Well, while the average american has been financially struggling largely during
the pandemic.
Well, lobbyists have really been raking in the dough.
They have been hitting record revenue amounts essentially just raking in that
money, getting that influence on.
And they've been largely focused on influencing Joe Biden's agenda, so
while we're all out here struggling lobbyists are making good money.
And of course with the dems taking over Congress and
the White House opponents of Joe Biden's efforts really have
invested heavily in their effort to sway and stop legislation.
So this is per the hill, the nation's largest companies and
their role excuse me and their trade associations turned to
lobbying firms with close ties to congressional leaders.
And administration officials to fight democratic proposals to reshape
key industries and crackdown on corporate consolidation.
And when we talk about the increased earnings here, when it comes to 2021.
We're not just talking about small amounts of just maybe a few million or
not no, Holland and Knight, a very big law firm that has a lobbying arm,
it brought in 34.9 million last year.
That's a whopping 24% increase over 2020,
Invariant Increased its annual revenue by an astonishing 48%,
almost half, they increase that to 31.2 million.
Brownstein brought in 53.3 million in lobbying revenue last year,
more than any other firm on record.
Lobbying and law powerhouse Akin Gump,
well they reported 53.4 million in 2021 lobbying revenue.
A new high water mark that represents an 8% jump from 2020 and a 25% increase
from 2019 and these financial investments in stopping democratic efforts.
While, they've proved to be very, very worthwhile for the party, and so
again for the Hill.
Corporate lobbyists successfully pushed lawmakers to make industry
friendly changes to virtually every section of Biden social spending.
And climate plan, including the bill's provisions around corporate taxes,
drug pricing, clean energy.
And paid leave democrats, razor thin majorities in Congress made it easier for
lobbyists to influence the bill.
And that really says something because when we talk about that razor thin
majority, I think we are looking at those two problematic people,
Kirsten Seminar and Joe Manchin.
And so we're really being able to see essentially the impact of their
behavior and how it is essentially setting things up Jake.
>> Yeah, so this is a great story in credit to the Hill for
actually talking about lobbying, we'll get back to the media at the end.
The rest of the media, but guys think about this, this is the perfect storm,
that's why they made so much money.
One you got too close Senate is Adrian referred to there,
that means every senator has to be lobbied, every senator has to be bribed.
And yes, there of course lobbyists, don't give out money and
goodies to politicians for the general welfare.
Only someone as foolish as a mainstream media reporter would think that.
So the rest of us know why they're bribing them to get whatever they want,
which then leads us to the two other reasons why this is a perfect storm.
One the democrats were promising to give out goodies,
the infrastructure bill is laden with corporate pork.
So they got to go get that corporate pork is, but I'm going to get it or
Suzzie gonna get it or their companies, right.
So the lobbyists have to fight, give me the pork, give me the money,
give me the money pass more in the infrastructure bill.
Paid family leave, that's going to hurt our corporations.
No, we fight against paid family leave, we fight against
climate change legislation because of the oil companies etcetera.
But that leads us to the dirty secret that nobody ever talks about.
The lobbying money goes up when democrats are in charge
because they threatened to do something good now,
they never deliver on that threat that would actually help the american people.
It's a threat to the corporations, but what that does is it juices the lobbying.
So the corporations are forced to take that threat seriously and
go bribe democratic politicians more.
So you we all think, my God, Biden and the democrats have been spectacular failures.
They couldn't pass, build back better or voting rights or
really any part of their agenda.
But for democratic politicians, it was payday and
it was already mission accomplished.
>> Yeah, I mean, I agree this is such an important story, but also very depressing,
it makes me so sad.
Because you have to ask like who is really running our government.
And when you have it laid out like this, the fact that Cinema and Manchin,
they got more money in from lobbyists than anybody else in the senate.
Like it makes you, it makes it very clear that they are being rewarded for
obstruction.
And, I think there was a time in my life, right ,always to be like,
go out and vote, vote blue all of that.
I can understand for folks who are feeling understandably kind of checked out and
disengaged when you hear stories like this,
when you feel like your democracy is just for sale.
I can understand why that is such a frustrating feeling, and
so I take no pleasure in having to talk about this.
But it truly is like a very important story that we need to be
paying more attention to.
And it doesn't feel good to feel like your democracy is just for sale.
But, I mean like these numbers really speak for themselves.
>> Yeah, they do.
And as someone who used to work at big law and
has friends who are lobbyists like you get to see it.
Raking in money, hand over fist, just essentially creating
avenues in ways in which to continue unfortunately to hold back our nation.
Because it essentially controlled by corporations and
it really just speaks to our capitalistic system.
And as you noted, Bridget, it's unfortunate when we look at the reality
of that, we don't really have a democracy at all.
And if we do it has an ATM attached to it, and it's just it's utterly disappointing.
>> Jake.
>> Yeah, two Bridget points.
Number one now, when I talk to black faith leaders, they're like, yeah, no,
we used to encourage people to vote against republicans just because,
you know, they want to take our rights away.
But now, I mean it's impossible to get excited about Democratic Party,
it's impossible.
And they just keep saying no, you should vote harder,
like there's a collective shut up from democratic voters.
And and then the second thing here guys is, again to Bridget point think about it,
why does the media never talk about the lobbyists?
Do they think that the lobbyists have no effect?
And they can't possibly think that could they,
then when they're talking about the filibuster at large here,
I'm giving the hill a lot of credit for this really good story.
But when they're in the middle of Tanya's CNN MSNBC etcetera about
the filibuster and the votes?
How come they never mentioned the lobbyist money that Manchin and Seminar took,
do they really think it's not relevant?
Well, if they think it's not relevant,
they should be fired because they're not really reporters.
If they think it's relevant and refused to share it with you, wow.
Now you see why I can't stand mainstream media.
And how they've been systemically lying to you for decades on end, pretending that
our politicians are not corrupt when they're obviously overwhelmingly corrupt.