For someone who has just spent a record $62m of his own money to get elected, Jon Corzine makes a surprising observation. "The rich are getting increasingly active in philanthropy and the political world. The political side is more difficult and less important than what is going on in philanthropy." Using the fortune he made as head of Goldman Sachs to become senator for New Jersey certainly exposed Mr Corzine to the difficulties of the political side. He faced accusations of trying to buy the election, and was questioned about whether all his money was obtained from ethical activities. But he is philosophical about this sort of sniping, and reckons it is probably inevitable when a rich person runs for office. Nor is there any guarantee that spending a lot of money will bring electoral success.
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