but on something much swampier. there s very little time to read bills, so analyze legislation, to develop coalitions with fellow members because there was so much pressure to raise money. is there a partisan thing? both sides do it. and raising money isn t just for reelections. it s also the key to gaining power within the parties. how do you get a committee chairmanship? you have to pay a certain amount of money. when we were in power, to be a chair of an a committee, ways and means, appropriations, rules, you had to raise 1.2 million for the republican party. a b committee, i think it was $825,000. buck s numbers check out. for example on the last congress kevin brady, the former chair of the house ways and means committee raised over 1.8 million for house republicans. and top democrats on several of the most powerful congressional