Computers, Internet and the World Wide Web have changed the world of lobbying. They have made lobbying more than ever a contact sport. The game is played with information — passed to others at the right time — and now at speeds faster than ever before. Productivity and the quality of information are up. And making connections is quicker and easier than in the old days. Subsequently, more citizens are participating in governmental affairs.
But the basic fundamentals of lobbying remain the same. The best of lobbyists can’t personally persuade more than a couple handfuls of legislators. Their success comes in no small part because they call on others for support — at the right time.
The U.S. Army had a slogan to remind soldiers in a Jeep with a mounted 106 recoilless rifle what to do when they come upon an enemy tank: “Shoot, scoot and communicate.”
That is, fire a 106 round at the tank, then move fast out of the tank's range while calling for help. It’s a strategy that’s particularly applicable to lobbying. The lobbyist says what he has to in a committee room (when a timely situation arises on an issue at the Capitol), and then he scoots out of there and gets on his cell phone to communicate with the foot soldiers in the field, the folks back home.
Nothing will ever replace the front-line soldier or the front line lobbyist.
Lobbying on the scene at the Capitol is referred to as “direct” or “on-the-spot” lobbying.
A model legislative alert system
When the call goes out to the foot soldiers for action, the lobbyist on the scene at the Capitol may manage the alert.
[More in the book.]
