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Persuading Congress
A Practical Guide to Parlaying an Understanding of Congressional Folkways and Dynamics into Successful Advocacy on Capitol Hill

How to Spend Less and Get More from Congress: Candid Advice for Executives

By Joseph Gibson

Persuading Congress is a practical book, packed with wisdom and experience. For less than the cost of a cab ride to the airport, you can learn how to stop wasting your time when you visit Washington.

The Training Edition of Persuading Congress is included as part of the program materials in our public and custom Capitol Hill Workshop.

TheCapitol.Net has delivered custom, on-site training for numerous clients. For more information about bringing training to your organization, contact us for details: 202-678-1600, ext. 112.
Request More Information About this Custom Training Program



 
2010, 156 pages

Hardbound, $27
ISBN 10: 158733-173-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-58733-173-2
8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 0.8 pounds

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Softcover, $24
ISBN 10: 158733-164-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-58733-164-0
8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
Weight: 0.4 pounds

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Ebook  $9.95
EISBN: 9781587332647

 


 

Available from your bookseller or online
BISAC:
POL043000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Advocacy
POL017000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Affairs & Administration
POL006000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Legislative Branch
POL003000 POLITICAL SCIENCE / Civics & Citizenship

Formats
Hardbound   $27
Softcover    $24
Ebook    $9.95
  

The Training Edition of Persuading Congress is included in two of our courses:
  • Capitol Hill Workshop

  • Strategies for Working with Congress



 
More Information
SynopsisTable of
Contents
The AuthorRelated
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  Synopsis

What happens in Congress affects all of our lives and extends into every corner of the economy. Because so much is at stake there, businesses and other interest groups spend billions of dollars each year trying to influence legislation.

Yet, most of these efforts are doomed to futility from the outset. Only a small percentage of the bills introduced in Congress actually become law, and most interested parties do not fully understand why those few bills succeed. More importantly, how to get Congress to do what they want remains a mystery to them.

This book will help you understand Congress. Written from the perspective of one who has helped put a lot of bills on the president's desk and helped stop a lot more, this book explains in everyday terms why Congress behaves as it does. Then it shows you how you can best deploy whatever resources you have to move Congress in your direction.

Because you have limited time, this book sticks to the basics and its chapters are short so that it can be digested rapidly.
 

  Table Of Contents


Table of Contents

Ch. 1   What You Don't Know About Congress Can Hurt Your Organization

Ch. 2   How to Use This Book
 

Part I: How Congress Works

A. The Internal Dynamics of Congress

Ch. 3   Members of Congress

Ch. 4   Party Leaders

Ch. 5   Committees, Chairs, and Ranking Members

Ch. 6   Staff

Ch. 7   The Rules

B. External Influences on Congress

Ch. 8   The President

Ch. 9   The Departments and Agencies

Ch. 10  The Courts

Ch. 11  The News Media

Ch. 12  Interest Groups and Lobbyists

Ch. 13  The Public and Public Opinion

Ch. 14  Elections
 

Part II: How You Can Influence Congress

A. Facts of Life

Ch.  15  Self-Interest

Ch.  16  Ego

Ch.  17  Ideology

Ch.  18  Credit

Ch.  19  Inertia

Ch.  20  Size of Majority

B. Personal Tools

Ch. 21  Constituency

Ch. 22  Reputation

C. Intellectual Tools

Ch. 23  Goals

Ch. 24  Timing

Ch. 25  Positioning

Ch. 26  Quality of Ideas

Ch. 27  Facts and Arguments

D. Environmental Tools

Ch. 28  Signals

Ch. 29  Allies

Ch. 30  The Champion

E. Practical Tools

Ch. 31  Money

Ch. 32  Grassroots

Ch. 33  Grasstops

Ch. 34  The Internet

F. Opportunities

Ch. 35  The Meeting

Ch. 36  The Hearing

Ch. 37  The Markup

Ch. 38  Floor Consideration

Ch. 39  The Conference

Ch. 40  Crisis

G. Long-Term Considerations

Ch. 41  Patience

Ch. 42  Intensity

Ch. 43  Courage

Ch. 44  Understanding

 

Ch. 45  Conclusion


Appendices

A.  The Constitutional Basics

B.  Tips on Hiring a Lobbyist

C.  The Roles of Party Leaders

D.  How a Hearing Works

E. How a Markup Works 

Index
 

  The Author

Joseph GibsonJOSEPH GIBSON has worked in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government. He has lobbied members of Congress and their staffs, advocated on behalf of the executive branch, and argued cases in federal and state courts.

He grew up in Waycross, Georgia, and then attended Yale University, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science. After graduation, he spent a year working as a staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He then went to Yale Law School, where he earned his JD degree.

After law school, he clerked for the Hon. R. Lanier Anderson, III, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Macon, Georgia. He then returned to Washington where he spent the next six and a half years as a litigator with private law firms.

In 1995 Mr. Gibson was appointed as an antitrust counsel for the House Judiciary Committee under Chairman Henry Hyde of Illinois. From there, he rose to chief antitrust counsel for the committee. In 2002 he became a deputy assistant attorney general representing the legislative interests of the Department of Justice.

In 2003, he returned to the House Judiciary Committee as its chief legislative counsel and parliamentarian under Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin. After two years there, he became chief of staff to Representative Lamar Smith of Texas. After the 2006 election, he became chief minority counsel of the committee. He has now returned to the private sector where he lobbies on antitrust, intellectual property, and other business issues. Prior to establishing his own firm, The Gibson Group, he practiced with the law firm of Constantine Cannon LLC.

He and his wife, Heath, live in Washington and New York with their daughter. The views expressed in Persuading Congress are entirely his own and do not necessarily represent those of any other person or group.

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  • Advanced Federal Budget Process

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  • Business Etiquette: Keys to Professional Success

  • Effectively Using Persuasion in Your Oral Presentations: A Trial Lawyer's Perspective

  • How to Organize a Capitol Hill Day

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  • Tips, Tactics & Techniques for Writing Congressional Testimony

Our Capitol Learning Audio Courses can be customized with your logo in quantities of 250 to 10,000 copies.  Contact our Client Liaison for details.

 

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Rave Reviews

"We are all -- every one of us -- members of several 'special interests.' By providing a practical guide to lobbying, Persuading Congress demystifies the ways in which citizens can influence legislation and achieve their public policy objectives. Anyone who wants to make a difference through legislation -- not just executives -- needs to read this book, master its lessons, and keep it handy."
-- F. Christopher Arterton, Dean, Graduate School of Political Management, The George Washington University
 

 


"This revealing book pulls back the curtain on the Congressional decision-making process and, best of all, provides invaluable advice to corporate executives on effectively influencing not just national and local legislation but the corporate environment as well."
-- Robert Clements, Chairman & CEO, EverBank Financial Corp
 

 


"The Constitution gives Americans the right to petition their government for a redress of grievances. And no legislature is more accessible to its own people than the United States Congress. But rights and access alone do not translate into effective engagement or useful political action. In Persuading Congress, Joseph Gibson, a longtime veteran of Capitol Hill, offers masterful counsel to anyone who wants to work well with Congress. In Washington, there are well over 10,000 registered lobbyists. Very few grasp and convey the keys to successful advocacy as well as Gibson does."
-- Martin Gold, Covington & Burling, Washington, DC
 

 


"Persuading Congress could be a text for a civics class as well as a manual for advocates."
-- Dawn Chase, Virginia Lawyer, June/July 2010   (complete review with permission 1-page PDF
)
 

 


"Joseph Gibson offers keen insight into the process and practical advice for those wishing to interact with Congress.

Overall, he has created a straightforward guide about effective interaction with Congress and its members. It is accurate and diplomatic in its approach, a refreshingly candid treatment of a complex and nuanced subject."
-- George W. "Buddy" Darden, Georgia Bar Journal, October 2010
 (complete review 3-page PDF )

 

"I just finished reading your book, Persuading Congress, after completing a stint on the Hill as a [think-tank legislative fellow] earlier this fall. Thank you for such a straightforward, concise and insightful book. I only wish I had come across it before I started my fellowship. Needless to say, I'm recommending it to colleagues. I have no doubt I will continue to turn to your insights as I explore what the next chapter may hold in my career in DC. "
-- Legislative Fellow

 

 

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