo in the media relations and public relations efforts that we’re going to have,” said Marlowe, whose Marlowe & Co. lobbies for earmarks. “There are going to be a lot of others.”
Some veteran K Streeters say they pay little attention to ALL, which has about 1,000 members — a fraction of the industry. But ALL’s officers say the group is growing and stepping up its visibility on major issues such as earmark reform.
Frustrated by the characterization of lobbyists as what’s wrong with Washington, D.C., current ALL President Dave Wenhold said the PR video was developed to sway public opinion. It’s a difficult task: Lobbyists are often a favorite punching bag during Congressional campaigns, and President Barack Obama not only blasted the influence set on the trail but also banned them from donating to his coffers or, in many cases, from serving in his administration.
“We haven’t done a good job of putting out the message on what good, accountable lobbying is,” said Wenhold, a partner at Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies. “People fear what they don’t know. A lot of people, when they hear you’re a lobbyist, they take two steps back; they don’t realize how they’re represented by lobbyists every day.”
Taking on the White House
Also during Wenhold’s tenure, ALL attacked Congressional bans on earmarking and successfully challenged a prohibition on lobbying the executive branch for stimulus funds, saying it violated the First Amendment. ALL teamed with the American Civil Liberties Union and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to fight the Obama administration’s 2009 ban on federal lobbyists advocating the executive branch for stimulus money.
“That was one of the highlights not just of my career with ALL but a career highlight,” Wenhold said.
At ALL’s meeting Tuesday, the group also rolled out its updated 10-year-old code of ethics. The new code includes advice to lobbyists to be aware of any changes in the campaign finance laws and to donate a portion of their professional time to doing pro bono advocacy.
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