Americans have become so jaded about political lobbying – they invented the term in the 1860s, so who can blame them? – that they seem unable to accept its simplest proposition:
It’s not about money!
Far more important is persuading decision-makers to focus on
· change,
· the objective of change, and
· the precise framework which will allow the market – or the community, when we talk of political change - to see confidently what is intended and what is then achieved.
In Australia, framing the issues correctly is always the big issue. Of course it is subject to argument. But successful change depends on persuasion.
As a persuader, money is about as blunt as an AK-47. Both can bring quick results, but the results rarely last.
Substantive, permanent, change in a community’s attitude is another matter entirely. It’s slow, painstaking, perhaps frustrating.
How nice to learn that some Americans, including lobbyists, stick to the more difficult, abstract, task rather than succumbing to the quick and dirty deal.
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/what_money_cant_buy.pt hp