On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Robert Kaiser, who has monitored changes in American politics for The Washington Post for nearly half a century, will discuss his new book So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government at a National Press Club event sponsored by the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress at New York University s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, September 22, 2009.
On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Robert Kaiser, who has monitored changes in American politics for The Washington Post for nearly half a century, will discuss his new book So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government at a National Press Club event sponsored by the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress at New York Universitys Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
The evening event will be held in The National Press Clubs Holeman Lounge 529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. - beginning at 7 p.m. Please note that the doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and that space, which is limited, will be available on a first come first serve basis. To RSVP, please visit http://www.nyu.edu/brademas/programs.events.
So Damn Much Money is the startling story of the monumental growth of lobbying in Washington, D.C., and how it undermines effective government. Kaiser chronicles the growing influence of the federal government in our lives and how it has given rise to an array of organized special interests who look to Washington for protection or assistance. Kaisers book describes how lobbyists grasped politicians all-consuming and ever-increasing need to raise money (an average Senate campaign cost $437,000 in 1974; in 2006, $7.92 million) and created a mutually beneficial, mutually reinforcing relationship between special interests and members of Congress. We see how behavior once considered corrupt or improper became commonplace, how special interests became the principal funders of elections, and how lobbyists and the politicians who depend on them have ignored such huge problems as health care, global warming, and the looming crisis for Medicare and Social Security. Raymond D. Strother Author of Falling Up says, So Damn Much Money is the best book ever written about how Washington really works. The careful research and laser perfect writing could change America if enough voters read it. An amazing book.
A wine and cheese reception follows Kaisers appearance.
The mission of the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress at NYU is to increase the understanding of Congress-the Peoples Branch of government- both its role in making policy and its powers, processes and responsibilities. The Brademas Centers bi-partisan work is aimed at scholars, students, current and future public servants, and the public. The Center conducts research, teaches and holds public outreach events-such as symposia and conferences-and hosts policy addresses by members of Congress. As a part of the New York Universitys Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Center strives to help the next generation of public service leaders develop a deeper understanding of how and why Congress makes decisions. It is named for founder John Brademas, who served in the U.S. House for 22 years (1959-81).