About four hundred people were packed into the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, including musicians Don Henley and Bruce Hornsby and the jazz great David Koz. Presenting the award to Biden was music legend Stevie Wonder.Biden was not picking up the award because he had a side career as a soloist or had joined an indie rock band. Instead, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was giving the award to the vice president for a political performance. He was being recognized for his “commitment to intellectual property rights” and for “[leading] the effort” to fight online piracy.1Sometimes politicians and the Permanent Political Class get paid out of love: people have a simple affection for a certain politician or they share a common political philosophy. But sometimes love is not enough and the Permanent Political Class needs to motivate through fear. If you are concerned that government action or inaction will severely damage you, you are much more likely to stroke the Permanent Political Class with a check.
