Caught Between The Dog And The Fireplug

In this essay, I would like to reflect an online article on CBS News website, ‘‘Behind the closed doors of Washington Lobbyist” October 7,2012 by Sharyl Attkisson. According to Legal dictionary, ‘‘Lobbying is the process of influencing public and government policy at all levels: federal, state and local’’. This article describes how the lobbyist fingerprint are all over the bills coming from congress, the rules and regulation coming from the government. This means that they defeat bills and rules they don’t like or negatively affecting their clients while they promote and advocate the ones they like it. Thus, this article gives us a complete picture of the lobby business do its work in Washington DC.

As you all know, three years ago I won the popular vote for President, but was denied the office because of a “corrupt bargain” between the dishonorable Henry Clay and President Adams. The people’s choice was disregarded by the elite in power. As a result, I immediately resigned from the Senate and

From the rousing introduction, Christopher Matthews’ Hardball is presented as a godsend to aspiring politicians, businessmen, and frankly, everyone alike. Adopting a pompously self-assured tone, Matthews divulges his reasoning about sharing his wisdom collected from his own experience and other major players of “Hardball.” However after finishing the book, his audacity could be forgiven by the enjoyable nature of his work, the information that it provides, and the uncanny resemblance to Benjamin Franklin’s writing style. In the first section of Matthew’s self-proclaimed “classic” and political manifesto, he presents the world of politics (Hardball) through a series of informative—if not redundant—phrases, historical examples, and his own experience

Hardball by Chris Matthews is an interpretation of what many know as “hard-politics”. The book describes the skill of playing the game in Washington and how to be successful at it. The book is a guide that teaches a series of maxims that would be in favor of politicians to learn in order to be successful. The different tactics provided in the book hold a lot of knowledge that would make the life of anyone following these strategies much easier when trying to get ahead in life. Matthews describes a countless number of examples of successful politicians that rose to the top. Those politicians are the ones who learned how to play hardball in Washington.

To draw a modern-day analogy, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas used a procedural filibuster as a mechanism to shut down the federal government in opposition to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. While some argue his political intentions were admirable, his self-interested nature drove his use of underhanded political tactics to achieve his ultimate end. In turn, his actions proved destructive for the public good—costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Supporters of Senator Cruz argue that he chose the right course of action. “The loyalties of every Senator are distributed among his party, his state and section, his country and his conscience.” The competing pressures of party interests, public interests, and personal moral responsibility to vote in the interests of his conscience forces the Senator to compartmentalize himself. As a result, Senator Cruz acted upon his ideal of statesmanship by pursuing private interest instead of adhering to party loyalty.

In his book Hardball, Chris Matthews discusses the useful strategies for getting ahead in politics that he observed during his time working in Washington, D.C. He breaks up his observations into chapters with different lessons. Three of the most important lessons are “It's Not Who You Know; It's Who You Get to Know,” (Chapter 1) “All Politics is Local,” (Chapter 2) and “Dance With the One That Brung Ya.” (Chapter 4). These chapters illustrate how important making and keeping connections and relationships is in Washington. The “game of politics” is played by using these relationships to gain favors, votes, support, etc. According to Matthews, the people who get ahead are the ones who make and keep these important connections and relationships with other politicians and the public.

Members of Congress and the President used the strategy of persuasion when attempting to encourage the passing of certain legislation. Players attempting to persuade other players by emphasizing how both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party would benefit if this legislation was passed. There were many conversations where a player would agree to pass a certain piece of legislation in their chamber if the other chamber agreed to pass a different piece of legislation favored by the first players, so that both of their interests would be heard. Lastly, I observed the strategy of persuasion between Democratic and Republican members of the Budget Committee in the House. Players would attempt to encourage other players to give more money to a certain governmental area by using the information presented in letters sent from individuals or groups of individuals calling for an increase in budget in their respective areas.

The danger of politics lead to the principal factor of checks and balances, within the government and Founding Fathers, throughout the “most crucial and consequential [decade] in American history” (27). Politics were also what lead to the quarrel between John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.

Throughout the course of American politics, superstar senators have risen from the frameworks of capitol buildings on federal, state, and local levels. Some were ruthlessly manipulative in their desire to achieve success, choosing to push their own agenda for the sake of a spot in history. Others served a more earnest cause, putting their country before their party. From the founding fathers to post World War II America, senators of the extremely partisan kind worked in Washington, these men certainly were not the last of the “cut throat” politicians, their actions setting a precedent for future men and women in their partisan agenda. However, noble men who worked endlessly for the prosperity, safety, and unity of America are often swept

As we read and discuss the definition of politics, let’s also consider the consequences of political decisions upon our daily routines.

Toward the end of that first week I got a stark lesson in politics. Tom Linton, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, and I rode the same bus to work as we lived fairly near each other. One afternoon late in that first week he stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to accompany him on a visit to New Hanover County Senator John Burney’s office in the Legislative Building on the way to the bus stop. Linton had promoted development of a bill that would allow ¼ of 1% of the un-rebated motorboat fuel tax to be assigned to his program for research and development. Burney was handling the bill in the Senate. The door was open to Burney’s office and he was standing with his back to us as we walked in. Linton, in his usual “hail-fellow-well-met” manner asked Burney how his [Linton’s] motor boat fuel tax bill was faring. Burney did not respond for what seemed an eternity. Then he slowly turned, faced Linton, stuck his finger at Linton’s chest and said, “Doctor, I asked you for a favor on a permit 10 days ago, you have done nothing with my request and your motor boat fuel tax bill will rot in hell.” Linton was taken aback and Burney turned back to shuffling papers on his desk. Then he turned again and, with a sly grin, growled, “Politics is hell, Doctor.” We both backed out of Burney’s office and walked to the bus stop in

The movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” from 1939 has a lot of educational value depicted through humor. Through the duration of the movie a lot happens politically. Mr. Smith was appointed as a senator. Mr. Smith was not sure exactgly what he was doing in hnis position at first. He had a lot to learn. After coming up with a brilliant idea, Smith decided to write up his idea and propose it making it a bill. In doing so a lot happened. There were a lot of people against Mr. Smith and his idea. There were times when Mr. Smith wanted to gve up but he came back. There was a lot of propaganda and controversy. People were protesting and there was a lot of corruption. Many people turned against Mr. Smith and his bill refusing to take part in such

The purpose of this paper is intended to summarize my views on what has influenced my understanding of politics and government prior to taking this class, and how my understanding is now since completing this course.

In the past century, people continued to express an increasingly discontent view of Congress especially true when one looks back before the Clinton Impeachment debacle As the size of the nation and the number of congressman have grown, the congress has come under attack by both public influences and congressman themselves. Yet looking at one congressman's relationship with his or her constituents, it would be hard to believe that this is the branch of government that has come under suspect. In "If Ralph Nader says congress is 'The broken branch,' how come we love our congressman so much?" author Richard F. Fenno, Jr., provides insight into this view and why, through congress coming under fire, constituents still feel positively about

There are many factors that create and compose the American political system. Economic inequality plays a huge part in composing this system. The argument that has been proposed is that inequality structures political power and public policy. Having money always gets your far in this country, especially when it comes to politics. Money can not only advance you, but it can corrupt you. When you come from wealth it makes entering the political arena easier. That is what I will be arguing throughout this essay, the fact that there is inequality and that money is what runs politics. American politics has always been a field that revolves around money.