How Washington Actually Works For Dummies E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Get the inside scoop on the most powerful city on Earth

Washington, D.C.: Capital of the Free World; the most powerful city on Earth. No other country, company, or international organization can compare with the reach and wealth of the federal government. Policymaking — the art of deciding what programs to support, what laws to pass, or what regulations to write — is at the core of what Washington does and is what everyone, from the President on down, wants to influence.

How Washington Actually Works For Dummies isn't a dry explanation of the American system of government but a playbook for how Washington really works: who has a seat at the table, how the policymaking process works, and how one survives. It takes you inside the political process in Washington, discusses changes in recent decades, and explains how the parts fit together. You find out:

• Who really runs Washington
• Why the President’s power is limited
• How Congress (and its committee structure) works
• What the bureaucrats — the men and women behind the curtain — do to earn your tax dollars
• How lobbyists, activists, and other players influence policy

In a presidential election year when economic issues are center stage and the candidates will go head to head in policy debates, there’s no better time to discover the ins and outs of how policy is actually made.

Leseprobe

How Washington Actually Works For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Chapter 1: A Brief History of Washington

Becoming the National Capital

Putting D.C. on the map

Building Georgetown and Alexandria

Sitting far from the early seats of power

Meeting in Mount Vernon and Annapolis

Wheeling and dealing

Designing the national capital

Watching the City Develop

Growing the Government in the 20th Century

The Roosevelt Years: The New Deal and World War II

From the Cold War to the new millennium

Eyeing D.C. Today

Charting a changing demographic

Touting a recession-proof economy

Respecting D.C.’s rankings

Identifying the Washington Establishment

Putting the President and Congress in their place

Focusing on federal bureaucrats

Spotting the lobbyists

Recognizing other voices in the debate

Trying to figure out who really runs the show

Ignoring the establishment at your own peril

Chapter 2: The People behind the Curtain: Federal Bureaucrats

Embracing the Bureaucracy

Filling Plum Positions: Career Officials versus Appointees

Appreciating the Power of the Executive Office of the President

Running the Nation’s Business in the Cabinet and Departments

Filling in the Gaps with Agencies from A–Z

What to Wear, or How to Spot Federal Workers

Chapter 3: Professional Persuaders: Lobbyists

Exercising the Right to Petition

Identifying Interest Groups

Large corporations

Trade associations

Labor unions

Issue-oriented organizations

Other interest groups

Realizing the Role Played by Lobbying and Consulting Firms

Bringing Legal Firms into the Lobbying Mix

Regulating the Lobbying Industry

Defining a lobbyist

Considering the case of foreign agents

Following the gifting rules

Lobbying via Social Media

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

Figuring Out What Think Tanks Do

Trying to influence policy debates

Representing a cause or agenda

Employing former public servants

Informing the public

Analyzing the Efforts of Activists and NGOs

Feeling the Influence of Foreign Governments

Interacting with International Organizations

All Press Is Good Press: The Media

Spotting the many players

Breaking news in a cutthroat environment

Influencing policy (for better or worse)

Chapter 5: Congress

Browsing the Basic Responsibilities of Congress

Wielding the power of the purse

Overseeing the executive branch

Carrying out other constitutional duties

Studying the Structure of Congress

Spotlighting the Senate

Homing in on the House

Spotting the legislative leaders

Appreciating the Committee Process

Helping legislators gain expertise

Serving as a source of power

Bringing a Bill — and Possibly a Law — to Life

Investigating the Importance of Money

Focusing on campaign fundraising

Playing with PACs and special interests

Becoming beholden to financial supporters

What do you get for your money?

Chapter 6: The Presidency

The Workings of the White House

Fulfilling the duties of office

Knowing his limitations: Can one man change Washington?

Using the bully pulpit

Relying on his support team

Governing from the bubble

Campaigning and Policymaking

Donating money and influencing policy

Concentrating disproportionate power in swing states

Dealing with party politics

A Day in the Life

Chapter 7: Policymaking

Realizing That Anyone Can Think Up New Policy

Getting Ideas to the Policymakers

Recognizing the policy triangle

Putting the idea on the decision-makers’ agenda

Employing Advocacy to Influence Policy Decisions

Defining our terms: Advocacy and lobbying

Distinguishing indirect and direct advocacy

Building an advocacy message

Practicing a powerful delivery

Getting a reality check from Washington insiders

Turning Bills into Laws

Writing Regulations to Support the Laws

Wielding Influence beyond Laws and Regulations

Spotting Checks and Balances in Policy Implementation

Congressional oversight: Keeping the executive branch in check

The interagency process

Untangling the Policy Web: The Power of Washington Insiders

Chapter 8: Ten Ways to Participate in Washington Policymaking

Be Informed

Run for Congress (Or Join a Staff)

Join the Bureaucracy

Contact Your Member of Congress

Join an Interest Group

Be an Activist for a Day

Be a Lobbyist for a Day

Submit Public Comments

Be a Citizen Journalist

Join the Washington Establishment

How Washington Actually Works For Dummies®

How Washington Actually Works For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

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Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of time and expertise from the C&M International team in the preparation of this book, and in particular Doral Cooper, Peter Allgeier, Joshua Boswell, Paul Burkhead, Kate Clemans, Melissa Coyle, Paul Davies, Ke Ji, Andrew Tein, Christopher Wilson, and Patty Wu.

C&M International is an international and regulatory consultancy in Washington, D.C., and is affiliated with Crowell & Moring LLP, an international law firm representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory and transactional matters, with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

Project Editor: Joan Friedman

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Cover Photo: © iStockphoto.com / Dwight Nadig

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees

Introduction

Washington, D.C., Capital of the Free World. The most powerful city on Earth. No other country, company, or international organization can compare with the reach and wealth of the U.S. federal government. Policymaking — the art of deciding what programs to support, what laws to pass, or what regulations to write — is at the core of what Washington does and is what everyone, from the President on down, wants to influence. The Founding Fathers expected policymaking to be an inclusive process, and the diversity and number of actors who have emerged in Washington reflect this reality. While civics textbooks can teach you how a bill becomes law, a textbook is little help in understanding how things really get done in Washington.