Washington, March 24: Lobbying in the US is as old as the republic, its function enshrined in the first amendment to the constitution guaranteeing the right of the people “to petition the government for a redress of grievances”. The petitioning has turned into a massive industry that, like it or not, is an integral part of today’s Washington politics. Like many of his predecessors, President Obama came to office vowing to clamp down on the lobbyists to “clean up government”. Experience suggests he is unlikely to succeed.
There are tens of thousands of lobbyists, spending anywhere between $3.5bn (£2.3bn) and $10bn a year, depending on what definition is used. They even have their own nickname of “K Street”, after the downtown thoroughfare where many leading firms are based.
–Agnencies