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Ask Roll Call: Twitter Q&A Transcript

By Christina Bellantoni
Posted March 28, 2011 at 9:51am

Roll Call is continuing Twitter Q-and-A sessions, and the latest edition was with lobbying and influence reporter Kate Ackley. Kate has covered K Street for years and is an expert on the lobbying job market, the revolving door between Capitol Hill and the private sector, the culture of K Street and on Washington, D.C.’s business community including its lobbying associations, lobbying firms, unions and corporate offices.

Follow her: @kackleyz

Check out her recent story about firms encouraging mommy lobbyists and this one about the lobbyist who hooks up his Congressional pals with his doctor pals.

Since it was on Twitter, of course, her answers were kept to under 140 characters. A transcript follows.

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Roll Call’s @ prepares to take your questions in 3, 2, 1 ….



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Welcome to Roll Call’s 9th Twitter Q&A w/ lobbying/influence reporter @ Been here 6 yrs, w/ Legal Times prior, knows K Street in&out



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Q1! RT @: @ When is the Senate supposed to vote on the budget CR?



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.@ Vote like to come today in Senate. This would fund govt. temporarily but big battles still ahead. ^@



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Q2! Lots of questions about NPR vote happening in House. How does interest groups/pub. broadcasting deal w/ this?



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A: Broadcast interest groups are on the hill making their case, hiring connected GOPers such as @ but uphill battle ^@



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Q3! RT @: @ Watching the tourney today. What is the most popular team on capital hill?



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.@ Every member’s fave team is one in own district. Check out RC’s Congressional bracket here: ^@



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Q4! From in the newsroom – you wrote this story on lobbyist/doc connex — is that really legal?



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A: Lobbyists are banned from giving members/staff something of monetary value but you can’t put pricetag on finding good doc 🙂 ^@



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Q5! RT @: @ why worry about NPR? NPR says it receive’s no direct federal funding, only 2% in grants



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.@ It’s the smaller NPR affiliates in rural areas that would be most in jeopardy w/out govt. funds. ^@



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Q6! RT @: @ @ How has the revolving door btw K St & the Hill changed post-Abramoff? Or has it?



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.@ Abramoff certainly didn’t slow revolving door. Examp: fmr Members Tanner/Pomeroy/Dodd/Skelton/Sandlin to name few ^@



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.@ Post Abramoff, Senators turned lobbyists like Dodd/Dorgan/Bennett have tighter restrictions, longer lobby ban ^@



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Q7! You’ve written lot about lobbyists/campaign $ – how important is KSt cash for campaigns? &



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A: K Street major fundraising base, even if Members don’t like to talk about it. If u can’t get lobbyists to come, u have problem ^@



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Q8! RT @: @ @ As you’ve covered lobbyists how has your opinion of lobbyists evolved?



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.@ There are bad apples in any biz but over past decade K St’s become bigger industry/more professional ^@



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Thanks @ for our 9th Twitter Q&A. Transcript to be posted later. We’ll be on recess break but the next edition will be 3/31.

Follow @rollcall on Twitter and follow our staff list for the full complement of reporters and editors.

Read our previous Twitter Q&A transcripts with Steven T. Dennis here, Jennifer Bendery here, Steve Peoples here, John Stanton here, Stu Rothenberg here, Paul Singer here, the talented photo department (Tom Williams, Bill Clark, Doug Graham and Andrew Satter) here and Ambreen Ali here.

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