[gaulinmp]

I am also confused by the uproar about this, why is what Dodd said wrong? Are campaign contributions not a sign that you support the goals of the politician in question? So if that politician is no longer espousing your values, you move your contributions somewhere else.

I guess my question comes down to what is the difference between contributing to whichever campaign forwards a platform and bribery (the assumption that Dodd was engaging in the latter being what caused the furor)?

[furyofantares]

> I guess my question comes down to what is the difference between contributing to whichever campaign forwards a platform and bribery (the assumption that Dodd was engaging in the latter being what caused the furor)?

Dodd's implication is that the politicians should not have listened to their constituents. Or at least that's how I pick up on it. The tone says to me that his money should have solidified or shaped the opinions of those his industry donated to.

That's very different from trying to get someone elected because you believe their view of how to best serve their constituents aligns with your platform. Now, I'm sure you will find many people here who will argue that that, too, is corrupt. But it's not so blatant.

However, there's one more piece to the puzzle: None of the politicians have said they are going to give up on passing legislation that fights copyright infringement. They've shelved two bills, that's it. They haven't announced any bad intentions toward his platform, and they haven't established a pattern of ignoring his platform. So to claim that they aren't supporting his platform would be a gross overreaction. It more like Dodd feels his industry is entitled to these particular bills, and he is whining that they didn't get them.

[uxp]

> I am also confused by the uproar about this, why is what Dodd said wrong

It's not that people are upset that he is freely admitting to bribery or lobbying (depending on your viewpoint), but that is should be wrong for him to be admitting it. You are totally right. If I stand behind a congressman or woman because I agree with their actions and values, then one day I notice that they are supporting things that I am against, no one should be upset if I move my donations and support elsewhere. The problem comes from how he openly admits to the influence everyone already knows the media industry has over our legislative body.

If the media industry is as massive as they claim it to be, then every single one of those people employed in that industry has a right to support and back congressmen and women that support the values that help them strengthen their industry. The fact that the industry itself can, in parallel to those that work in the industry, also donate and support congressmen and women is the problem, as it creates exponential power with linear growth (if everyone was hypothetically contributing equally to the industry).

The same idea applies to any industry, really. No one ideally wants to reduce the size of any industry, but to limit the power any single industry has over the direction the country drafts it's laws to help and protect to be fair to everyone.