K Street Insiders: When they no longer call you 'senator'

For some who have had the privilege of serving in the U.S. Congress, as I did for 32 years in both the House and Senate, adjusting to life thereafter (on Earth, that is) is easy and smooth. For others, it is unbearable to the point of asking, “Maybe I should run again?” I am happy to say I fall into the first category.

Although I’ve had my moments. Like when I went to get my first driver’s license outside Louisiana, and the clerk cut up my old Louisiana license into a hundred little pieces, and I hollered with indignation, “You cannot do that, I want to keep my Louisiana license, I’m Senator John Breaux!” and she looked at me and replied, “Not anymore you’re not.”

I’m now working with a top law firm that does a lot of public policy work for clients. Some would refer to my new line of work as if it were the plague: “You know he’s a … ugh … lobbyist!”

I certainly respect those former members and former Hill staff who choose not to lobby for whatever reason. But having spent 32 years as a lawyer working on legislation, I feel there’s legitimacy to having another career still working on legislative matters, helping individuals, companies and associations to understand the process better, to advocate their positions better, and to manage their expectations honestly, even sometimes telling them that what they want to happen cannot.

After all, with several decades working on legislation in Congress, I hardly can qualify as a chef, a mechanic, engineer or much else! This has been my life, this is what I’ve done as a career, and I think that those who chose to work in public policy, on legislation representing legitimate interests, have chosen an honest and respectable career.

My second career as a lobbyist has enabled me to experience what it is like to be on the other side — to be the one talking to a member, asking for his or her time and consideration on a legislative matter. It has been an eye-opening experience to say the least! Having been on both sides now, I try to focus on what is really important when walking into a congressional office.

I well remember an incident that occurred when I was a young (28-year-old) congressman. A senior chairman of a major maritime company came down with several lawyers in tow to lobby me on an issue of great concern to him. After several minutes looking directly at me explaining his problem, he asked, to the gasps of his lobbyist lawyers, “When do you think the congressman can come in?”

It was certain he was paying his legal team a lot of money to explain how he should present his case to members of Congress and they hadn’t even bothered to tell him whom the congressman was!

I’m frequently amazed by how much time and effort is spent in the business world on “preparing the team” to come in and lobby members. Details such as who should sit where, who should speak first, who will answer the member’s questions and who will make the closing pitch are scrutinized over.

My best advice is to be real. You’re not meeting with the King of England or the Pope. Remember, you are meeting with a real person, so first and foremost, know your topic. Certainly know it better than the member to whom you are talking.

Secondly, recognize that for every issue there’s at least one other viewpoint that has already been brought to the attention of the member by his senior staff. You are not the only one with an answer. Try and answer the opposing positions — if you have a good answer, that is!
 
Third, try to point out how your recommendation is consistent with what the member has done in the past. It’s good to note that his or her district or state would benefit.

Finally, make sure you recognize the member you’re talking to. He or she has spent a lot of time, effort and money so that people will consider his or her face a familiar one! It is the greatest democracy in the world; don’t fear it, learn to love it.

John B. Breaux is senior counsel at Patton Boggs LLP. He served in the Senate from 1987 until 2005, and in the House from 1972 to 1987.