Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person's that my reasoning is the same
The letter from the Republican Party to Bristol-Myers Squibb is as subtle as a sledgehammer. The Republicans expect a $250,000 contribution. The payoff? Jim Nicholson, then the Republican National Committee chairman, encloses the Republican health care package and asks for suggested changes. "We must keep the lines of communications open," he tells the drug giant ominously, "if we want to continue passing legislation that will benefit your industry."
The Bristol-Myers shakedown is part of the record in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, the challenge to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law now before the Supreme Court. It is one of a stack of documents detailing just how corporate executives and billionaires convert six-figure contributions into meetings with members of Congress, and a role in writing legislation. It is, by now, no great surprise that this goes on. But these documents still shock, by how blatant the deals are, and how willing the participants are to write it all down.