8

I didn't realize what Wheelan was talking about when he discussed "pork barrel legislation" until I connected it back to a House of Cards episode that I watched. In the episode congressmen Frank Underwood was desperately trying to pass a bill that was very controversial among the rest on congress because it would be bad for the environment, although he needed everyone to vote for it. It came down to one more congressmen that was totally against it, as Underwood was meeting with him he figured out that the other congressmen had a wife with Alzheimer's so Underwood tried to convince him that if the other man would vote for his bill, that Underwood would promise to make sure a bill for Alzheimer's funding would be passed. Underwood had no intention to help Alzheimer's research but he needed that final vote from the other congressmen to be able to get his bill passed, so he had to come to an agreement and compromise for something he would usually not care about. Trading favors. The only unfortunate thing about this is that the other congressmen knew Underwoods bill would be bad for the environment, but the Alzheimer's funding was so important to his personal life that he was willing to vote for something that he was totally against. Situations that no doubt happen in congress and politics all the time.