Washington responds to money, but what do they use the money for? If we assume they're corrupt, they would use the money to 1) enrich themselves or 2) win re-election.<p>And when you think about it, it doesn't make sense to enrich themselves so blatantly. People go to jail that way. Voters don't like politicians transparently bought and paid for.<p>And "campaign contributions" are _peanuts_ against the trillions sluicing every year through the federal fisc. Look at the money these guys make trading stock, in their "retirement" salaries as consultants and lobbyists, heads of foundations and executives in corporations with business before the government. Even if they're corrupt, they wouldn't be _stupid_ corrupt.<p>So politicians use campaign contributions to get re-elected. It isn't always above board, it's often employment of consultants and advisors whose chief. If you're sitting in a safe seat, your concern is your primary, and your real rivals are people of your own party below you. But they also help you win the general, by getting your name out there and shaping perceptions of you.<p>And that's the problem buying a corrupt Congressman. Let him want the money, he still must balance the image problem of taking the money. They can take the money at the margins. But after a point they can't take anymore without hurting themselves more than they help.<p>So how can the movie biz spend so much on this? The issue is marginal to the real drivers of the pols' incumbency, so they can afford to take more of the money on this one. And the showbiz lobbyists, who've been doing this a _very_ long time, know this, and got there first. It shouldn't surprise me to learn that money has done here as much as it could possibly do.<p>I don't think SOPA is inevitable. But it won't be stopped by imagining that politicians are simply stupid greedy.