“People in government like to think they answer to greater gods and journalists like to think that they are on a mission from god, while nonprofits act as if they were always on the side of angels, when in fact, all are capable of moral mis- and malfeasance when it serves their ends. If you think about it, only Remy Danton, Mr. Underwood’s former staffer who has gone over to the lobbying side, is really consistent in terms of who he is and what he represents. As a lobbyist and a fixer, he understands that brute force and large sums of cash, strategically applied, can melt away the pretense of civic-mindedness and reveal the self-interest that lurks around every corner in the capital.”
