The Media, Immigration and G.O.P. Donorism - NYTimes.com
It even contrasts the alleged pragmatism of these forward-looking right-wing rich people favorably with the less politically savvy habits of Democratic donors, who are mostly “motivated by ideology.”
The whole thing makes particularly fascinating reading when you compare it to the way that Republican billionaires and bundlers are generally treated by the press: As a cynical, self-interested lot whose ruthless quest for political quid pro quos contrasts with the high-minded principle of Democratic check-writers and bundlers, who supposedly give without asking for anything in return. If that treatment, common to just about every piece ever written about the Koch brothers or Sheldon Adelson, is far too kind to the liberal rich and far too cynical about conservative motivations, then the media’s coverage of the immigration debate tend to swing to the opposite extreme: It’s absurdly credulous about how the rich and powerful inside the G.O.P. tent are supporting comprehensive immigration reform for purely selfless reasons, because it’s the only way to save the party from the yahoos, and displays little of the “follow the money” skepticism that you would normally expect from the press when there’s a united corporate front on one side of a given debate.