Government Relations/Lobbyist (Pat Brady)

The Dream Vocation Podcast with Tony Bellagamba

In this episode we speak with Pat Brady, a government relations professional or what we often refer to as a lobbyist. This was an incredibly interesting interview because prior to this I always had a very narrow view and limited understanding of what a lobbyist actually is and does. I’ve heard the name tossed around many times in the news over the years but never really understood what these folks did. After speaking with Pat, I gained a newfound understanding of and respect for this critical role and how it helps to move the levers within the complex machine that is our government.

As Pat explained it, a lobbyist is basically someone who advocates for a particular public policy. It's an extremely interesting role that involves understanding complex issues and then developing relationships across both sides of the aisle in Congress to advocate for those issues. There are some issues that grab our attention and make headlines, such as climate change or guns, but during this interview I learned that there are hundreds of thousands of people advocating and lobbying everyday on a wide range of issues that affect all of us.

If you’re interested in political science, working in and around government, or just learning more about how our government works, then this is an incredibly fascinating interview for you.