rub between trying to get members of congress elected this year in a midterm election and people like john boehner and others who are thinking about the republican party and democratic party, bigger picture on a national level. and they really do hit up against each other and contradict each other. this is going to be arguing with right. this is going to be a wing collection versus a national election where you have to broaden your yeah. one-word answer from all of you. assuming republicans win a majority still, maybe a smaller majority but a majority in the house, will speaker boehner remain speaker baner? more likely that answer than me, tom. i think john boehner has been a responsible leader. this party hasn t followed him. i think that s been a problem. tom? absolutely. no question about it. dana bash, congressman cole, congressman hoyer, thanks for joining us. thank you for watching state of the union. i m candy crowley in washington.
votes, they are selling decisions. yes. i think the model, the way we always think of the influence market in d.c., is that it s like bribery. that you have these outside interests that are in effect bribing our politicians. and that certainly can take place. i think the bigger problem is more akin to extortion. where the politicians identify wealthy companies or industries and basically mark them for extortion. they introduce pieces of legislation or they threat uncertain things that put those entities in a position to where they have to play ball. reporter: one person who knows all about this fully legal form of extortion is the former president of shell oil usa, john hoffmeister. i realized that there is a price to participate in the political process. what i never knew was what a huge price it was and how it was an endless process of continuously being hit up for money. reporter: in 2008, when oil
market in d.c., is that it s like bribery. that you have these outside interests that are in effect bribing our politicians. and that certainly can take place. i think the bigger problem is more akin to extortion. where the politicians identify wealthy companies or industries and basically mark them for extortion. they introduce pieces of legislation or they threat threaten certain things that put those entities into a position to where they have to play ball. reporter: one person who knows all about this fully legal form of extortion is the former president of shell oil usa, john hoffmeister. i realized that there is a price to participate in the political process. what i never knew was what a huge price it was and how it was an endless process of continuously being hit up for money. reporter: in 2008, when oil prices were skyrocketing, hoffmeister was hauled before committee after congressional committee, 18 different hearings.
the politicians identify with companies or industries, and they basically mark them for extortion. they introduce pieces of legislation or they threaten certain things that put those entities in a position to where they have to play ball. reporter: one person who knows all about this fully legal form of extortion is the former president of shell oil usa, john hofmeister. i realize that there is a price to participate in the political process. what i never know was what a huge price it was and how it was an endless process of continuously being hit up for money. reporter: in 2008, when oil prices were skyrocketing, hofmeister was hauled before committee after congressional committee, 18 different hearings. some members of congress even threatened to nationalize his industry. the televised hearings all political theater, he says. when the camera lights turned off, some of the very members who criticized him in public were asking for money in
an endless process of continuously being hit up for money. reporter: in 2008, when oil prices were skyrocketing, hoffmeister was hauled before committee after congressional committee, 18 different hearings. some members of congress even threatened to nationalize his industry. the televised hearings, all political theater, he says. when the camera lights turned off, some of the very members who criticized him in public were asking for money in private. and he says you d better pay. there s a huge price to not pay the price of the campaign request. really? there s a price in terms of access, there s a price in terms of interest by the member. and so if you haven t paid your price of entry, who are you? i ve actually been asked by a member, who are you? because i ve never met you before. now that the election s over you re coming to ask me for something? where were you before the