The Art of Lobbying: Building Trust and Selling Policy

by Bertram Levine

Often the whipping boys of politicians and pundits, lobbyists are the recipients of lampooning stump portrayals and sensationalized news coverage. Little attention is given to how most lobbyists simply do their job or become effective at what they do. Whether it’s helping staff draft legislative language, providing members with quality policy and political information, or just being a good listener, lobbyists must build and maintain relationships. If they do, they’ll succeed in advancing their policy objectives within the give-and-take process of the American legislative system. The Art of Lobbying examines strategies and techniques from the perspective of those who are lobbied―the people who know what resonates and what falls upon deaf ears in congressional offices. A former longtime lobbyist himself, Levine has interviewed more than 40 current or former members of Congress, along with their staffers, to give a thorough review of the relevant academic literature and offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on what constitutes the art of lobbying.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the profession (or at least it seems to be, as a non-lobbyist). However it was pretty repetitive at times, and some of the conclusions seemed rather weakly supported.

It is entirely focused on lobbying the US Congress, and spends quite a bit of time recapping the specifics of different strategies between the House and Senate (although there are also more general points). If you’re interested in that sort of lobbying, worth a read. If not, probably not.