John Nichols: Wisconsin GOP legislators head to D.C. for payoffs, er, campaign contributions

By John Nichols in the Cap Times

Wisconsin state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, the consigliere for Gov. Scott Walker in the legislative fight to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public workers and to make it easier for the governor to transfer public property to campaign donors in no-bid deals, traveled to the nation’s capital Wednesday to collect tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from Washington-based lobbyists for corporate interests.

Fitzgerald was the “star” of a lavish fundraising event at the offices of the BRG lobbying group. The “B” in BRG stands for Barbour, as in veteran GOP fixer Haley Barbour, who is now the governor of Mississippi and a potential 2012 Republican presidential contender. The firm is one of the most powerful corporate lobbying groups in Washington, and it delivered big for Fitzgerald and his fellow senators.