Christopher Hayes and Te-Ping Chen of The Nation co-authored this eye-opening interview with Nicole Sexton, who up until recently was a prominent Republican fundraiser and who became disillusioned with the way the political process has become distorted by fundraising and the quest for big checks.Leaving behind her very lucrative career has given Sexton the freedom to talk more openly about the process, which yields an interesting perspective on money, power, and why donors give. Some excerpts:When you're working for a candidate, what kind of dynamic exists between you and your client? What's that relationship like?As the fundraiser, you probably have the most intimate relationship with the candidate of anyone on staff. You get to know his friends, his network. Sometimes it's tough. Some people that I've worked with really love raising money and it's not been an arm-twist at all, but others can't stand it.What's the norm?Can't stand it. It's a chore. Most of the time for senators, the calls are preset so the donor knows you're calling, and you know that you'll get the contribution. But still, they'll want to fill your ear with how they feel about the war, or a piece of legislation, or pending legislation. After all, you know, they're paying for time. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's dollars for legislation--but you're certainly getting someone's ear. That's part of the deal.Talk to me a little about what donor psychology is like. It seems to me there's a number of reasons you might give money--you have an ideological affinity, or you share a personal or social connection-- A personal or social connection, or because it's good business. And if we're talking about big check writers, more often than not, it's just good business. A lot of big campaign contributors write checks across the aisle for that reason.So what makes someone a good fundraiser?A good Rolodex. A comfort level with asking for money. And then--if you're a good fundraiser, and you're smart, you know who to target. So if you're fundraising for a Senator who's on the Oil and Gas Committee, you'll give them 25 call sheets with calls to make to people in that industry. Senators raise a lot of money, and the fundraiser will get a percentage of all that.