I never said that the US Zionist lobby was discrete. It is anything but. I was making a point about lobbyists in general. I should have made myself clearer.
I have had experience dealing with professional lobbyists and it is a wilderness of mirrors. Few lobbyists have much influence and only a tiny number have power. Most are go-betweens rather than players, many are grifters, crisis actors paid to play a role. But everyone talks the industry up. The bullshitting is indescribable. The lobbyists who have something akin to power are the ones who represent multinationals or oligarchs with serious Deep State connections. They are very discrete.
It depends who the client is. Peak-level players like multinationals can use the prospect of eventual enrichment to secure compliance. The prospect of risking future opportunities or being shut out of the right networks horrifies politicians. The demonstration effect of a former colleague or a rival getting a plum position is more than enough to secure attention or a degree of compliance.
Bribes are for chumps. But loans on super-favourable terms (especially if made to a relative) are not bribes. Property traded at concessional rates. Book deals are great...publishers can sell an entire run to a single customer without having to publicise the identity of the customer. Internships for the children.
Reputation is often enough. A friend once sat next to a lobbyist (the principal in a company with which I had dealt) on a long train trip and listened in on a conversation the lobbyist was having with a junior politician who later became very senior indeed. He was giving the youngster orders. The lobbyist could do this because he was working for a truly global player and the lobbyist is himself the protege of an apex-level oligarch whose goodwill is greatly valued.
No surprises there. Self-funded retirees (the ones who really count) are highly motivated to defend their patch, always vote and hold grudges. Wise politicians pay careful attention to older constituents.
The Zionist lobby never ignores Congress. So the benefactor/ally is very forgiving.
Actually publicity in DC is a sign of weakness not strength.
But you’re correct in this case.
Power is discrete. Publicity is for the merely ambitious who confuse the entertainment industry for the real world.
How can a lobby be discrete when politicians are crowing their support for Zionism every chance they get?
I never said that the US Zionist lobby was discrete. It is anything but. I was making a point about lobbyists in general. I should have made myself clearer.
I have had experience dealing with professional lobbyists and it is a wilderness of mirrors. Few lobbyists have much influence and only a tiny number have power. Most are go-betweens rather than players, many are grifters, crisis actors paid to play a role. But everyone talks the industry up. The bullshitting is indescribable. The lobbyists who have something akin to power are the ones who represent multinationals or oligarchs with serious Deep State connections. They are very discrete.
When it comes to lobbying, what are the mechanisms? Money, under-aged girls, death threats?
It depends who the client is. Peak-level players like multinationals can use the prospect of eventual enrichment to secure compliance. The prospect of risking future opportunities or being shut out of the right networks horrifies politicians. The demonstration effect of a former colleague or a rival getting a plum position is more than enough to secure attention or a degree of compliance.
Bribes are for chumps. But loans on super-favourable terms (especially if made to a relative) are not bribes. Property traded at concessional rates. Book deals are great...publishers can sell an entire run to a single customer without having to publicise the identity of the customer. Internships for the children.
Reputation is often enough. A friend once sat next to a lobbyist (the principal in a company with which I had dealt) on a long train trip and listened in on a conversation the lobbyist was having with a junior politician who later became very senior indeed. He was giving the youngster orders. The lobbyist could do this because he was working for a truly global player and the lobbyist is himself the protege of an apex-level oligarch whose goodwill is greatly valued.
The number one lobby in America is the AARP. American Association of Retired Persons.
Really? Unless they're independently wealthy, seniors are treated like crap.
No surprises there. Self-funded retirees (the ones who really count) are highly motivated to defend their patch, always vote and hold grudges. Wise politicians pay careful attention to older constituents.