So Damn Much Money

November 10, 2008
The life story of Washington lobbyist Gerald Cassidy is used to “illuminate how Washington has changed over the past three decades” in this bleak but informative book. Kaiser, an associate editor at the Washington Post
, traces the ascendance of Cassidy, from his rough childhood in the 1950s to the incorporation of his lobbying firm, a pioneer in winning congressional earmarks for its clients, which Cassidy cofounded with Kenneth Schlossberg in 1975. The relationship between the two partners was dissolved in 1984, but Cassidy continued to build what became one of the most powerful and wealthy firms in the industry before it slipped from its vanguard status in the last few years. The author also lays out a larger history of influence peddling in federal politics, stretching back to the Civil War era, and examines the evolution of today’s “permanent campaigns.” The author’s gestures to a broader historical narrative—often in alternating chapters—sometimes distract from his nuanced examination of the rise and decline of Cassidy and Associates, but Kaiser manages to vividly elaborate the firm’s history while placing it in the context of a degenerating political culture.

January 1, 2009
Kaiser, associate editor and senior correspondent for the Washington Post, takes a long look at the history of political lobbying in Washington, D.C., as seen through the career of Gerald Cassidy, owner of one of the most powerful and influential lobbying firms in Washington. Lobbying, or petitioning members of Congress to influence the enactment of legislature favorable to a special-interest group, is legal and has been around in one form or another since our government was formed, but in the past 30 years it has become a major industry unto itself. Massive amounts of money from various corporate, academic, and religious special interests have created a system of legalized bribery that has a stranglehold over our political process, because politicians are forced to follow the money to ensure their campaign coffers remain full. Despite the conflicts of interest and shaky moral ground on which his subject treads, Kaiser does not delve into heavy-handed recrimination but rather offers a detailed, matter-of-fact perspective that explores many facets of the influence-peddling industry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)