Rock Star, AIDS Advocate Bono a ‘Case Study in Effective Advocacy,’ Washington Times Opinion Piece Says
Irish rock star and AIDS advocate Bono last week provided a "case study in effective advocacy," while "pound[ing] the marble halls of Capitol Hill trying" to gain support for a global AIDS bill, Gary Andres, senior managing partner of the Dutko Group, a government relations company, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece (Andres, Washington Times, 3/27). Bono last week met with Washington officials, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), to lobby for HIV/AIDS legislation (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/25). While some entertainers "substitute star quality for substance," Bono "mixes an acute comprehension of the issue with a poignant message," Andres says. Bono's effectiveness lies in the fact that he grasps the scarcity of "financial resources, time and attention spans" on Capitol Hill, according to Andres. "I was amazed how he stayed on message," one "Hill-watcher" said, adding, "With everything going on in the war, I thought he might get distracted, but he didn't," Andres writes. Bono's work "demonstrat[es] what works best in a city where the competition of ideas is fierce and the agenda crowded," Andres says (Washington Times, 3/27).
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