David Cohen, lobbyist for ‘public,’ rather than ‘special,’ interests, dies at 79
The cause was a heart attack, said his son, Aaron Cohen.“I have never heard a parent say, ‘I want my child to be a lobbyist,’ ” Mr. Cohen once quipped, reflecting on the dim view commonly held of Washington insiders who use their savvy or clout to push their clients’ interests among policymakers.But Mr. Cohen saw himself and his colleagues not as representatives of special interests — as lobbyists for particular industries or groups are frequently described — but rather as advocates for what he thought to be the common good.
He joined Common Cause in 1971, a year after the nonpartisan organization was founded by John W. Gardner, a Republican who served as secretary of health, education and welfare in the Democratic administration of Lyndon B. Johnson. Mr. Cohen served as president of the organization from 1975 to 1981.