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Posts Tagged ‘Cassidy & Associates’
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013 by Geoffrey Lyons
FOR EACH OF the three years since earmarks were outlawed by Congress, total lobbying expenditures have diminished. Other factors are surely at play, not least of which is congressional gridlock. The recent government shutdown, for example, kept many lobbyists entirely out of the fray. But the earmark moratorium has dealt a unique blow to the influence industry, one that simply cannot be gainsaid.
The most obvious reason for this is that the absence of earmarks, long used as bargaining chips, permits less opportunity for leverage in the political arena. Earlier this month, former Rep. George Nethercutt (R. Wash.), an opponent of the ban, wrote in a blog post for The Hill that an “unintended consequence” of banning earmarks is the creation of “purist legislators who largely disdain compromise” and “resist seniority.” For lobbyists, these members would become off limits, thus narrowing the playing field. (A retort to Nethercutt’s argument can be found here). Jim Dyer of Podesta has gone so far as to say that lobbying will never be the same again. “Opponents of earmarks, they won,” Dyer told Roll Call. “And look what they got: complete paralysis.”
But some lobbying firms have lost more than just a tool for leverage–they’ve lost significant business. Cassidy & Associates is an example of a firm, cited by Roll Call’s Kate Ackley, that “pioneered the dash for earmarks,” and thus relied heavily on their existence. For Cassidy and others, losing earmarks was like losing the ground on which they stood:
[Cassidy] had the highest grossing fees (more than $27 million) back in 2000 as measured by the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Last year, Cassidy reported about $15.5 million….In December 2010, on the cusp of the earmark moratorium, the firm restructured and laid off about a dozen employees.
So while the earmark debate still rages, doing its damage to Republican unity (see here and here), lobbyists of both parties are left weakened in its wake, forced to search for alternatives to a process they’ve spent years to master. Whether or not a ban on earmarks is good for the country is still very much in question. To doubt its effect on Washington lobbying is to ignore plain facts.
Tags: Cassidy & Associates, George Nethercutt, Kate Ackley, roll call, the hill
Posted in Lobbying News | Comments Off on How Earmarks Affect Lobbying
Monday, October 14th, 2013 by Geoffrey Lyons
ASSOCIATION TRENDS, another division of Columbia Books, has published a preview of its annual report titled “Factors of Influence of Lobbying Firms.” From the article:
Since 2010, Association TRENDS has been performing an annual analysis of government affairs firms on several “factors of influence” to help determine which firms are the most influential with respect to public policy….Government affairs firms were scored on 12 factors of influence that we believe contribute to the firm’s overall level of influence, including conventional metrics, such as total income and number of clients, as well as a host of more robust metrics, some of which are detailed in this article.
Van Scoyoc, Podesta, and Cassidy & Associates feature on this year’s list of top scoring firms. See who else made the list here.
Tags: Association TRENDS, Cassidy & Associates, columbia books, Factors of Influence of Lobbying Firms, Podesta, Van Scoyoc
Posted in Lobbying News | Comments Off on Association TRENDS Previews “Factors of Influence”
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013 by Geoffrey Lyons
DESPITE PROFUSE PLEAS from friends and family, your humble blogger hasn’t seen House of Cards. According to Roll Call, that amounts to repeated missed opportunities to catch a glimpse of Cassidy & Associates’ G St. facade. According to The Economist, it means passing up scenes of politicians:
…lying, leaking secrets to lobbyists, framing rivals, indulging in fistfights (one in front of wide-eyed children) and snorting cocaine, as well as sleeping with prostitutes, their own staff and a story-hungry reporter.
While the Cassidy building’s existence is undisputed, it’s dubious whether any lawmakers are snorting coke. So what’s the veracity of the show?
It’s pretty accurate…
“Honestly, the egos and the quest and thirst for power is very prevalent in Washington…just the drive, you know, the drive to the next position or the drive for the position of power” Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)
“The accuracy of the props—from congressional doorplates to visitors’ badges—is much discussed, and praised.” – The Economist
“…after the first couple of shows, [Underwood’s] office starts looking like my office. I have this big map, right, sitting in there. I look over on the wall, he’s got that whip sitting up there….Then in the ninth episode, he’s trying to pass this bill, and he says, ‘I’m going to tell you one thing: You vote your district, you vote your conscience. Just don’t surprise me.’ [I said that.]” Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
“It’s like evil ‘West Wing.’ And some of the shadier parts are so realistic.” – GOP strategist Amy Thoma
It’s fantasy…
“In real life, says a Democratic campaign aide, members of Congress are too nannied by staff to stride about hatching plots, one-on-one. In the real Washington, says a Republican staffer, leadership coups take longer to ferment….Other errors fall under the heading of flattery: the clothes are too elegant for DC, and the ratio of sexual trysts to committee meetings is strikingly high.” – The Economist
“The notion of any of our leadership team having sex with a reporter makes me laugh out loud. And besides, everyone knows there is no decent barbecue in Washington.” – Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.)
“[The characters] do mix fundraising and legislation far more than people would do…offering x dollars to anyone who would support this bill. That would never occur in real life.” – Thoma
“If I were to make one criticism of the show, it’s [that] a South Carolina congressman’s barbecue of choice appears to be fairly sticky ribs, when true South Carolina barbecue uses a mustard-based sauce and even when it’s not that, it’s a more North Carolina vinegar mop.” – Mike Bober, Meat Week founder and Capital Spice blogger
Tags: amy thoma, Cassidy & Associates, claire mccaskill, house of cards, jeff duncan, k st., kevin mccarthy, lobby, Lobbying, lobbyist, mike bober, the economist
Posted in Lobbying News | Comments Off on House of Cards: Fact or Fiction?
Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 by Geoffrey Lyons
MARK COWAN, Senior Executive Vice President for International Business at Cassidy & Associates, also spoke at the Country Promotion Strategies Conference (see previous post). Here are a few of his pointers for ambassadors and embassy personnel seeking to win the support of “relevant stakeholders”:
“Talk to real decision-makers. Avoid uninterested staff” –Whereas an uninterested member may relegate proposals to his staff, an uninterested staff may relegate them to the dust bin.
“Prioritize your issues (key players are always busy)” – Self-evident, but paramount. It may also be suggested that in order to prioritize properly, one must be heedful of the legislative calendar. To have broached climate change in the midst of the health care debate would have been an exercise in extreme naivete. Hugh Halpern, Republican Staff Director of the House Committee on Rules, has also suggested staying a step ahead of the public eye. Anything congressional leadership is doing publicly has been decided a week prior. For Congress, the annoying adage rings true: “if you’re on time, you’re late.”
“Make your issues look sexy” – A promising issue that fails to galvanize will meet the same fate as one that fails all around. Furthermore, the sexiness of an issue should fit the circumstances. Veteran lobbyists will recall how some of their proposals died in committee because the committee itself wasn’t interested.
“Think American – bridge the gap between U.S. and your country” – Advice particularly relevant to embassies, though also important for any lobbyist advocating international issues. Recall the rhetoric from this past election cycle – “nation building at home,” “the best interests of the United States” – before crafting a proposal. These trite phrases are signals of genuine public sentiment – Washington’s prime mover. Every issue, foreign or domestic, must ultimately be domestic.
For a full version of Cowan’s talking points, email glyons@columbiabooks.com
Tags: cassidy, Cassidy & Associates, cassidy and associates, Country promotion strategies conference, cowan, embassy, foreign lobbying, international lobbying, Lobbying, lobbyist, mark cowan
Posted in Lobbying News | Comments Off on 4 Lobbying Basics From Mark Cowan of Cassidy
Monday, July 12th, 2010 by Vbhotla
Mark Clack is a new senior vice president at Cassidy & Associates. He was a senior adviser assisting foreign countries with U.S. relations at KRL International.
Gordon Johndroe, former deputy White House press secretary has joined APCO Worldwide as a vice president of government relations in Washington.
Marne Levine, former White House economic adviser, was hired by Facebook to be its new vice president of global public policy. Tim Sparapani will remain as director of Facebook’s DC office in charge of outreach to Congress and the federal government.
Singleton McAllister, Weldon Rougeau and Ronald Thomas II have joined Blank Rome’s government relations group as well as its subsidiary, Blank Rome Government Relations. The trio joins from LeClairRyan.
Jim Ray has been hired as a senior adviser at Venn Strategies LLC.
James P. Moore Jr. has been hired as a senior counselor at APCO Worldwide, where he will also be a member of the company’s international advisory council.
Tags: APCO Worldwide, Blank Rome, Cassidy & Associates, Facebook, Gordon Johndroe, James P. Moore, Jim Ray, Mark Clack, Marne Levine, Ronald Thomas II, Singleton McAllister, timothy sparapani, Weldon Rougeau
Posted in Industry Moves & Changes | Comments Off on Lobbying Moves and Changes, Round 3
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