Who's The Boss? (Hint: Follow the Money!)

No one feels more gratitude to the pharmaceutical industry than I do. I start each morning taking a little green pill, and I am thankful to everyone involved in bringing it to me -- the research scientist who discovered it but also the sales reps who get the word out and the finance people who figure out how to keep the labs open year after year.

No one is more supportive of the role that lawyers play in our society than I am. One of the most rewarding phases of my career was when I was working in patent licensing, which functioned hand-in-hand with the system of patent prosecution and patent litigation. Hell, I put my kid through college doing that work!


No one believes more deeply in the value created by the trade and investment community than I do. I spent the first dozen or so years of my working life flying around the world negotiating trade contracts, and in particular was deeply involved in China trade issues. I strongly believe that, by doing so, I not only earned money but also participated in building peaceful, productive interactions between the U.S. and other countries, including some with cultures that are very, very different than ours.

Pharma and other innovation industries . . . lawyers and the court system . . . trade and investment . . . I want my representatives to understand these fields, and spend a lot of time listening to people in these fields, to learn about their needs and perspectives.

However, I also want them to remember who they work for.

We've got a Senate election coming up in my state, Illinois. Money is a huge issue. I've decided that my top priority is selecting a candidate who knows who "the Boss" is. That's why I'm taking a hard look at these websites:

Mark Kirk campaign contributors

David Hoffman campaign contributors

We ALL have a part to play in making the system work in a way in which our candidates do NOT have to find a few "bosses" with a lot of bucks. More about that in a future blog post . . . .