Thread: CO: Man wants to know who wins: citizen or lobbyist

Man wants to know who wins: citizen or lobbyist
written by: Jeffrey Wolf Eric Kahnert 40 mins ago


DECISION 2010 SECTION
DENVER - A man from Denver spent months on the phone trying to find out how much influence and power lobbyists have in Washington, D.C.

This spring, 37-year-old Josh Brodbeck legitimately tried calling a few Colorado lawmakers to discuss a health care bill.

He says the lackluster response prompted him to do an in-depth research project.

Brodbeck called all 100 U.S. Senators as an ordinary citizen to talk about a health care bill, and then called all of them again as a lobbyist to discuss the same issue.

He just wrapped up his study a few days ago.

"It was important to me to never be disingenuous when I made these calls," Brodbeck explained from the basement of his Denver home where he made the phone calls and compiled the data.

Brodbeck is a self-employed organizational development and strategic planning consultant, and did the study on his own time.

"I started out as a citizen in April," Brodbeck started to explain.

He asked Senate staffers if he could meet with them in a few months in Washington, D.C. to discuss Senate Bill 702, or "The Long-Term Care Affordability and Security Act."

Brodbeck, the citizen from Denver, waited a month to hear back from each Senator's office.

Then it was Brodbeck the lobbyist's turn.

"I started making phone calls to all of the Senate offices as a lobbyist with the same exact request," Brodbeck said.

Brodbeck really did register as a federal lobbyist to keep the study legitimate.

"Josh the citizen received seven meetings. As a lobbyist, all else being equal, I received 27 meetings," Brodbeck said.

Brodbeck the lobbyist was nearly four times more likely to meet with a Senator or their staff than as a regular citizen.

"Maybe in some ways this told us what we've always sort of known in our gut; the difference is that now we have it statistically," Brodbeck said.

Brodbeck says each political party was equally guilty of paying more attention to the lobbyist.

When Brodbeck called as a citizen, the Senators' closer to a re-election were a lot more likely to meet with him.

A political science professor at the University of Florida is floored by Brodbeck's research and plans to write an academic report based on his data.

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx? ... &catid=339

Just shows you where Washington really is. In the pockets of the lobbyists.

WAIT A MINUTE!

That was one of Obama's priority items he was going to get rid of,if he became President.

DID HE NOT WIN?

Oh,that's right,after he got into office he said "lobbyists" is just another part of how the government works in Washington