How Washington Actually Works For Dummies
How Washington Actually Works For Dummies
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Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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ISBN 978-1-118-31295-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-46319-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-46323-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-46324-6 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of time and expertise from the C&M International team in the preparation of this book, and in particular Doral Cooper, Peter Allgeier, Joshua Boswell, Paul Burkhead, Kate Clemans, Melissa Coyle, Paul Davies, Ke Ji, Andrew Tein, Christopher Wilson, and Patty Wu.
C&M International is an international and regulatory consultancy in Washington, D.C., and is affiliated with Crowell & Moring LLP, an international law firm representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory and transactional matters, with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels.
Publishers Acknowledgments
Project Editor: Joan Friedman
Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier
Cover Photo: iStockphoto.com / Dwight Nadig
Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com
)
Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees
W ashington, D.C., Capital of the Free World. The most powerful city on Earth. No other country, company, or international organization can compare with the reach and wealth of the U.S. federal government. Policymaking the art of deciding what programs to support, what laws to pass, or what regulations to write is at the core of what Washington does and is what everyone, from the President on down, wants to influence. The Founding Fathers expected policymaking to be an inclusive process, and the diversity and number of actors who have emerged in Washington reflect this reality. While civics textbooks can teach you how a bill becomes law, a textbook is little help in understanding how things really get done in Washington.
As with any complicated system, you can easily miss the forest for the trees when trying to figure out policymaking. But dont despair! You can get a grip on the policymaking process at the federal level the players, the rules, and the game they play without knowing the minutiae of congressional procedure or the agency behind every acronym. In fact, with a firm grasp of the basics, you too can try your hand at the policymaking game.
What will you learn from following pages? You wont get a dry explanation of the American system of government (you remember that from grade school anyway, right?). Instead, you find a playbook for how Washington really works: who has a seat at the table, how the policymaking process works, and how someone survives. We give you the inside skinny. Some disillusioned observers may call the whole process dysfunctional, and some critics may decry it as corrupt, but for the veterans who have witnessed its successes and failures, its simply how Washington actually works.
As any tourist knows, finding your way around the city of Washington, D.C., can be a challenge. Finding your way around Washingtons policymaking world is even more harrowing. It has confounded fresh-out-of-college interns and newly elected presidents equally.
This book is your map to understanding the intricate world of federal policymaking. We introduce you to all the major players, from federal bureaucrats and Congress to lobbyists and the media, and we share our insights about how much power each group actually wields. We also offer a few tips for connecting with these players, in case your goal in reading this book is to set yourself on a course for becoming one of D.C.s most influential.
As with any For Dummies book, this is a reference book, so feel free to jump from chapter to chapter to satisfy your curiosity and read whats most relevant to you.