Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 1-8, 1999

Volume 28, Number 11

Would-be advocates get
lesson in fine art of lobbying

Just days after Elizabeth Dole announced her withdrawal from the presidential race, over 65 would-be public servants came to campus to learn how to launch their own political aspirations at a workshop sponsored by the Women's Campaign School at Yale.

The all-day session, held on Oct. 23 at the Law School, was titled "Lobbying: Advocacy and Action." Speakers at the workshop offered advice to the women and smattering of men in attendance about the art of "getting the word out," advancing causes and, of course, winning elections.

The workshop began with a panel discussion by four professionals in the field of campaigning and issue advocacy. The panel included a corporate lobbyist, a former Connecticut secretary of state and two public relations experts.

The topics discussed ranged from grassroots efforts to promote political agendas to campaign finance reform.

Panelist Chuck Coursey, who heads a public relations company with corporate and nonprofit clients, defined grassroots organizing as "nothing more than a group of people who get together to effect change."

According to Coursey, grassroots advocacy is a process with discrete stages: identifying the goal; becoming educated on the subject; and mobilizing public interest through a variety of strategies, from attendance at public hearings to writing letters to the local newspaper editor.

He emphasized the importance of fully developing each stage before moving to the next -- noting he used the word "Astroturf" to describe "grassroots that haven't been fertilized enough." A firm believer in the power of issue-motivated, volunteer organizing, Coursey cited Bill Gates' unsuccessful attempt to buy popular support in his anti-trust challenge from the government as an example of the failure of money to sway public opinion.

Panelist Barbara Puffer, who is also a professional in the field of corporate and nonprofit communications, emphasized the effectiveness of doing one's homework as a means to influencing public opinion.

"There are numerous ways of getting coverage," she said, "paid and unpaid." In her presentation, she focused on the unpaid variety, recommending that advocates or candidates begin by taking an inventory of their unique strengths and become thoroughly familiar with media outlets.

Campaign finance reform was the focus of the presentation by Miles Rapoport, who served nine years in the state's House of Representatives and four as secretary of state of Connecticut. A prominent proponent of campaign finance reform, Rapoport is founder and executive director of Democracy Works, an advocacy center dedicated to changing campaign financing and improving voter registration drives, among other reforms.

While he offered some relatively easy tips for getting the attention of legislators (one letter to a local representative is often enough, he claims), Rapoport stressed that money is the single most determining factor of an election.

He contended that a small plutocracy now decides elections, with 75 percent of campaign contributions being made by only one-fifth of one percent of the population.

"People are shut out of the process without campaign financing reform," he said, noting that middle-class and low-income people, who cannot afford to run for office without significant outside money, deprive themselves of publicly elected service and the electorate of choices.

The inability of challengers to raise enough money to run against incumbents was the major reason that this year in Connecticut there are more uncontested municipal elections than at any time and that generally 90 percent of incumbents are reelected to office, Rapoport argued. He also noted that 80 percent of Connecticut's newspapers endorse the incumbent candidate.

"Most organizations endorse incumbents regardless of their record," fellow panelist Puffer added.

Anita Schepker, the only professional lobbyist on the panel, agreed with Rapoport's call for campaign financing reform, commenting that Elizabeth Dole's withdrawal as a Republican presidential candidate was a casualty of the current system.

While conceding that the system needs to be overhauled, she also said that "since publicly funded campaigns won't happen soon," candidates need to be aware of lobbying and election laws. "There are restrictions on lobbying and public disclosure laws already in place," she said.

Meanwhile, Schepker urged all those who would want to run for office or advance a cause not to be turned off by financial concerns.

She recalled one time when a high school student she met in Hartford identified her as a lobbyist (since professional lobbyists have to wear badges). She responded that he, too, was a lobbyist, since he had come to the capitol to argue on behalf of an issue.

"Oh no, I'm not," the boy said, "I don't get paid."

"A lobbyist," Schepker replied, "is anyone who advocates a position."

The rest of the workshop was devoted to break-out sessions, where participants discussed more in-depth the issues raised during the panel; hands-on lobbying workshops; and a mock hearing/committee meeting on "Missiles, Handguns, Sling Shots and Other Weapons."

-- By Dorie Baker

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