I think feeling smug and superior is, generally, a loathsome attribute but as someone who lives in a country where the money and influence of lobbyists, corporations, and unions has been curbed by both of our leading federal parties, it’s hard not to feel that way when you see the kind of money thrown around in the U.S. system to further corporate goals often at the expense of everyday, individual citizens. In this case, it looks like legislators withstood the onslaught from one of America’s corporate giants and made up their own minds:
Not even a nearly $16 million lobbying tab and almost $2 million in campaign contributions helped the wireless giant sell its proposed $39 billion mega-deal to federal regulators. In the end, the company’s well-oiled political machine sputtered, leaving AT&T no choice but to bail — costing the company a nearly $4 billion breakup fee in cash and spectrum.
[Read the whole thing: AT&T’s lobbying turned back in T-Mobile bid].