Don't Cry for Republican Lobbyists By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum --WaPo

[Demeter]

NO FEAR OF THAT FROM THIS CROWD!


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/12/AR2006111200800.html?referrer=email



By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Monday, November 13, 2006; D01



Democrats took control of Congress in part by bashing Republicans for their coziness with "special interests." You'd think, then, that lobbyists would have a hard time finding employment when the new Congress convenes next year.

Think again.

Lobbying firms all over town have posted "Help Wanted" signs, anticipating more business than ever. The prime candidates for these jobs are Democratic staffers, who might be lured to the private sector by bigger salaries just as their bosses come into power. But Republicans might also be in demand.

Turns out that divided government is good for the lobbying game. Change, in general, creates more need for expert advice. And when that change is a move from one-party control to two-party competition, the market for translators and guides from both sides of the aisle expands a lot.

"I tell my Republican friends, 'Despair not,' " said Joel Johnson, a partner at Glover Park Group, an all-Democratic lobbying and public affairs firm. "There's plenty of work to do."

"The election will bring a brighter set of days for Democratic lobbyists," said Dirk Van Dongen, a prominent Republican lobbyist and president of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. "Republican lobbyists will be very, very busy as well."

Jeffrey Birnbaum writes about the intersection of government and business every other Monday. His e-mail address [e-mail]


I'M GUESSING THEY DIDN'T GET THE PELOSI MEMO AT THE POST YET.