K Street

K Street columnist Jeffrey Birnbaum was online to discuss the intersection of business, politics and government on Tuesday, April 10, at 1 p.m. ET.

A list of Birnbaum's columns can be found here.

A transcript follows.

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Jeffrey Birnbaum: Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for writing in, and for sending so many questions.

I see inquiries about both lobbying (my column today) and politics in general.

Great, I can be a little wide-ranging.

Let's get started.

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Bethesda, Md.: I read your last column and it said that Wal-Mart was trying to get in close to Democrats by giving money to relatives of senators. How common is that sort of thing? Is what Wal-Mart did legal?

Jefffrey Birnbaum: It's legal and not very common, but that sort of backdoor lobbying does happen. The most prominent method is giving to a charity or university that is the pet of a lawmaker. That's a gimmick that a lobby bill might try to pierce with more disclosure. Stay tuned.

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Arlington, Va.: Re: Chemical Makers and Trial Lawyers.

Dear Mr. Birnbaum:

The final sentence of your opening piece says: "It will also determine how safe chemical plants and the people around them will be in an era of constant danger." If circumstances can be described as giving rise to danger then they must at minimum be logically possible - think of the possible danger of being run over by an escaped elephant from a local zoo. Buttressing the requirement of possibility is the requirement of probability; which is linked but not determined by past experiences. In other words how many people have been so killed in the past? The third element of constancy implies that both the possibility and probability are sufficiently high that the next such event could occur almost at any time in any place. One might think of automobile accidents (including fatalities) as meeting this criteria.

It would be appreciated, therefore, if you would inform your readers as to the total number of terrorist attacks against chemical plants located in the United States.

I am sure that you will understand at this point that the constant refrain from certain quarters (including government sources) about constant, and even impending, dangers of terrorist attacks is a testable proposition. One of the duties of journalists is to pose exactly those questions (let's call this the "why" of the classic 5 Ws).

Sincerely yours,

Donald R. Mackay

Arlington, VA

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Thank you for your question.

Unless I am mishearing terrorism experts, the chances of a terrorist attack on our soil is approaching 100 percent. And the liklihood that a chemical plant might be targeted is also very high.

I know it hasn't happened yet, but surely there is a heightened danger. I don't know about you, but I would gladly have tougher security requirements around chemical plants than sort-of-tough requirements.

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Anonymous: How much union influence will be pressured on the Congress to curtail or totally revoke the legislation that approved the DHS and DOD HR programs that so far have run into federal court roadblocks and congressional spending prohibitions?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I'm afraid I don't know which programs you are referring to. Could you please be more specific. I would be happy to answer or check into it.

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Frankfort, Ky.: Thanks for taking questions. What's the latest on the bi-partisan group (chaired by Rep. Capuano) appointed by Speaker Pelosi to study the possibility of an independent ethics commission for Congress?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I hear that the task force is leaning against the idea of starting an independent Office of Public Integrity. I doubt this comes as much of a surprise to anyone. Congress has always been hit-or-miss at policing itself. Why should it start now? (There are probably some very good reasons, but none that are persuasive to the people who would be policed.)

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Palm Beach, Fla.: What are the chances that the name "K" Street will be changed to "$" Street?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Some would say that's the name it already has. Certainly that's its reputation. Money plays a huge role in legislation and regulation here. People who think or say otherwise are operating with their eyes closed.

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Bethesda, Md.: Why didn't you write Citizen K Street? Isn't that what you do?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: The series was written by Bob Kaiser, a former managing editor of the Washington Post, who has been working on it for about four years.

I am also gathering string for a book on power in Washington and I hope you will see its results in not too terribly long. I did write a book on lobbyists by the way called, well, The Lobbyists.

It's a pretty good primer on the topic, if I don't say so myself (which I just did).

In the meantime, I will continue to write my column (on the intersection of business and goverment), feature stories and do TV and radio, and get to the bigger project when I have collected enough stuff.

Thank you for asking.

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Washington, D.C.: How much trouble do you think Hillary Clinton is in? All the money that Obama collected, I bet she didn't expect that!

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I bet you're right. I think Clinton is in a heap-'o-trouble. My theory of this election is that voters are sick and tired of the way things are going in Washington and are demanding something new and fresh. That includes new faces. Sen. Clinton has been at the front of mind for years; I think she is suffering from this out-with-the-old syndrome. Obama is new and, therefore, exciting. He has stirred a real groundswell out there, and the campaign finance numbers show it. He has double the number of donors in the first quarter than Sen. Clinton, 100,000 to 50,000, and many of them are small donors. That means he can go back to them for more money, and perhaps more importantly, for volunteer help with his campaign. The two old hands whose names were supposed to be at the top of the candidate list for president--Clinton and McCain--are both looking over their shoulders at the new-bes.

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Los Angeles: Will Congress ever get aroud to doing anything or will it just be all for show?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Good question.

The House started off with a bang, the Six for 06, you might recall. Minimum wage increase, bargaining for lower prescription drug prices under Medicare and the like.

Well, none of that has gotten to the president's desk -- yet. Senators like Chuck Schumer of New York promise that a few of the items will make it to the White House, and maybe soon.

I am a bit more skeptical. This might be a lost session in terms of actual congressional accomplishments. There will be more fireworks, however, as President Bush takes out his veto pen in earnest for the first time in his tenure.

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Ft. Myers, Fla.: What are the chances that Alberto Gonzalez can survive?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I think the attorney general's time is limited. I know that President Bush has expressed his confidence in Gonzales, but the drip drip drip of his situation is undermining the Department of Justice and is distracting from other issues that the White House cares about. Also, the facts of the case will be hard for Gonzales to explain away. It seems pretty clear that he knew more about the firings of U.S. attorneys than he had let on publicly. That's a problem, while not fatal (in a career sense) immediately, but certainly in not too terribly long. Once Gonzales has his say in the Senate next week, watch for things to accelerate. That's my guess anyway. Write back and tell me I was wrong if it goes the other way.

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Detroit: Does President Bush matter anymore? His polls are so low. Does anyone listen?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Congress isn't listening very well, that's for sure. But the president is the president no matter what the polls say. He and his branch of government have enormous powers. Interest groups are constantly trying to undo regulations either directly or through the courts. I predict there will be a lot more contested regs as well, as the final days of the Bush administration approach. Maybe Bush doesn't get the legislation he wants, but the bureaucracy led by his appointees is trying to get his way through the back door. Keep your eye there, is my advice.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi Mr. Birnbaum- heard you on NPR yesterday!

As to my question: what ever happened to the whole Mariana Islands/Tom DeLay/indentured servitude/forced abortion story? I heard a long piece last year on NPR all about the stunning hypocrisy involved in this situation, but then the story just died. I find that very sad, because I doubt conditions there have changed, and thus we are still getting our "Made in the USA" clothes from what is essentially slave labor supported by US lobbying funds. Would love to hear a follow up on this. Thanks much.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I don't know the exact, current situation, but I am as interested in it as you are. I will check and try to follow up with a story, or I will ask one of my colleagues to do so. Thank you.

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McLean, Va.:

Why is AARP taking on the drug lobby on Medicare prescription drugs?

Didn't it push the Part D plan to begin with?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Yes, you're right. AARP, the senior citizens' lobby, did push hard for Part D, the new prescription drug part of Medicare. But it lost a bunch of members over its position. Now it's polling its vast membership closely and is responding. It knows that AARP members want lower drug prices and that they favor forcing drug companies to bargain with Uncle Sam as way to get those prices down. Therefore, they are pushing hard, with advertising and lobbying from the grassroots, to win the bargaining legislation. They face a tough sell, however, with President Bush and the drug lobby, PhRMA, on the other side.

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Alexandria, Va.: wow, thanks for the follow up on the Marianas. I would love to see a story by you on it!!!

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I hope I can find something for you. Cheers!

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Big Piney, Wyo.: As a former staffer, one of the things I noticed among my peers at the time (2001-2006) was the ambition to move over to a lobby shop. What we are seeing now is that people are spending the primes of their careers downtown as opposed to at an agency or the Hill.

Has there ever been a time like this when the "best and the brightest" more often aimed their career trajectories to peak as lobbyists rather than public servants?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: You are correct, at least by my observation as well.

Staff work in Congress is now a steppingstone to a job on K Street not an end in itself as it once was. That's true of many lawmakers as well, but not all, of course. As for prime of life? Well, that's a relative term. I'm still waiting for that part myself. Thanks for the comment. You are spot on.

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name "K" Street: Actually, "Prostitute Alley" is a bit more informative. Maybe "Weasel Way"?

"$ Street" doesn't work, as people can honestly earn dollars through work and acheivement, rather than connections, being "well born", and (economic) rent taking.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: A little, well actually a lot meaner than I would be, but you are not alone in your thinking.

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Quinebaug, Conn.: What with most of the expense of campaigning going to pay for tv advertising, why don't we just create a public CSPAN-like channel dedicated to electioneering? Would this not remove much the costs to candidates, and thus remove the influence of private interests' funding/bribery?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: There is a C-Span, actually at least three of them. What would be needed to do what you suggest is public financing that prevented private purchasing of air time, a proposal that in my view is a pipe dream and nothing more.

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Re: Palm Beach: Yes, it is disgusting that money is determining who gets their way in government...

But some of us with our eyes wide open refuse to capitulate and give up on the idea of democracy, and hand over America to 3rd party mercenaries.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Money often works against money in DC, by the way, so it's not a simple equation that money wins. Washington is a clash of interests with money play a role on all sides.

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Alexandria: Do you see a preference or advantage for big companies in either starting their own government relations department or contracting out with a private lobbying firm?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: The best practice, as far as I can see, is to have an anchor office that contracts out when needed.

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Dupont Circle: Is the Internet Caucus a tool for industry? That's what you seemed to imply in your last column.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I didn't say that. It is allowing itself to be used as a method of lobbying by offering prominent sponsorships of its events, which attract lawmakers, their staffers and agency officials. That is a clever marketing device. It probably brings in a lot more money than other methods, that's for sure.

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Anonymous: Mr Birnbaum, Heard you on NPR the other day. You sounded just so angry about the failure of the Democrats to fix all the ethics problems on Capitol Hill--I must say it was very impressive.

Would've been nice to hear some of this during the Delay years--which most impartial observers have found to be the most corrupt era since the Teapot Dome--but we'll take what we can get.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: You have been hearing that sort of tone for many years from a lot of people and on both sides of the political aisle.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: If there is a lobbying bill this year, what will be its focus?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Don't know yet. But my guess is gift limits, revolving door issues and travel restrictions will be at the heart. So will more disclosure requirements. But how far they will go is anybody's guess.

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Old City, D.C.: Anyone interested in hearing more about the Marianas scandal should pick up Bill Moyer's excellent podcast "Capitol Crimes". It runs about an hour and fourty-five minutes, and wraps up the issues in a way that was never done in the media at large.

Jeffrey Birnbaum: I'm sure Moyers leans very far left, but it's probably worth listening to.

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Washington: I haven't seen a purge of Republican staffers installed as part of their "K Street Project." Do the Dems have a strategy to get their loyalists in positions of influence and power on K Street? Will they be relying on natural attrition, replacing R's with D's, or adding Dems to the rolls of K Street payrolls?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: There is no Democratic equivalent to the Republicans' K Street Project, thank heavens. In fact, a lot of Republicans are not only keeping their jobs there but getting new ones. Maybe people have finally figured out that Washington is run by Democrats sometimes, by Republicans sometimes and usually by both.

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Washington: In your opinion, will there be more or less lobbying if a Democrat becomes President in '08?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: More lobbying. First of all, there's more lobbying every year. Second, a change always creates more lobbying since there are more questions to be answered, and more opportunties created. A switch to a Democrat in the White House after eight years of Republican control will create a ton of lobbying.

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Old Town: Why were you so rough on chemical companies today? Are you a trial lawyer?

Jeffrey Birnbaum: Not I. I am just laying out an issue that most of us have not been paying attention to, but should.

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Jeffrey Birnbaum: Thanks for writing in. I see my time is past being over. Let's do it again in a couple weeks. Cheers!

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