The Politics of Patton Boggs

The $787 billion stimulus package is a big topic of discussion in our newsroom.  As such, we'll get daily emails from coworkers with interesting links about the spending bill that President Obama signed on the 17th.

We got one on Friday with a link to 124 page report which is titled "American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009 Programmatic Analysis".

You can download the Entire document by clicking here.  It's pretty thorough.  And while it's about one tenth the size of the actual stimulus bill, it is a long read.

The document was prepared by a company called "Patton Boggs LLP".  It's a law firm that dabbles in politics.

Here's some detail from the company's website:

For more than 40 years, Patton Boggs has maintained a reputation for cutting-edge advocacy by working closely with Congress and regulatory agencies in Washington, litigating in courts across the country, and negotiating business transactions around the world.

The site also offers this:

Patton Boggs is consistently ranked as the nation’s top lobbying firm by various industry and national publications, including:

• The Hill, Ranked Number One in Lobbying Revenue as Reported in 2008, January 22, 2009
• Business Week, Thomas Hale Boggs, Jr.  among eight people profiled in  “Uber Influencers: The lobbyists likely to thrive in the new Washington,” January 26, 2009
• The Hill, Number One, Lobbying Revenue in 2007 for Companies with Federal Clients, February 23, 2008.
• Thomas Hale Boggs, Jr. has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers by The National Law Journal in a special section "Profiles in Power", June 19, 2007.
• The Washington Post reported that Patton Boggs was #1 in Lobbying Revenue in 2006 for Companies with Federal Clients, March 13, 2007.
• Firm chairman Thomas Hale Boggs was listed in The Hill’s survey of top lobbyists, The Hill, May 3, 2007.
• The National Law Journal’s, “Leaders of the Pack,” list ranked Patton Boggs #1 based on 2006 revenue reporting, March 31, 2007.

And from politicalbase.com:

Patton Boggs is a top international law and lobbying firm, concentrating in international business and trade. It's clients include the governments of Kuwait, Pakistan, & Venezuela, and corporations such as Metabolife International and Wal-Mart.

Sourcewatch.com calls Patton Boggs a high-powered lobby shop,

So maybe "dabble" isn't the right word.  And here's more...

I looked up the firm's political contributions to figure out which way it leans.

In all,  the firm has donated (according to politicalbase.com) a little more than $2 million to democrats and roughly $700,000 to republicans.

For 2008:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the largest single contribution for members of congress at a little more than $11,000.

Senate candidate Mark Pryor got $20,000.  Now Sec. of State Clinton received $110,000 in her presidential bid.  Mitt Romney received more than President Obama.

For 2004, presidential candidate John Kerry received almost twice as much as President Bush.

So it's likely fair to suggest the firm leans left.  Though it was not a big supporter of President Obama.

We also know that it was involved in lobbying efforts for groups that benefit from the stimulus plan.  the following is from the Florida Times Union newspaper through a weblink:

Feb. 20--Jacksonville Journey, the multi-million-dollar anti-crime plan pieced together during a tough budget cycle, could cash in on federal stimulus bill funds to help it navigate a sophomore year.

Representatives from Patton Boggs, the city's Washington lobbyist, told the plan's oversight committee on Thursday that the city could expect $3.8 million in justice assistance money alone.

So the analysis that Patton Boggs offers comes with its own preconceptions.  That's not to say the exhaustive document isn't evenhanded or fair.  But I raise these points only to make you aware of the following:  Everything that comes into your "inbox" and has a political overtone likely has a political agenda too.  So be aware. 

Thanks for reading. TA