Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets

by Peter Schweizer

“Schweizer names guilty parties . . . He exposes powerful figures in politics, law firms, and corporations.” — Forbes

Washington is no longer about lawmaking, it’s about moneymaking

Conventional wisdom holds that Washington is broken because outside special interests bribe politicians. The reverse is politicians have developed a new set of brass-knuckle legislative tactics designed to extort wealthy industries and donors into forking over big donations — cash that lawmakers often funnel into the pockets of their friends and family.

Inside this best-selling bombshell of a book, Schweizer reveals the exorbitant secret “fees” each political party charges politicians for top committee assignments; how fourteen members of Congress bagged hundreds of thousands of dollars using a little-known self-loan loophole; how politicians use PACs to bankroll lavish lifestyles; and much more. Washington’s extortion racket has gone unreported — until now.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Government, Economics

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Peter Schweizer is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. From 2008-'09 he served as a consultant to the White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting and he is a former consultant to NBC News. He has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, National Review, Foreign Affairs, and elsewhere. His books include The Bushes, Reagan's War, and Do as I Say, Not as I Do.

Reviews

[Amora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows Washington is corrupt, but to what extent? Here, Schweizer shows how nefarious our politicians are by exposing the mafia-like tactics they use to enrich themselves and their family and friends. The people charged in this book with corruption include, but are not limited to, Chuck Schumer, Roy Blunt, Harry Reid, John Boehner, Theodore Roosevelt, Ron Paul, Maxine Waters, and Barack Obama. Schweizer may be a conservative but he holds no punches back with both parties.

Edit (8/6/20): I’m going through my old reviews and I had no idea this review had no many grammar mistakes.

[ALLEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

As long as we've had active politics we've had bribery, or the possibility of bribes. A bribe says "let me give you something valuable in the hopes you'll do me a favor, Powerful Person. For example, I might give you an envelope full of twenties / a new library for your college / a huge campaign contribution if you'll give me in return (although the "quid pro quo" may be unstated): a construction permit / entry for my semi-qualified son into your Freshman class / favorable legislation."

But in this 2013 book, political author Peter Schweizer stresses the other side of the equation, extortion, in which the powerful solicit money or favors in order NOT to do something ugly to the victimized citizen. For example, "Why don't you give me some money right now / buy an expensive table at my "party unity" banquet / give my daughter-in-law a job in your P.R. firm, so that you don't come back to a damaged car / have me refuse to take your phone calls / "forget" to renew a tax break that, curiously, comes up for renewal every few years." It's protection money, pure and simple, a shakedown: and Schweizer gives numerous examples of how it works.

With so much "baksheesh" flowing back and forth, we have come to enshrine what the author calls a "Permanent Political Class" in Washington that just loves to rack up money and power and help favored patrons (supporters) even at the cost of harming the un-favored (political enemies). It's wrong, but it goes on all the time. For a journalist who usually goes after liberals, Schweizer is fairly even-handed in this book: He goes after Harry Reid (D, Nev.) as well as Roy Blunt (R, Mo.) for their "creative" use of securing favored positions for relatives, nepotism not knowing party lines.

EXTORTION makes its case, but it's not the most fluently written book in the world. (The repetitiousness and occasional use of cliche found here were happily corrected in time for 2016's best selling CLINTON CASH.) Even so, and despite the fact it's now going on five years old, I'm giving it four stars for general readability and salience. Do you think this kind of thing no longer happens? Consider that in June 2017, a sniper shot several congressmen at an early-morning baseball game in suburban D.C. Several of their colleagues went to the hospital to make sure the wounded players, especially critically injured Rep. Steve Scalise, came through okay. But most couldn't: they had to hustle off to a prearranged breakfast in the District. Of course, it was a fund-raiser.

[Ben Batchelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book to read and weep. It tells the devastating and documented story of how politicians of both parties have corrupted Washington, D.C. and undermined our delicate republic. These days, not only do the Power Pols (those in the Legislative & Executive Branches) routinely exempt themselves from the sprawling laws they impose on us (Obamacare, most recently), but take gleeful advantage of exemptions from security laws (among others) to trade on insider information. While its premature death was proclaimed by none other than Bill Clinton, Big Government has reared its ugly head once again and turned D.C. into a black hole of power, sucking the nation’s livelihood into oblivion.

Worse, each new massive law re-nationalizing, or bringing under more complete regulatory sway, of entire sectors or industries is intentionally vague and opaque, in order to extract maximum bribes (the “extortion” of the title) each time the lawmakers vote on passing, jiggling, or re-authorizing the sludge-filled omnibuses. Although implemented since the book’s publishing, the FCC’s regulatory takeover of the internet with so-called Net Neutrality (applying 1930’s telecommunication rules to a newly established “public utility”) can be seen in a different light. Going forward Silicon Valley will have to make massive “donations” and employ armies of connected lawyers and lobbyists every time Congress, or the FCC, makes an internet move. Netflix, Google, and Tumblr will rue the day they invited the wolf into the chicken coop for temporary competitive advantage.

We should have seen this coming, and Schweizer is scrupulously bipartisan in revealing execrable behavior by our elected rulers. Take Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who warned techies and specifically Microsoft, “If you want to get involved in business, you should get involved in politics.” (p.87)

Schweizer gets very specific. In the spring of 2011, House Leader John Boehner, traditionally against tax increases, “indicated that he might be open to considering a change in the capital gains rate.” As the newly minted House Leader that year, he not only raised six times as much money as when Minority Leader, but in a two-day period, “June 8-9, he deposited 144 checks worth $274,800 in contributions from hedge fund and finance executives.” (p.51)

In a chapter titled “Protection for a Price,” the author details how the legal system is used to extort. For example, a well-intended Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was passed in 1977, but enforcement actions by the SEC and the DOJ were few until the Big Government reign of Bush Jr. and then exploded under Obama. The DOJ now routinely targets politically-unfriendly firms, such as Standard & Poor after it downgraded US debt in 2011, and extracts huge settlements, including $1.4 billion from S&P earlier this year for the same mortgage debt rating actions of its competitor Moody’s, which was never so impertinent as to call into question the reliability of US debt.

No crocodile tears for massive corporations that get on the wrong side of our massive government, right? Think again. This is already or will soon get more personal, as Schweizer notes. “There are now more than 4,450 criminal laws on the books. As Harvard’s [liberal professor] Alan Dershowitz warns...it creates a situation in which ‘citizens who believe they are law-abiding may, in the eyes of federal officials, be committing three felonies a day.’” (p.128)

Alexis de Tocqueville warned, in America’s relative youth, against a new type of despotism, in which stifling regulations and “a network of small, complicated, painstaking, uniform rules” intended for our good “enervates, extinguishes, dazes, and finally reduces each nation to being nothing more that a herd of timid and industrious animals of which the government is the shepherd." [Democracy in America, book II, part 4, ch.6.]

What he didn’t foresee was how such a forest of self-serving laws would also create what Schweizer calls our Permanent Political Class, destroying the Constitution and infecting every tree with rot.

Yet, in the end, we only have ourselves to blame for our democratic masters.

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Pockets by Peter Schweizer

"Extortion" is an interesting expose of how politicians extort money, legally. Research fellow, consultant and author, Peter Schweizer provides a well-referenced account of how the members of the Permanent Political Class profit handsomely from such practices. This troubling 256-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. America’s Most Expensive Tollbooth, 3. Protection: for a Price, 4. The Underground Washington Economy, 5. The Double-Milker, 6. Slush Funds, 7. Trust Me, 8. Protection for a Price, 9. It’s a Family Affair, and 10. Conclusion.

Positives:
1. Accessible, well-referenced book. Fair and balanced approach.
2. An expose on an interesting topic. If you care, this book will upset you.
3. A solid command of the topic presented.
4. Does a very good job of defining the key term of the book and goes on to compellingly support his main thesis. “Politics in modern America has become a lucrative business, an industry that has less to do with policy and a lot more to do with accessing money and favors. As we will see, bills and regulations are often introduced not to effect policy change, but as vehicles for shaking down people for those money and favors. Indeed, the motive on both sides often has nothing to do with creating a “correct” policy, but instead is often about maximizing profits.”
5. Presents his perspective clearly, “The assumption is that we need to protect politicians from outside influences. But how about protecting ourselves from the politicians?” A bit of a twist, instead of focusing on lobbyists Schweizer focuses on the politicians.
6. Defines the concept of tax extenders. “Tax extenders are essentially the Washington, D.C., version of the “mob tax”: paying members of Congress to do something that they are supposed to be doing in the first place. Those who wonder why the American tax code is so complex, convoluted, and constantly changing fail to appreciate what a wonderful tool it is for extortion. When you start seeing it as a source of enrichment for the Permanent Political Class, you will realize why we have the tax system we have.”
7. Explains the timing of the alleged extortions. “We’ve come to accept this as routine: companies facing legal action from the federal government being solicited at the same time for campaign donations. On the street, this would be considered de facto extortion.”
8. An interesting look at how money in Washington moves and why. “Campaign fund-raising generates the headwaters of the political economy in Washington. We know that it is used for winning elections. But once money has been raised by politicians, it can be moved, redirected, and shifted to other tributaries apart from campaigns. The money can be shifted into politicians’ own personal pockets, or those of their family members. And it can be transferred to the pockets of other politicians—perhaps in exchange for a vote on a particular bill.”
9. Provides a sample list of members of Congress who pay family members and family businesses for undefined purposes.
10. Examples of extortion among politicians.
11. How politicians raise funds from donors on both sides. Schweizer provides a great example.
12. Leadership PACs. “Leadership PACs are ostensibly about raising money to help political colleagues hold and win seats. But the FEC has few restrictions on how these monies can be used and does not restrict the “personal use” of such funds.”
13. An interesting look at why it’s profitable to make legislation complex. “Government bureaucrats and law-writers can make things simple, but apart from dire emergencies, they generally choose not to. Complexity is a useful and lucrative method of legal extortion for politicians because, as University of London economist Anthony G. Heyes puts it, ‘it is precisely the complex, opacity and user-unfriendliness which underpin the value of their expertise.’ And that translates into ‘selling advice to those they previously regulated.’”
14. Explains who directly benefits from legislative complexity. “But think about it from the perspective of the congressional aide: your future wealth depends on crafting a complex bill.” “There is a huge amount of money to be made as the middleman. Ex-bureaucrats and politicians can interpret and navigate through the thicket of rules and laws. It is a lucrative service to offer.
15. Mind-blowing facts. “In 2011 American businesses were required to comply with no fewer than 165,000 pages of federal regulations.”
16. A look at health-care regulations. “Part of the problem is that there are so many laws and regulations that doctors don’t even know about, some of which could put them in jail.”
17. An interesting observation at how industries are targeted.
18. Examples of powerful political families and how they exert their influence.
19. Schweizer provides reform effort ideas to control politicians. Interesting list. “We all denounce “special interests,” that is, lobbying by firms and industries. We should turn our attention to their counterparts. Our reform efforts have been almost exclusively devoted to restricting the activities of these special interests—in other words, ourselves—as opposed to the activities of the Permanent Political Class. This is unusual because when it comes to most industries in America—insurance, finance, and so on—most regulatory requirements fall on sellers, not buyers. Perhaps that doesn’t happen in this case because it’s the sellers who get to make the rules.”
20. Comprehensive notes that are linked.

Negatives:
1. The book’s sole focus is on political extortion. It seems to me that it works both ways and it may very well be that plutocracy is the bigger problem. No mention of theocrats either.
2. It seems to me that companies making billions of dollars of profit would not be that inconvenienced by the miniscule dollars involved to keep politicians in their pockets. I understand the principle that Schweizer presents but from a corporate POV the biggest threat is legislation that can threaten their business.
3. It’s very similar to his best-selling book, “Throw Them All Out.” In his defense, I felt this book was more balanced.
4. Doesn’t get into the basics of the financial crash of 2008.
5. Provides reform ideas but how likely will we ever see any of these ideas implemented by the very same people who benefit financially from it.
6. No formal bibliography.

In summary, this is a very good book. Schweizer provides a premise and takes glee in providing plenty of supporting material in its defense. This time around, Schweizer provides countless examples of what he basically considers political extortion. As a person who cares deeply for the well-being of our nation I find a lot of this material very troubling. Regardless of your political persuasion, this is a brief and powerful book worth reading. I recommend it.

Further suggestions: "Throw Them All Out" by the same author, "The Age of Greed" by Jeff Madrick, “Predator Nation” by Charles H. Ferguson, “The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers Fleeced America…” by Michael W. Hudson, “Plutocrats” by Chrystia Freeland, “Winner-Take-All Politics” by Jacob S. Hacker, “Republic, Lost” by Lawrence Lessig, and “The Looting of America” by Les Leopold.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t have a lot of faith in politics. I'm not surprised when there's a scandal. Friends will often point to a dirty politician from my party. I don’t have a reaction. I have zero expectation that these guys are going to be paragons of goodness.

By all means, read this book and be outraged. Schweizer goes after democrats and republicans alike. The problem is systemic. Politics has evolved in such a way that favors, bribery, and yes extortion, are simply the way things get done. I'm not convinced Schweizer's solutions will work. I'm cynical that way. Any time you have people in power and people in need of power, corruption is just too great a temptation.

When I was growing up, there was still some residual "stick it to the man" sentiment from the 70s and the aftermath of Nixon. Today, I'm often surprised at the trust and confidence people have in government. Government can do good, and in America I think it does quite a bit of good, but I encourage us not to look to politicians as saviors.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good points, not great writing. There's a lot of information, but it's somewhat repetitive and disorganized, and his points don't always follow from his evidence. Still, four stars for being an important book.

[Miles Nilsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disturbing book. It tells you everything you knew was true about government corruption but were afraid to admit. The trouble with government is NOT that this party or that party is in control and is doing wrong, but rather it is that both parties are corrupt and playing their voter bases for fools. Democrats might think that corporations should be regulated and that their political leaders are dedicated to doing just that. Republicans might think that corporations are already overregulated and that their political leaders are dedicated to rolling back regulations. These are lies.

Actually, politicians and bureaucrats are gaming the system, trying to maximize the amount of money available for their personal use. They have figured out ways of doing this that are "extralegal"; that is, not ethical but not technically illegal, either.

Often, their methods look a lot like extortion. (Schweizer points out that often the difference between a bribe and extortion is a matter of perception; you have to look at the preponderance of evidence to tell them apart, and even then it may be difficult to prove.)

Under the current set up, legislation is not for doing good, it's for extorting money out of corporations. As Peter Schweizer puts it, money is not corrupting politics; politicians are already corrupt, and they are corrupting money in several different ways. Why else would corporations only give to politicians--whether Democrats or Republicans--mainly on the occasion of important legislation that helps (or hurts) those corporations, and why would powerful committee chairmen or party leaders who have the most sway on votes--who can even determine whether and when a vote will happen--attract the most donations? Why else does each side depend on the supposed abuses of the other side to gin up contributions but never do anything to reform the system so those alleged abuses stop? Why does each politician have several different campaign funds that they use to accumulate money for themselves or even to pay off each other? Why is it that--even though economists agree that tax credits for research and development have been good for the economy and for the general improvement of life--Congress has not made these credits permanent but instead has voted to extend them every few years since 1981, thus making corporations contribute to politicians on both sides on the occasion of each vote? Why do members of the administration hire themselves out as consultants to help corporations fight arcane laws and hostile policies that these former insiders formulated? Why are corporations so easily persuaded to hire relatives of politicians as consultants?

This book paints a depressing picture of what Schweizer calls "the permanent political class." Depressing because these people will not reform the corrupt system they have built. As Schweizer puts it, you or I might complain that the system isn't working, but for the politicians and bureaucrats who are making money off of their so-called public service, the system is working fine.

[Carol Menges · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a grim exposé. Any residual hopes I had that extortion was not quite as endemic—even expected—at any government level, especially the federal, were wiped away. It's hardly even necessary today to pretend otherwise among those in Congress and the Executive Branch who practice it. The deal, though, is to maintain a sliver of respectability while hiding behind a wall of obscure objectives that only staffers who wrote them understand. It's also important to pretend honesty while wringing dry the next mark; they can even play both sides of any issue. Ex-governor of Illinois Rod “Blago” Blagojevich is the example of how *not* to go about it; he got caught being honest in descriptive conversation. Pseudo-respectability is the approved MO. A great deal I already understood. It's the pervasive nature of the practice and the way bills are crafted in wordy obscurity to perpetuate it that leave the readers who still believe in Constitutional justice in the dust. Clearly most if not all of our long-term leaders pay only lip service to all of the Constitution. Citizens' appeals to them are tolerated but not compelling. The final chapter sets out a modest five-point plan to reign in the practice. I doubt it could ever solve it because, after all, the most guilty Congressmen and women want to maintain their Congressional seats. Strict term limits as proposed in "The Liberty Amendments," by Mark Levin, would go an immense distance toward solving it. Author Peter Schweizer sets out the enormity of the problem. With internet access to information that leaves the voting public without means to evade the truth, and with exposés such as this proliferating today, citizens are left without excuse for misunderstanding it. Solving it is another matter. Read this for shock value and then check out the Convention of States website for the cure: http://www.conventionofstates.com/

[Kurtbg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you believe that politicians use their held office to suggest legislation and call votes in order to shakedown corporations to pay into their campaigns, and PAC's? That's the case presented by the author.

What if just by saying you're going to take a look at financial regulation resulted in obtaining money from pro or anti regulation "constituents"? How hard would it be to not do that?

What if there was a two party system that was always contrary?
money would always be flowing, wouldn't it?

The book runs through the different scenarios available to gatekeeper politicians use in order to squeeze money from companies. Democrats and Republicans are both represented, from Obama to John Boehner. Why was the Affordable health care act voted for recall so many times? Each time was an opportunity for Boehner to receive contributions to vote against it.
Why was the law so large and vague? It's because the staffers who wrote left office and are now billing hours as consultants on it.

If the book is indeed true then the political class are pushing the economy and progress off its rails just to enrich their pockets. This is who Ayn Rand referred to as "Takers" in the book Fountainhead. They're those people (usually politicians) that insert themselves and take positions of control in order to take away from those that create. Picture Enron inserting themselves between energy companies and consumers, Insurance companies between Healthcare givers and patients. It seems the disciples of Ayn Rand embrace the taker more than it's contributing counterpart, the "Creators."

Is the business of politics the American dream? Is it all about taking as much as one can get, even when you've attained the responsibility within the government which exists to keep the country working to the benefit of it's citizenry?

[Gerry Claes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone assumes that it is the lobbyists who are throwing money at politicians in order to encourage them to pass favorable legislation and spending. The reality is that in most cases it is the politicians who are extorting money from the lobbyists in order to line their own pockets or to finance their agenda. All a politician has to do is to propose a bill that favors or punishes a particular industry. Then the politician just sits back and waits for the lobbyists to come calling with pockets full of money. The bill may not stand a chance of passing but it doesn't matter, just the threat of onerous legislation is enough to start the money rolling in.

There are of course limits as to how much an individual or organization can give to a politician. No problem, just set up 90 PAC's like Harry Reed has done and a politician gets around that little issue. Or, just hire your wife or children to work for your PAC and most of the money goes to the politician and very little actually goes to the cost of promoting or attacking the issue at hand.

Ever wonder how a politician can retire with millions of dollars on a base salary of $170,000 annually. It's very simple if you head up a committee. I could go on and on but you get the picture. It's enough to make one ill. The author does offer some suggestions on how to put an end to this nonsense but I guess I am too much of a cynic not to think that they will find a way around any regulation.

A quick read that delves into the reality of what really goes on in Washington.

[Charles Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a fine line between bribery and extortion; especially when the transaction is unspoken and not asked for in words. If you own a business and a Mafia type comes in and says "Nice business you have here, it would be a shame if something happened to it" and not another word is spoken, just a transfer of cash, was that extortion? Those are the questions that Peter Schweizer examines.

We frequently hear people complain about big-monied corporations "buying" politicians to gain political favor. However, Schweizer turns the tables and shows that it is more like politicians extorting money out of corporations to prevent crushing and impossible to comply with laws and regulations. After all, as Schweizer points out, it takes big money to run for office. Where does that money come from?

If you think that politicians are poor innocents who suddenly get corrupted by big-bad corporations I strongly suggest that you read this book.

I want to read his new book, Clinton Cash.

[Shirley (stampartiste) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an eye-opening book! It sure explains why Congress is so tone-deaf to the opinions and petitions of their constituents. As the author reveals in detail, there was a time when those in Washington (he terms them the Permanent Political Class) enriched themselves while pretending to serve their constituents. No more. The masks are off, and they don't even pretend to listen to those who elected them. Their main focus is the acquisition of continually more money and power. The author is quick to point out that this is not a single party issue. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are playing the same game. I don't know emotion which I feel most after reading this well-referenced expose: disgusted, angry or sad!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know how our government truly works.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a friend of a friend would say, "I despair." Campaign contributions. Fundraising parties. Nepotism. Money sloshing around in Washington buying votes or favorable treatment. Only the tip of the iceberg one finds after reading this book. The corruption that takes place in Washington is beyond one's imagination. It seems something that only takes place in a third world country. Where are the people rioting in the streets because of Washington corruption as we see in those countries? The author, in the final chapter, proposes some straightforward steps that could be taken to clean up Washington. The question is, "Who will it be who takes the first bite out of the elephant." Read this book and despair with me.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a friend and business colleague, I wanted to educate myself about our political system. It is that, walloping my ideas of how money moves in Washington, with our representatives pulling the strings and being mostly self-serving, not serving the greater good. Teeth gnashing, and i'm not sure the entrenched interests will ever do anything to change this system--they themselves would have to vote to change the system that enriches themselves.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading before signing up to vote. It starts where Throw Them All Out left off, recapitulating that book in the first chapter, about milker bills (bills not designed so much to do anything as designed to convince an industry to send in money so that the bill won’t pass).

Schweizer turns the problem of corruption around, and in doing so makes it much easier to understand and to combat. Bribery always seems so complicated and sometimes even pointless. Bribes seem to go every which way and to no effect. But if we look at the system as one of extortion by the politicians involved rather than one of bribery by lobbyists, it becomes a lot easier to understand why the “bribes” happen when they do and how they are performed.

Further, there will always be an infinite source of lobbyists and people affected by legislation, making combatting bribery nearly impossible. In most other industries, regulations apply to sellers, not buyers, for the simple reason that it’s more effective to do so. There are always fewer sellers than buyers.

Politicians are not passively waiting for bribes to come in. They are actively attempting to force people, businesses, and entire industries to send them money. Why do politicians from both sides like to blame video games for violence after a particularly horrendous crime? Because the video game industry has a lot of money.

Why do so many tax exemptions expire every few years? Because everyone affected by those exemptions will be sure to ramp up their donations when the exemptions/breaks in their industry come up for a vote.

Why has the size of bills grown so much larger over the years while specifying fewer clear rules for the people affected by the bills? Because it means that the need to spend money on politicians and their entourages does not end after the law is passed. It continues on into the regulatory phase and, if the regulations are complicated enough, on into the enforcement phase as well.

Businesses that don’t take part in political lobbying are specifically targeted by congress precisely because they haven’t been lobbying; I remember when Microsoft and later Google were forced to hire lobbyists and start making contributions, even though, at the time, they would have far preferred to use those resources to make better products.

Schweizer very clearly and readably describes how politicians extort money out of everyone they can, how they specifically go looking for issues that milk as many people as possible, and how anti-bribery laws necessarily fail to stop the flow of money because they attack the wrong end, using specific examples from 2008 to 2013 when the book was published. Because of the time frame, this means also covering extortion from politicians on both sides of the aisle. But he also shows how both sides work together to target as many profitable sources of lobbying money as they can.

A whole lot of the oddities of modern politics make a lot more sense after reading this book.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regardless of party affiliation, if you are concerned with the political ruling class, and how they do nothing for the people of the country or the country itself, and seem more concerned about holding endless hearings than actually governing or passing a budget this book is for you.

In fact, this book should be required reading for every high school government student and every citizen in this country, particularly if you exercise your right to vote.

I highly recommend this book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed several other books by this author, I was geared up and ready to go with Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets by Peter Schweizer. In this book he details how politicians from both parties (equal opportunity corruption) buy, sell, and trade your votes for donations or favors before they will consider advancing your cause. In some cases, the Speaker of the House (again from both parties) will hold up bringing bills to the floor for a vote until their campaign coffers start ringing. And their support or opposition can be influenced by the number and amounts of donations. He explains concepts like Tollbooth where the Speaker can place bills on hold until the toll is collected and Protection Money to buy the influence of even a president as occurred under Obama to target specific industries or opposition groups for extra IRS scrutiny or regulation...or not depending on campaign donations (again, both sides have done this). A lot of these "campaign donations" end up being diverted to support lavish lifestyles with limos, private jets, golf outings at exclusive resorts, fine wines, and extravagant cash payments to friends and family members for doing little or nothing of real value. Once again the author explains how the sausage is made in Washington, DC and helps us understand why the congress is so dysfunctional; it's all by design in order for every member of congress to extract maximum payments out of constituents for just doing their jobs they were elected to do. Eye-opening entertainment for all sides of the political spectrum.

[Michael Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides insight into the power the US government and elected officials use over businesses and associations to generate campaign donations, jobs after they step down, and income for their family members. It is wye opening and makes a good case for term limits and other means to limit the influence of elected officials.

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read-but sickening to see how truly corrupt the political system in Washington, DC is. Ever hear of a "milker bill?" If not, I recommend you read this book and get educated. I recently heard this speaker at an event and he was gracious to give out free books and to sign them. He's a brave guy!

[Gregory Tanico · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book. I knew it was bad in Washington but i didn't know how bad. There are very good reasons why so many people in congress, as well as their families and friends are filthy rich. Both parties are at fault though the chapter on Harry Reid is classic. I'm looking forward to his book Clinton Cash

[Danmcgohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me ill! If only a small percentage of these facts are true, we are in deep!!! This is definitely a strong argument for term limits. I pray our country is not lost to the professional politician.

[Justin Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have, or should I say, should have been a bigger book. The topics that were covered could have been elaborated on more. And at times, I felt like the book was a little partisan (no, I didn't vote for Obama and no, I'm not a registered Democrat. Most of the was within the Obama era.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty easy read, if a bit disheartening.

"Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.” - attributed to John Godfrey Saxe ( although often attributed to Otto von Bismarck"

[Malin Friess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even for a somtimes political cynic like myself, I found this book far too negative and absolutly depressing. I do believe our politicians and political process with its failures still believes in the common good of the people.

1 star. Not worth a read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I had no idea it was that bad. Schweizer did a great job covering the subject and making it interesting. I would agree with each one of his last suggestions and changes we need to make to the law.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sickening view of government corruption. Heaven help us and our children.

[Brian Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written book, makes you want to vote everyone out of office every year.

[Scott Saari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well documented and fairly even-handed exposure in detail how congress makes individual money from leadership PACs.

[Robert Sparrenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we start over in Washington? After reading this we sure need to. I'm in the wrong job. I need to be a consultant for all of this congressional nonsense. Quick short read with lots of examples.

[John Venable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad tale of how the Political Machine is still alive and kicking. We'll written, thoroughly footnoted, and utterly depressing.