The Sunlight Foundation brings us a nifty data animation presentation detailing the increase in contributions from the financial sector over the last two decades (HT: TechPresident). it’s worth a look. Particularly because it provides visual representation for the relationship between the increase in contributions to Congress and passage of the 1998 Glass-Stenghal legislation that deregulated the financial services sector. While political scientists debate the direction of the causal arrow: does money effect member ideology or does member ideology affect contributions, it does provide important context for understanding where we are today. let me know what you think.