[throwawayjava]

It's a bit more subtle than that, in the same way that the cost of an ad is larger than the cost to place that ad somewhere. But on steroids.

If you just show up and dump $300k on some politicians laps, the effect isn't likely to be particularly overwhelming. You need to cultivate relationships, wait for a good moment (when the money is disproportionately valuable to said politician), at least sell the perception that you're able and willing to dish up more in the future, etc.

So the actual cost is a lot higher than the amount the politician actually receives.