Terzo anno consecutivo in discesa per i lobbisti di Washington. Calano in numero e in disponibilità finanziarie. Loro, quelli della celeberrima K-Street, osannati in televisione (un caso su tutti: House of Cards), al cinema, nei libri e, ovviamente, sui giornali, costretti a fare i conti con la crisi.
Questa è la tabella degli ultimi cinque anni, per importi spesi e numero di lobbisti registrati. Dal 2010, dopo una serie di record positivi negli anni precedenti, non si sono più ripresi. Girano meno soldi e, quindi, anche meno lobbisti.
| ear | Total Spent | Number of Lobbyists |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $3,209,702,081 | 12,281 |
| 2012 | $3,307,985,590 | 12,436 |
| 2011 | $3,327,304,936 | 12,712 |
| 2010 | $3,548,598,489 | 12,966 |
| 2009 | $3,502,512,434 | 13,788 |
| 2008 | $3,301,063,025 | 14,196 |
Chi perde di più? Lo mostra questa tabella, per settore produttivo. Non vanno male le “cause ideologiche” (per esempio gli abortisti), il settore legale e il micro-business. Tutti gli altri piangono.
SECTORS
| Sector | All 2012 | All 2013 | Difference | Pct Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideological/Single-Issue | $126,364,651 | $142,693,727 | $16,329,076 | 12.9% |
| Agribusiness | $139,481,313 | $149,483,306 | $10,001,993 | 7.2% |
| Construction | $47,410,162 | $48,991,726 | $1,581,564 | 3.3% |
| Communications/Electronics | $390,661,069 | $390,791,203 | $130,134 | 0.0% |
| Labor | $46,310,734 | $46,277,803 | $-32,931 | -0.1% |
| Lawyers & Lobbyists | $24,747,006 | $22,037,084 | $-2,709,922 | -11.0% |
| Defense | $136,193,593 | $133,255,857 | $-2,937,736 | -2.2% |
| Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | $488,606,400 | $484,201,853 | $-4,404,547 | -0.9% |
| Other | $226,002,356 | $216,979,006 | $-9,023,350 | -4.0% |
| Health | $490,257,628 | $479,711,898 | $-10,545,730 | -2.2% |
| Transportation | $238,812,946 | $221,074,856 | $-17,738,090 | -7.4% |
| Energy & Natural Resources | $384,675,745 | $356,195,408 | $-28,480,337 | -7.4% |
| Misc Business | $549,747,075 | $478,527,416 | $-71,219,659 | -13.0% |
Volete andare ancora più nel dettaglio? Detto, fatto. Ecco la lista completa per singolo settore commerciale:
INDUSTRIES
| Industry/Interest | All 2012 | All 2013 | Difference | Pct Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Processing & Sales | $29,394,011 | $39,594,313 | $10,200,302 | 34.7% |
| Gun Rights | $6,129,911 | $15,162,052 | $9,032,141 | 147.3% |
| Computers/Internet | $132,918,902 | $140,127,606 | $7,208,704 | 5.4% |
| Non-Profit Institutions | $37,100,287 | $44,154,921 | $7,054,634 | 19.0% |
| Chemical & Related Manufacturing | $56,042,693 | $61,231,485 | $5,188,792 | 9.3% |
| Democratic/Liberal | $938,921 | $5,040,748 | $4,101,827 | 436.9% |
| Health Professionals | $80,861,988 | $84,461,415 | $3,599,427 | 4.5% |
| Food & Beverage | $27,294,795 | $30,290,645 | $2,995,850 | 11.0% |
| Retail Sales | $49,121,490 | $51,415,727 | $2,294,237 | 4.7% |
| Gun Control | $240,000 | $2,217,765 | $1,977,765 | 824.1% |
| Insurance | $150,947,803 | $152,856,559 | $1,908,756 | 1.3% |
| Misc Defense | $41,558,847 | $43,286,993 | $1,728,146 | 4.2% |
| Misc Issues | $48,374,439 | $50,026,292 | $1,651,853 | 3.4% |
| Beer, Wine & Liquor | $19,583,899 | $21,212,707 | $1,628,808 | 8.3% |
| Building Materials & Equipment | $15,460,123 | $16,773,740 | $1,313,617 | 8.5% |
| Building Trade Unions | $3,664,925 | $4,945,100 | $1,280,175 | 34.9% |
| Crop Production & Basic Processing | $20,553,073 | $21,824,912 | $1,271,839 | 6.2% |
| Agricultural Services/Products | $34,459,809 | $35,728,115 | $1,268,306 | 3.7% |
| Misc Unions | $7,016,374 | $8,231,000 | $1,214,626 | 17.3% |
| Oil & Gas | $143,609,996 | $144,472,462 | $862,466 | 0.6% |
| Dairy | $7,262,249 | $8,033,091 | $770,842 | 10.6% |
| Misc Communications/Electronics | $4,015,000 | $4,740,000 | $725,000 | 18.1% |
| Fisheries & Wildlife | $2,370,415 | $3,070,622 | $700,207 | 29.5% |
| Abortion Policy/Pro-Abortion Rights | $1,216,441 | $1,889,621 | $673,180 | 55.3% |
| Transportation Unions | $11,003,513 | $11,587,905 | $584,392 | 5.3% |
| Human Rights | $42,170,629 | $42,652,876 | $482,247 | 1.1% |
| Foreign & Defense Policy | $4,825,102 | $5,263,330 | $438,228 | 9.1% |
| Steel Production | $8,017,782 | $8,386,031 | $368,249 | 4.6% |
| Automotive | $57,860,212 | $58,188,857 | $328,645 | 0.6% |
| Home Builders | $5,265,116 | $5,584,728 | $319,612 | 6.1% |
| Construction Services | $10,231,156 | $10,482,080 | $250,924 | 2.5% |
| Pro-Israel | $3,582,488 | $3,815,744 | $233,256 | 6.5% |
| Industrial Unions | $7,716,336 | $7,925,423 | $209,087 | 2.7% |
| Credit Unions | $9,802,353 | $9,963,000 | $160,647 | 1.6% |
| Special Trade Contractors | $3,904,297 | $3,986,978 | $82,681 | 2.1% |
| Misc Agriculture | $825,349 | $885,000 | $59,651 | 7.2% |
| TV/Movies/Music | $117,915,007 | $117,972,447 | $57,440 | 0.0% |
| Abortion Policy/Anti-Abortion | $631,890 | $657,117 | $25,227 | 4.0% |
| Republican/Conservative | $994,914 | $1,018,931 | $24,017 | 2.4% |
| Women’s Issues | $658,321 | $671,000 | $12,679 | 1.9% |
| Misc Business | $6,985,717 | $6,976,782 | $-8,935 | -0.1% |
| Misc Health | $9,921,776 | $9,874,474 | $-47,302 | -0.5% |
| Finance/Credit Companies | $36,635,705 | $36,521,968 | $-113,737 | -0.3% |
| Lodging/Tourism | $9,107,575 | $8,961,613 | $-145,962 | -1.6% |
| Poultry & Eggs | $1,624,198 | $1,455,000 | $-169,198 | -10.4% |
| Savings & Loans | $686,250 | $486,500 | $-199,750 | -29.1% |
| Clergy & Religious Organizations | $2,433,719 | $2,145,626 | $-288,093 | -11.8% |
| Waste Management | $5,072,575 | $4,772,000 | $-300,575 | -5.9% |
| Commercial Banks | $61,849,445 | $61,501,596 | $-347,849 | -0.6% |
| General Contractors | $12,549,470 | $12,164,200 | $-385,270 | -3.1% |
| Telecom Services & Equipment | $54,562,373 | $54,144,584 | $-417,789 | -0.8% |
| Accountants | $15,180,000 | $14,746,800 | $-433,200 | -2.9% |
| Real Estate | $82,041,606 | $81,589,522 | $-452,084 | -0.6% |
| Air Transport | $78,925,312 | $78,395,483 | $-529,829 | -0.7% |
| Misc Services | $5,951,835 | $5,317,982 | $-633,853 | -10.6% |
| Livestock | $2,781,816 | $2,134,035 | $-647,781 | -23.3% |
| Textiles | $1,996,010 | $1,342,950 | $-653,060 | -32.7% |
| Defense Aerospace | $58,476,226 | $57,755,612 | $-720,614 | -1.2% |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $14,396,138 | $13,600,889 | $-795,249 | -5.5% |
| Environmental Svcs/Equipment | $5,996,939 | $5,195,378 | $-801,561 | -13.4% |
| Forestry & Forest Products | $15,891,645 | $15,082,740 | $-808,905 | -5.1% |
| Misc Transport | $16,256,615 | $15,359,413 | $-897,202 | -5.5% |
| Hospitals/Nursing Homes | $92,461,082 | $91,376,021 | $-1,085,061 | -1.2% |
| Recreation/Live Entertainment | $8,113,689 | $7,026,808 | $-1,086,881 | -13.4% |
| Printing & Publishing | $14,374,473 | $12,984,020 | $-1,390,453 | -9.7% |
| Business Services | $41,654,406 | $39,935,116 | $-1,719,290 | -4.1% |
| Lobbyists | $10,350,868 | $8,436,195 | $-1,914,673 | -18.5% |
| Tobacco | $26,689,163 | $24,746,100 | $-1,943,063 | -7.3% |
| Misc Finance | $31,003,605 | $28,994,085 | $-2,009,520 | -6.5% |
| Health Services/HMOs | $70,692,393 | $68,516,051 | $-2,176,342 | -3.1% |
| Environment | $16,601,595 | $14,278,251 | $-2,323,344 | -14.0% |
| Casinos/Gambling | $34,312,668 | $31,620,952 | $-2,691,716 | -7.8% |
| Trucking | $12,621,743 | $9,856,756 | $-2,764,987 | -21.9% |
| Electronics Mfg & Services | $18,488,877 | $15,644,675 | $-2,844,202 | -15.4% |
| Securities & Investment | $100,459,633 | $97,541,823 | $-2,917,810 | -2.9% |
| Other | $19,572,641 | $16,425,649 | $-3,146,992 | -16.1% |
| Sea Transport | $26,501,820 | $23,346,889 | $-3,154,931 | -11.9% |
| Telephone Utilities | $48,386,437 | $45,177,871 | $-3,208,566 | -6.6% |
| Public Sector Unions | $16,909,586 | $13,588,375 | $-3,321,211 | -19.6% |
| Defense Electronics | $36,158,520 | $32,213,252 | $-3,945,268 | -10.9% |
| Civil Servants/Public Officials | $75,542,856 | $70,697,959 | $-4,844,897 | -6.4% |
| Misc Energy | $49,132,184 | $43,747,685 | $-5,384,499 | -11.0% |
| Mining | $32,556,168 | $25,319,022 | $-7,237,146 | -22.2% |
| Education | $91,352,853 | $83,554,851 | $-7,798,002 | -8.5% |
| Railroads | $46,647,244 | $35,927,458 | $-10,719,786 | -23.0% |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $236,320,389 | $225,483,937 | $-10,836,452 | -4.6% |
| Misc Manufacturing & Distributing | $108,255,826 | $96,476,715 | $-11,779,111 | -10.9% |
| Electric Utilities | $145,937,468 | $129,618,239 | $-16,319,229 | -11.2% |
| Business Associations | $173,308,690 | $108,331,903 | $-64,976,787 | -37.5% |
E i lobbisti che dicono? Non tutto il male viene per nuocere. I dati non sono drammatici e non raccontano necessariamente una crisi. Non irreversibile quanto meno. Raccontano semmai un riposizionamento del mercato di cui è utile prendere quanto prima le misure. Può darsi che stia tramandando l’epoca del lobbista tradizionale: bravo conoscitore della legge, ma ancor prima ottimo intenditore di transazioni, stati d’animo e “chi è chi”. Può darsi che sia ora di “de-lobbizzarsi”, aprendo la professione a settori nuovi (il No Profit ad esempio), con metodi nuovi, e anche budget diversi da quelli cui siamo stati abituati finora. A proposito, leggete questo pezzo del New York Times, è illuminante: Qui.
