Easter celebrates a rebirth that some bygone issues like Medicaid expansion may or may not ever have, while Passover memorializes the emancipation of Israelites held captive in Egypt.
Heavy stuff we know, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take an unorthodox approach in examining the reasons for the season.
Here’s a look at the holiday in lobbying terms.
Travel increases on any holiday that commands a three-day weekend — and this weekend is no different. Most every lawmaker is back “in the district” as they say and when that’s the case, the lobbyists tend to follow suit, as it were.
When you think about air travel there’s no glossing over the mile-high food fight between so-called legacy airlines like American Airlines and Delta, and smaller carriers like Spirit and JetBlue.
Both have a veritable bevy of lobbying muscle for the 2015 session but the legacies probably have something of a leg up. You can’t do much better than the influencers at Southern Strategy Group and that’s exactly the tack American has taken, as well as enlisting its own in-house consultant Dawn White. Delta Airlines is flying first class with its representation by Capital City Consulting.
At the national level, Delta for its part spent more than $3,075,000 in 2014. Spirit Airlines and JetBlue combined for about $1.5 million in the same period.
Here in Florida, where the national issue of Iran’s diplomacy with the Obama administration has prompted a response from both of out senators, Becker & Poliakoff’s Bernie Friedman is the Florida Association of Jewish Federation’s point man. The group has retained B&P to the tune of between $10,000-$20,000, according to state lobbying registrations.
The Florida Farm Bureau, always politically active, spent about $36,000 in Florida on the 2014 mid-terms, mostly to Republicans. Its biggest beneficence was granted to former U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland — the group gave the Bay County tea party champion $10,000 — who ultimately was vanquished by Gwen Graham in a close race. But who knows, perhaps Southerland’s political career will again be risen?
And lest we forget the most vital ingredient of all — ask any kiddo about the true meaning of Easter and, if they grew up like I did, they’ll invariably tell you: candy!
Chocolate giant Hershey Foods has never been shy about getting involved in the Process and they did so freely in federal elections last year, giving about $71K to candidates and committees. Mmm, the sweet smell of campaign cash.
The National Confectioners Association, whose political given has spiked sharply over the past few years, spent even more. The makers of sugary goodness topped $130,000 in contributions to federal candidates last year, having a particular sweet tooth for House Democrats, who received about half of that. Yum!
Chag pesach, y’all! And a Happy Easter, too.
