The lobbyists

The Lobbyists is an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at Washingtons most powerful players - the lobbyists who manipulate the political process on behalf of the nation's corporate giants. It is also a riveting tale that involves hundreds of billions of dollars and some of the most important and colorful characters in Washington. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, co-author of the award-winning Showdown at Gucci Gulch, which The Washington Post hailed as "a classic of its. Genre ... illuminating ... entertaining," shines an intense light on the more than 80,000 lobbyists who descend upon our national government, informing and bartering with Congress and blocking legislation on behalf of the richest business interests in the country. Birnbaum followed a handful of Washington's top lobbyists during the 101st Congress in 1989-1990, the most scandal-ridden period in recent history. Their coveted prize: corporate tax breaks and subsidies. The. Lobbyists - who have evolved from the legendary cigar-smoking big shots of years past into crafty strategists, equipped with technology and marketing genius - wheel and deal and wine and dine their targeted politicians. We see them during encounters with members of Congress and the Bush administration, and among themselves. Some win, some lose, but all survive to fight another day. "This is an insiders glimpse at a process that is usually cloaked in the darkest secrecy," Birnbaum writes. "It lays bare the brazen manipulation of both lawmakers and the public perpetrated by an entire industry that, by some estimates, has doubled in size in just the past ten years." Vividly reported and paced like a nonfiction thriller, The Lobbyists provides a shocking view of how our government really works.