This document summarizes a content analysis of policy statements, blogs, government comments, and letters to lawmakers. The analysis aims to understand how political communication can be improved to make lobbying more effective. It discusses how policy issues can be framed in different ways and how political struggles involve competing definitions of policy issues. It also examines quotes about the role of businesses in social and political issues and perceptions of government. The document concludes that determining how decision makers make judgments is very difficult but this content analysis could help lobbyists determine if they should adapt typical Washington language or take a more casual approach.

1. By John Perrino

2. Content analysis of policy statements,
blogs, government agency comments, and
letters to Washington lawmakers
The answer could lead to improvements
in Washington lobbying through more
effective political communication
… AKA More bang for $$

4. yakkityyaks.com

6. “SINCE A GIVEN POLICY TYPICALLY HAS MANY DIFFERENT
IMPLICATIONS, IT CAN BE LINKED WITH MANY COMPETING
IMAGES.... POLITICAL STRUGGLE, THEN, INVOLVES CONFLICT
OVER THE DEFINITION OF POLICY IMAGES.”
(BAUMGARTNER & JONES, 1993)

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11. “Many see their social
responsibility fulfilled by their
businesses, not by social or
political action,”

12. “One of the mottoes posted on the walls
at Facebook is move fast and break
things. Government is considered slow,
staffed by mediocrities, ridden with
obsolete rules and inefficiencies.”
The New Yorker (May 27, 2013)

13. White House

14. White House

15. Flickr User Mike Deerkoski under CC BY 2.0

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18. “Unhappily, it is an extraordinarily
difficult research problem to ascertain
the bases for judgment made by these
decision makers.” (Milbrath, 1960)

19. Nevertheless, this content analysis could
indicate whether lobbyists should adapt
typical Washington language… or if they’re
better off taking California Casual into the
Beltway.