A poll conducted of about 75 Republican and Democratic members of Congress cited CUNA as one of the most effective lobbies on Capitol Hill, among such perennial powers as the National Rifle Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
The poll was conducted by the National Journal, whose readership is primarily Washington insiders.
But before CUNA, or anyone connected with the credit union trade group starts to tout the poll as evidence of its new-gained power, they should note that only three votes got it on the list of Republicans most effective, and a single vote got it onto the Democrats' list.
On the Republican side the following groups were listed as most effective: NRA, NFIB, National Association of Realtors, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; AFL-CIO; Alliance for Worker Retirement Security, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Teachers, American Sugar Alliance, Americans for Tax Reform, and The American Bankers Association.
On the Democrats' side, the most effective lobbying groups included: Americans for Tax Reform; American Trial Lawyers Association; the anti-Castro Cuban lobby; Motion Picture Association of America; National Association of Broadcasters; National Association of Manufacturers; National Association of Realtors; and National Right to Life Committee.
