K Street: ‘Let’s meet’; Hill staffers: ‘Text me’

Lobbyists and congressional staffers haunt the same corridors of power, but they don’t always speak the same language. As they attempt to communicate, deliberate and share information, Congress and K Street are often wildly disconnected, with technology and age exacerbating matters, according to the results of the largest survey of its kind in US history.

Capitol Hill staffers don’t want to be bothered by all of the face-to-face meetings lobbyists set up and insist make a big difference for their clients. Staffers would rather connect by email but ironically find themselves stifled by increasingly antiquated BlackBerry devices. And even when lobbyists and congressional staff successfully connect to chew over government initiatives and legislation, they routinely arrive with markedly different frames of reference, from the publications and briefing materials they read to the cable news they watch. The survey, slated to be released in a 116-page document entitled The Congressional Communications Report, is a joint project by The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, the Original U.S. Congress Handbook, Lobbyists.info and the Virginia-based market research firm ORI.