Fundraising is a massive part of politics that the media and public rarely see in action. A voice mail message from Hillary Clinton to her notorious fundraiser Norman Hsu, who has already copped to running a $20 million Ponzi scheme and is now on trial for campaign finance violations, offers a glimpse into a world of sycophancy and mutual manipulation:
"Norman, it's Hillary! What am I going to do with you, Norman? You are working so hard for me that I just don't know what to say any more. I've never seen anybody who has been more loyal and more effective and really just having greater success supporting someone than you. ... Everywhere I go, you're there. If you're not, you're sending someone to be part of my events. You know, we're going to win this campaign, Norman, because you're singlehandedly going to make that happen. ... Get some sleep. Slow down for a few minutes. We're going to get to the end of the first quarter and then we can all take a little rest. Lots of love. Bye bye."
Retch.
--Michael Crowley