And on Thursday, Romney is hosting a series of “policy roundtable meetings’’ at the Marriott in Washington, where lobbyists, industry players, and others who raise at least $10,000 for his campaign can join his advisers for discussions on education, energy, health care, defense, and infrastructure.
The Romney campaign declined to comment. But the involvement of lobbyists in his operation illustrates how corporate and Washington interests are rallying around the former Massachusetts governor, betting that he may be president next year.
“It’s not lobbying; it’s potentially much more influential than lobbying,’’ said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law School professor and former solicitor general in the Reagan administration. “If your man makes it, then you’ve hit the jackpot.’’
Fried, who recently cochaired a bipartisan panel for the American Bar Association that recommended toughening lobbying rules, said the dangers of lobbyists raising money for and advising candidates are clear.
“If you’ve got someone who gives you barrels full of money, you find their positions become more persuasive,’’ he said. “That’s human nature, and it’s more than just human nature. The incentives are obvious: If you begin to reject their position, that turns off the spigot.’’
Most presidential candidates, nevertheless, turn to lobbyists to help them navigate Washington, round up endorsements, formulate policy, and tap their vast networks of donors. “None of this is mysterious, surprising, new, or unique to Romney,’’ Fried said.
Thomas M. Susman, director of government affairs at the American Bar Association, said lobbyists, because they are by nature political animals, enjoy participating in presidential campaigns, in the same way sports fans would jump at the chance to play for their favorite teams.
Susman has experience in the many sides of lobbying, some of it controversial.
