After the Kennedy assassination, the loss of the Vietnam War, and the Nixon resignation, many disillusioned voters dropped out of active involvement with government. This permitted large corporation backed organizations and multi-millionaire/billionaires to fill the void, aided by term limits and Citizens United, which in turn allowed lobbyists and technocrats to use their legal power and unlimited funds to takeover the machinery of government. With well funded lobbyists and technocrats, supported by their lawyers, controlling government operations, elected politicians on both a state and a federal level have functionally become mere concierges and enablers, not policy makers. Given this state of affairs, voters have effectively lost the ability to influence government through their representatives. But in the pages of "Lobbycratic Governance" by Godrey Harris (who has been a public policy consultant based in Los Angeles, California, since 1968, and began consulting on government affairs after teaching American and comparative government at UCLA and Rutgers) they now have a chance to get that influence back by bringing to the fore a controversial, but effective, electoral technique. Now with the rise of the 'indivisible' political protest movement, "Lobbycratic Governance" will prove to be an invaluable instructional guide for anyone seeking to wrest our political democracy from the corruptive influence and control of Big Money. Simply stated, every community and academic library should have a copy of "Lobbycratic Governance" as part of their Political Science collection. Midwest Book Review
By identifying the crisis of confidence that took place in the American people that led to the current state of affairs, this book illustrates the growing schism in partisan politics and how lobbyists and special interests have moved in to stoke the division between left and right while pushing through legislation that benefits them through massive spending
(It) aims to inspire its readers by teaching them about the corruption of government and how ordinary citizens can be empowered to overturn those mistakes.
The author is able to approach a volatile subject in a way that transcends traditional party lines and provides a perspective that avoids being condescending or blaming. That style proves to be one of this books strongest assets, as it enables readers to learn and form an opinion without feeling the reflexive need to become defensive. Important, interesting, accessible
Michael Raden, US Book Reviews Dec 2018.