Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Conventions Used in This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Chapter 1: A Brief History of Washington 5

Becoming the National Capital 5

Putting D.C on the map 6

Building Georgetown and Alexandria 6

Sitting far from the early seats of power 7

Meeting in Mount Vernon and Annapolis 8

Wheeling and dealing 9

Designing the national capital 11

Watching the City Develop 12

Growing the Government in the 20th Century 14

The Roosevelt Years: The New Deal and World War II 14

From the Cold War to the new millennium 15

Eyeing D.C Today 16

Charting a changing demographic 16

Touting a recession-proof economy 17

Respecting D.C.’s rankings 18

Identifying the Washington Establishment 19

Putting the President and Congress in their place 20

Focusing on federal bureaucrats 20

Spotting the lobbyists 21

Recognizing other voices in the debate 21

Trying to figure out who really runs the show 21

Ignoring the establishment at your own peril 22

Chapter 2: The People behind the Curtain: Federal Bureaucrats 23

Embracing the Bureaucracy 24

Filling Plum Positions: Career Officials versus Appointees 25

Appreciating the Power of the Executive Office of the President 26

Running the Nation’s Business in the Cabinet and Departments 30

Filling in the Gaps with Agencies from A–Z 31

What to Wear, or How to Spot Federal Workers 32

Chapter 3: Professional Persuaders: Lobbyists 35

Exercising the Right to Petition 36

Identifying Interest Groups 37

Large corporations 37

Trade associations 39

Labor unions 41

Issue-oriented organizations 41

Other interest groups 42

Realizing the Role Played by Lobbying and Consulting Firms 42

Bringing Legal Firms into the Lobbying Mix 43

Regulating the Lobbying Industry 44

Defining a lobbyist 44

Considering the case of foreign agents 46

Following the gifting rules 48

Lobbying via Social Media 50

Chapter 4: Other Voices in the Debate: Outsiders, Gatecrashers, and Wallflowers 51

Figuring Out What Think Tanks Do 52

Trying to influence policy debates 52

Representing a cause or agenda 53

Employing former public servants 54

Informing the public 54

Analyzing the Efforts of Activists and NGOs 55

Feeling the Influence of Foreign Governments 57

Interacting with International Organizations 59

All Press Is Good Press: The Media 61

Spotting the many players 61

National, local, and foreign media outlets 61

Specialist media outlets 62

24-hour outlets: Cable news and social media 63

Breaking news in a cutthroat environment 63

Influencing policy (for better or worse) 65

Chapter 5: Congress 67

Browsing the Basic Responsibilities of Congress 67

Wielding the power of the purse 68

Overseeing the executive branch 68

Carrying out other constitutional duties 69

Studying the Structure of Congress 70

Spotlighting the Senate 70

Homing in on the House 70

Spotting the legislative leaders 71

Appreciating the Committee Process 73

Helping legislators gain expertise 73

Serving as a source of power 74

Bringing a Bill — and Possibly a Law — to Life 76

Investigating the Importance of Money 78

Focusing on campaign fundraising 78

Playing with PACs and special interests 79

Becoming beholden to financial supporters 79

What do you get for your money? 80

Chapter 6: The Presidency 81

The Workings of the White House 81

Fulfilling the duties of office 82

Constitutional duties 82

Self-imposed duties 84

Knowing his limitations: Can one man change Washington? 84

Using the bully pulpit 85

Relying on his support team 86

Governing from the bubble 87

Campaigning and Policymaking 89

Donating money and influencing policy 89

Concentrating disproportionate power in swing states 90

Dealing with party politics 91

A Day in the Life 92

Chapter 7: Policymaking 95

Realizing That Anyone Can Think Up New Policy 95

Getting Ideas to the Policymakers 96

Recognizing the policy triangle 96

Putting the idea on the decision-makers’ agenda 97

Employing Advocacy to Influence Policy Decisions 98

Defining our terms: Advocacy and lobbying 98

Distinguishing indirect and direct advocacy 100

Building an advocacy message 101

Practicing a powerful delivery 101

Getting a reality check from Washington insiders 103

Turning Bills into Laws 103

Writing Regulations to Support the Laws 107

Wielding Influence beyond Laws and Regulations 108

Spotting Checks and Balances in Policy Implementation 108

Congressional oversight: Keeping the executive branch in check 109

The interagency process 110

Untangling the Policy Web: The Power of Washington Insiders 112

Chapter 8: Ten Ways to Participate in Washington Policymaking 113

Be Informed 113

Run for Congress (Or Join a Staff) 114

Join the Bureaucracy 115

Contact Your Member of Congress 115

Join an Interest Group 117

Be an Activist for a Day 117

Be a Lobbyist for a Day 118

Submit Public Comments 119

Be a Citizen Journalist 119

Join the Washington Establishment 120

About the Author

Greg Rushford has been observing Washington's political scene since 1967 -- first as a student, then as a congressional aide during the 1970s, and, in recent decades, as a journalist who specializes in the politics of international trade and diplomacy.