This paper will research the life of a food lobbyist. According to The freedictionary.com, lobbying involves the advocacy of an interest that is affected, actually, or potentially, by the decisions of government leaders. Often, they are hired by companies to represent them. Lobbyists can be found at all levels of government, from the Prince George’s county council to the Maryland State Capital in Annapolis to the United States Capital and the White House. Political analyst James Thurber estimates that there are approximately 100,000 lobbyists who spend an average of $9 billion annually. The word lobbyist comes from the location in which people wait in order to try to push for legislation, the lobby of legislatures and was coined by President Ulysses S. Grant in the early 1800s.…show more content… On an average day, during a legislative session, a food lobbyist would meet with legislative aids to express his company’s interest in a new bill dealing with their company. Then, he or she would testify in front of a legislative committee in order to push for support of the company they represent. After a break for lunch, he or she would return to their office and plan a fundraiser for a legislature who supported their bill, especially during election season. The food lobbyist would then meet with the senior executives of a food company to brief them on that day’s work.
In order to be a lobbyist, one is expected to be sociable, persuasive and influential. They should be skilled in explaining things to people, doing favors to people, meeting new people and exceptionally skilled at getting their way. It is important for lobbyists to be able to build personal relationships with lawmakers. In fact, last week, Politico reported that Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is in a relationship with a lobbyist for Airlines for