On 7-Jul-2006, "Gordon" wrote:

I agree. From the moment a person gets elected, he has to begin the
process of getting RE-elected, with all the ass-kissing and kow-towing
that such an accomplishment requires. End result is that instead of
following their own principles, a freshman representative ends up
having to adopt whatever positions and views their new benefactors can
coerce them to accept.

There's one exception I can think of: Senator Russ Feingold from Wisconsin.
No signs of corruption so far anyway, I should add. The guy certainly
stands up for what he believes no matter how unpopular it might be (the only
Senate vote against the Patriot Act for one), and to my knowledge no one has
ever accused him of kissing up to campaign contributors.
Scott Wilson