That billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is giving Barack Obama $100 million for his foundation points to the reality that we really have to rethink our concept of money in politics:

“I’m told the $100 million was midwifed by Jay Carney, Bezos’ political sherpa and the former Obama press secretary. Carney ran point for Bezos, and Obama eventually spoke directly with the Amazon C.E.O. earlier this year. The two are not close, but ‘have seen each other socially from time to time,’ Valerie Jarrett, the Obama family’s longtime aide-de-camp told me,” Theodore Schleifer of Puck News reported, adding, “The gift, the largest single donation ever made to the Foundation, has no restrictions on its use. … The Obama Foundation, for instance, has already raised over $720 million from donors toward its $1.6 billion goal, including about $170 million in 2020 and $140 million in 2019, according to recent tax filings.”

Gifts of this size doubtless have politicians salivating across the country, and the rising tide of their spittle shows what a long view corrupt people can take of a quid pro quo.