DIALING FOR DOLLARS….I’ve read plenty of stories like this in the past, but even so it’s almost painful to read about the immense amount of time and energy that members of congress are forced to spend on fundraising:
Many members loathe working the blue call sheets of potential donors. So the parties have developed an enforcement system that, in the case of the House Republicans, includes specific goals for each lawmaker, a network of 35 team captains to track the collection process just the way whips check on votes, and strategic leaks of the latest tallies to embarrass recalcitrant members to get on the phone.
….[Rep. Jack] Kingston, who is also vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, held weekly meetings with his team captains and called members who were not meeting their goals to give them a boost. Kingston, the son of an educational psychologist, said he is using the same formula to motivate members to raise money that he used when he was in his twenties and selling commercial insurance strictly on commission: Make it fun, while warning of what could go wrong.
Yeah, tons of fun. Just like selling commercial insurance on commission. You’d think these guys would be begging for a system of public campaign finance.
