January 1, 2010
An Open Letter to:
John and Jane Q. Citizen
1234 Main Street
Anytown, USA 20001
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Citizen,
Being forty eight years old and having been a professional lobbyist my entire adult life, I want to shed some light on what being a lobbyist means, and how it fits into the political and governmental infrastructure that affects our daily lives. Through this open letter I hope to simplify what I feel is often seen as a complicated process.
“GET INTO POLITICS, OR GET OUT OF BUSINESS”
In its simplest form, grassroots lobbying is any effort to organize, coordinate or implore others to contact public officials for the purpose of affecting public policy. Grassroots lobbying is therefore not just the exercise of free speech and association, but the very process by which like‐minded people coordinate their efforts and petition government.
Whether this takes the form of a public rally on the steps of the Capitol, a letter writing campaign or an impassioned blog entry, grassroots lobbying is quintessential representative democracy in action.
The Tradition of Lobbying
The tradition of grassroots lobbying in America has its roots in colonial town hall meetings and anonymous pamphlets. It was written about in the famous book by Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, and has since often been celebrated in American art (e.g., Mr. Smith Goes to Washington).
But this is one tradition that has grown immensely more important as communication technology has advanced, so that now just about everyone is one email or tweet away from a call to action by a multitude of formal and informal voluntary membership organizations.
To cite just one example, the website of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia encourages members to sign up as grassroots lobbyists; members then receive “regular legislative summaries listing the status of bills identified by the ACLU of Virginia staff as potentially impacting civil right liberties … (and) … as needed, ‘action alerts’ on particular bills that require immediate attention.”
The effectiveness of grassroots lobbying is manifest by the effort of every major (and not‐so‐major) interest group to inform and energize its membership. Elected officials pay so much attention to groups like the AARP, the NRA, MADD and the Sierra Club precisely because those are large associations with a demonstrated ability to mobilize their membership to action. The number and variety of groups that utilize grassroots lobbying would be impossible to list, but even relatively minor groups like cat fanciers recognize its importance and encourage their members to speak out on issues of mutual concern.
Grass roots lobbying is the foundation of the American political system
Because of this process, lawmakers learn what the will of their constituents is, and the manner in which these lawmakers respond is the basis on which they are held accountable.
Grassroots lobbying is one way constituents can inform officeholders of what people in their district think and spur them to action. In such cases, every participant in a grassroots lobbying campaign is a potential vote for a competitor in the next election, and popular leaders of grassroots campaigns often make effective opposition candidates. For these reasons, incumbent legislators are often very responsive to grassroots activity, which in turn makes grassroots lobbying campaigns an important check on the ability of party leaders to pressure legislators to work contrary to the interests of their districts. But grassroots lobbying is more than just an alarm bell; it also serves an important educational function. Grassroots groups explain the content and effects of proposed legislation that would otherwise be completely hidden or incomprehensible to most citizens. Further, grassroots groups educate people about the legislative process and enable them to direct their concerns to the committee that regulates their industry or profession and identify legislators who may wield a decisive vote. In this way, grassroots lobbying can serve as a powerful check on legislative gatekeepers and agenda setters who might otherwise bottle up popular legislation.
Grassroots lobbying activities of industry and trade associations, unions, ideological interest groups and political parties serve to keep people informed and alert regarding policy proposals that affect them and facilitate the ability of citizens to participate in the legislative process in a manner that gives their voices maximal impact. For example, when some legislators in Connecticut tried to push through a bill to punish the Catholic Church for its successful activism in that state, the Church was able to quickly mobilize its members and shine light on the unsavory activities of those legislators. The church was ultimately successful. Would‐be grassroots lobbyists face an inherent difficulty known in political science literature as the problem of collective action: Often, self‐interested individuals do not have a sufficient incentive to take actions that would be in the interest of a group of people. Political participation is rife with such problems, from voting and contributing to candidates to contacting legislators about issues of shared concern. In each of these cases, isolated individuals may rationally choose to slack off; after all, the incremental value of just one vote or one voice is small. And the larger a group, the greater the incentive to take a free ride by letting others do the work for you.
Political entrepreneurs can solve the collective‐action problem. More effective groups are those where some members care enough about the group to take on the cost of coordinating, communicating and mobilizing other individuals. These groups become organized and function as interest groups. Elected politicians often play the role of political entrepreneur, but outside actors, be they existing interest groups, candidates‐in‐waiting or concerned citizens, may also play the role of political entrepreneur. However, unlike incumbent politicians, outside political entrepreneurs often lack a public platform from which to communicate and do not have a professional staff to help organize group members. For these reasons, grassroots lobbyists rely on patrons and contributors to provide resources to inform, coordinate and mobilize group members.
Seen in this light, the frequent assumption that authentic grassroots lobbying can only occur absent political entrepreneurs and professional expertise is simply ridiculous. Unorganized and ordinary citizens with legitimate and latent preferences for policy cannot be expected to monitor the legislative calendar constantly just in case an item of concern should pop up; nor can ordinary citizens be expected to fully comprehend the legislative process so that they can contact the appropriate committee members at the appropriate time.
Advocacy groups and other entrepreneurs provide a valuable function for unorganized interests by monitoring legislation and sending action alerts when appropriate, as well as helping to coordinate grassroots action for maximum effect by informing people about the issues at hand, the relevant actors to contact and the time frame for action.
Far from being a suspect enterprise, political entrepreneurship is a necessary condition for vigorous and robust grassroots lobbying. If anything, it is the absence of such activity that should cause concern, since it would mean that latent groups are left unorganized and their preferences likely ignored by the political process. Unfortunately, regulations in numerous states are creating just such a dynamic.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Another key ingredient in effective grassroots lobbying is timing. Timing is essential. Accurate and detailed communications and the right information at the right time helps keep the grassroots lobbying network moving in the right direction. Reports about grassroots activities lend efficiency and eliminate needless duplication of effort.
Finally, grassroots lobbying also includes attempts to persuade fellow citizens to adopt a new view about pending legislation or regulation. In a democracy, new ideas and policy proposals are implemented only after they gain majority support; however, by definition, any new idea must originate with a minority of citizens. Therefore, in any well‐functioning democracy, there will always be passionate minorities (i.e., special interests) that work to convince fellow citizens of the wisdom of their views. This is why free speech and association is crucial for the health of democracies. It is through the vigorous and free exchange of ideas that new policies are introduced and explained, and perhaps accepted by the larger community.
YOU MIGHT BE A LOBBYIST IF…
- You are paid to directly communicate to legislators for the purpose of influencing pending legislative proposals. Every state regulates paid direct lobbying of this sort, but many states extend the list of covered public officials and actions well beyond what reasonable people would consider lobbying.
- You send e-mails to all your personal and professional contacts, informing them about a proposed state tax hike in the e-mail you suggest that recipients should contact their state legislator and make their voice heard.
- Twenty-two states explicitly define lobbying to include soliciting others to contact public officials for the purpose of influencing public policy.
- You and your friends post flyers calling for a rally in support of anti-hate-crimes legislation; at the rally, you distribute homemade signs and T-shirts with political slogans.
- Another 14 states define lobbying as any attempt to influence public policy, as long as you meet a certain threshold of compensation or expenditures (including the value of homemade or donated items).
- You invite a group of your neighbors to your home for light refreshments; you also circulate a petition to the town council seeking an ordinance to require pet owners to pick up after their pets. In several states, such as Georgia, Minnesota and New York, even communicating with local officials about local matters may violate state laws.
- You post an open letter to public officials on a social networking webpage, or even in the window of your private home or business. There is no minimum compensation or expenditure threshold to be classified as a lobbyist in North Dakota, Rhode Island or Wyoming; this means that just about any public statement on legislative or regulatory matters is considered lobbying.
- You prepare a report for your employer regarding the effects of a proposed change in state labor regulations; of your own volition, you later write to your state representative about the proposed regulations. In several states, including Connecticut and Vermont, the value of any research or planning that is later employed in lobbying, or even being compensated for such research, counts toward the threshold expenditure requirements for lobbying.
- You even think about doing any of the above. Most states allow lobbyists a few days grace period to register and start filing reports about lobbying activities, but some states, like Idaho and Iowa, require that you register as a lobbyist before you engage in any lobbying activities. But given the overbroad definitions of lobbying in many states, this means you may not only be a lobbyist, you may already be subject to fines and criminal prosecution.
Whatever you take away from this letter, please take away how important it is for every citizen to participate in this powerful system that governs our lives. I’ll end by way of story as an analogy.
A pig and a chicken are walking down a road. The chicken looks at the pig and says, “Hey, why don’t we open a restaurant?” The pig looks back at the chicken and says, “Good idea, what do you want to call it?” The chicken thinks about it and says, “Why don’t we call it ‘Ham and Eggs’?” “I don’t think so,” says the pig, “I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved.”
I’m not suggesting that everyone be totally committed to the political and governmental process; however, I am emphasizing that everyone get involved in the process.
Sincerely,
Joe Mapes
President
Mapes & Mapes, Inc.
