Unfalsifible Effectiveness of Lobbying: Clay Davis, Hunter Biden, & J.Abramoff

In authoritarian regimes, people often assume that there is a single set of elites who hold all the power, but in the United States, there are competing factions of elites. When a party is out of power, they have limited influence to get things done. However, influence peddling and rainmaking in Washington, D.C. are often exaggerated and filled with false promises. Lobbyists may claim to be working on behalf of conflicting interests, taking money from multiple parties and making contradictory promises. This kind of grifting is common in the lobbying world. Similar to the character in 'The Wire', politicians may create the impression that they can be bribed to obtain government contracts, when in reality, the process is more bureaucratic and depends on completing necessary paperwork. Successful rainmakers take credit for wins and ask for more money when they fail. Hunter Biden's activities fall into this pattern of influence peddling, though it is unclear how much Joe Biden knew about his son's actions. While it is established that Biden has lied about not knowing anything, it does not necessarily mean he was directly involved in the influence peddling. However, it seems unlikely that Biden never inquired about his son's activities on trips to Ukraine or China. Therefore, it can be inferred that Joe Biden had at least some knowledge of Hunter Biden's actions.