split roll n.— «“The whole system is completely unenforceable,” says Lenny Goldberg, a Sacramento lobbyist who, as director of the California Tax Reform Assn., has been pressing for years to institute a “split roll”—that...
incept v.— «In prose that could only have been manufactured by the very finest drivel machine, the company boasts: “We have an outstanding track-record delivering successful government relations campaigns, incepting high-profile and high...
swillathon n.— «Lobbyists split, stack and otherwise run rings around rules on bacchanal expense reporting; there are “group” events exempt from disclosure and there are free trips to supposed business conferences in romantic...
switch hitter n.— «Recipients of Obama’s summer mailing include many lobbyists who are called “switch hitters” in political parlance—contributors to lawmakers of both parties who seek to open Capitol Hill doors to them on a...
check the boxes v. phr.— «In lobbying parlance, this is known as “checking the boxes”—meticulously informing powerful congressmen and senators about a transaction they might want to weigh in on down the road. Lobbyists live by...
zipper n.— «When he was running around shirtless this summer, Wyatt realized most other kids don’t have surgical scars—or “zippers,” as he calls them.» —“Fighting cancer, as a patient and a lobbyist” by Nina...