Heavily invested in the outcome

"If you trace the movement of Wall Street money through Washington, it pretty well tells the story behind this and any other piece of legislation," said Lynn Turner, former chief accountant for the Securities and Exchange Commission. "The way Washington works, it is the lobbyists and the executives who hire them that get what they want. And it is the taxpayer who usually ends up getting fleeced."

Turner, who cites long experience in Washington and as an industry consultant, has become well known as a critic of U.S. financial regulation. But his position was echoed by research that is to be unveiled this week by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The nonpartisan research organization studied votes in 1999 on a piece of legislation, the Financial Services Modernization Act, that deregulated the banking sector, allowing commercial banks to compete with brokerage firms in buying and selling stocks.

Those who supported lifting restrictions on how commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies could go about their business received more than twice as much money in campaign contributions from those interests as did those who opposed the measure, the study found.

The 195 Democrats who supported the legislation received an average of $179,920 in the nearly three years leading up to its passage, the study found. The 59 Democrats who opposed it received an average of just $83,475.

In addition to campaign contributions, the industries also invested heavily in lobbying. During 2008 alone, securities and investment firms spent $46,477,562 trying to influence members of Congress.

The fact that the bailout legislation is being rushed through -- spearheaded by a small group of congressional leaders -- makes it harder for outsiders to have an effect, said banking lobbyist Rick Hohlt, an active Republican.

"This vote is driven by the fear of uncertainty. There is not much you can play with," said Hohlt, adding that members will be asked this week to vote on a leap of faith.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, perhaps the most powerful lobby in Washington, dispatched its lobbyists to Capitol Hill and met with allied organizations in hopes of presenting a unified front from business.

"Based on what we have been told, preventing a systemic collapse of the capital markets has got to be the No. 1 priority," said R. Bruce Josten, the chamber's vice president for governmental affairs. "This is not the time to add all kinds of extraneous stuff" to the legislation. "This is not the time to make sure it is 100% correct. This is the time to act."