Jeffrey Birnbaum offers this analysis in the Washington Post. It begins: “For several years now, corporations and other wealthy interests have made ever-larger campaign contributions, gifts and sponsored trips part of the culture of Capitol Hill. But now, with fresh guilty pleas by a lawmaker and a public relations executive, federal prosecutors — and perhaps average voters — may be concluding that the commingling of money and politics has gone too far.” Bob Bauer comments as does Allison Hayward.