So this is about the last best look we ll get at the big picture patterns in the 2000 elections. First of all, for all the talk this year about the evils of soft money, it s more popular than ever. While hard money contributions to the political parties the ones given under strict contribution limits are roughly running at the same level they were four years ago, soft money has doubled. Most notably, the computer industry. If you look at the long-term trends of money and politics, one of the most striking features is how stable the patterns are.
Business always gives a lot more than labor.
The financial sector is always the most generous. Lawyers and lobbyists are the biggest single industry, year after year after year. Its campaign contributions were miniscule, it had no interest in Washington, it just wanted to be left alone. The past decade has seen a huge rise in contributions from the computer industry, and this year in particular has been a watershed that is bringing the industry into the very top ranks of political givers. At the same time, by splitting their money almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans, the industry has gotten just about everything it s asked for from Congress from a sales tax moratorium on the Internet to yet another increase in visa quotas to let high-tech job applicants into the country.