The basic elements of Washington's ugly stew, revealed in "This Town" include: (1) the burgeoning business of lobbying; (2) the exploding new class of political consultants who hawk themselves after the campaigns as "strategic consultants" for corporate interests; (3) the evolution of the celebrity journalists who, thanks to cable TV and social media, become pundits rather than reporters (and thanks to the demand for around-the-clock content on cable, "Anyone without facial warts could call themselves a 'strategist' and get on TV"); and, finally, (4) thanks in part to a recent Supreme Court decision, there is virtually no limit to the amount of money now being spent in DC to influence campaigns, candidates and the federal bureaucracy.