books
so damn much money the triumph of lobbying and the corrosion of american government
the startling story of the monumental growth of lobbying in washington d.c. and how it undermines effective government and pollutes our politics . br a true insider robert g. kaiser has monitored american politics for the washington post for nearly half a century . in this sometimes shocking and always riveting book he explains how and why over the last four decades washington became a dysfunctional capital . at the heart of his story is money money made by special interests using campaign contributions and lobbyists to influence government decisions and money demanded by congressional candidates to pay for their increasingly expensive campaigns which can cost a staggering sum . in 1974 the average winning campaign for the senate cost 437 000 ; by 2006 that number had grown to 7.92 million . the cost of winning house campaigns grew comparably 56 500 in 1974 1.3 million in 2006 . br politicians need for money and the willingness even eagerness of special interests and lobbyists to provide it explain much of what has gone wrong in washington . they have created a mutually beneficial mutually reinforcing relationship between special interests and elected representatives and they have created a new class in washington wealthy lobbyists whose careers often begin in public service . kaiser shows us how behavior by public officials that was once considered corrupt or improper became commonplace how special interests became the principal funders of elections and how our biggest national problems health care global warming and the looming crises of medicare and social security among others have been ignored as a result . br kaiser illuminates this progression through the saga of gerald s. j. cassidy a jay gatsby for modern washington . cassidy came to washington in 1969 as an idealistic young lawyer determined to help feed the hungry . over the course of thirty years he built one of the citys largest and most profitable lobbying firms and accumulated a personal fortune of more than 100 million . cassidys story provides an unprecedented view of lobbying from within the belly of the beast . br a timely and tremendously important book that finally explains how washington really works today and why it works so badly .
hardcover knopf publishing group 2009 isbn13 9780307266545 isbn10 0307266540
abridged n isbn 13 9780307266545 number in series 1 number of pages 398 publisher random house inc release date 1232409600000