The Republicans' loss of power in Congress is mirrored by a swift reversal of fortune in some key precincts of lobbying influence.
By Jonathan D. Salant
March 16 (Bloomberg) -- The Republicans' loss of power in Congress is mirrored by a swift reversal of fortune in some key precincts of lobbying influence.
Gone in a matter of months was a years-long effort to build a permanent majority through an alliance with lobby firms and trade groups, which supplied high-paid employment to Republicans. Those lobbyists in turn made lavish campaign donations to the party to help keep it in power.
Instead, as soon as the Republicans lost control of Congress, even as they retained the presidency, lobby shops shook off the vestiges of what was known as the ``K Street Project,'' after the Washington boulevard where many firms are located. One of the highest-profile Republican hires was replaced by a Democrat. One trade group brought in a Democrat -- himself a project target -- to replace its Republican president.
``To coin a phrase, the K Street Project has been consigned to the dustbin of history,'' said Craig Shirley, a Republican consultant.
A case in point is the career path traveled by John Feehery: from chief spokesman for the leader of the House Republican majority to executive vice president of the Motion Picture Association of America and then to his own firm, replaced by a Democrat. Feehery, 43, had been hired by the trade group after the Republican-controlled Congress in 2004 passed tax legislation that California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said would cost the movie industry $5 billion over 10 years.
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