We citizens go to the polls to vote for people to represent our interests in local, state, and federal government. The promises are always that the politicians will fight for their constituents values. When the old guard either retires or is voted out, optimism rides in the wakes of fresh-faced newcomers.
They won’t bow to the lobbyists, because they have standards! They will push for campaign reform, because they understand the anguish suffered by citizens whose voices are drowned in seas of cash. They are better than all who came before, because they represent the people, by golly!
Within a term or two, they are the new old guard, absorbed into grimy back office dealings. They now endure the split personality of their constituency–the people who want to believe in them still, and the people who feel deep shame that they ever voted for them.
Very few politicians, if any, can claim to properly represent their constituents these days. How can they? To get elected, it takes funding. There is no such thing as a free donation. Every cent donated to the election of an individual comes at a cost: “You will cast votes in my favor. If you don’t, you will not get my money, nor will you get my friends’ donations.”
How was this ever a good idea? Better to ask: “How do we make it better?” For every suggestion, there is a downside. In the Ross Perot situation, where the would-be politician is independently wealthy, you fail to elect an “average” citizen. A super-wealthy candidate can’t possibly relate to the majority of the constituency. Likewise, grassroots efforts are doomed from the start. When is the last time we heard of a candidate raising more money through middle-class citizens than someone who takes money from giant entities and lobby groups?
According to many: “It’s our own fault for voting these idiots into office.”
Not so. We can only vote for who is on the ballot. Even write-in candidate choices are limited. To be considered, said candidates must slog through red tape merely to get write-in votes counted in their names. As long as the average voter is unable to outspend the real decision makers, each ballot is limited to the candidates who have the funding and clout to get their names included.
Greed runs the government. It’s no secret. There’s little sense of fair play, and what smidgen you might encounter is tempered by the demands of power-hungry campaign supporters.
Until something drastic happens, there will be no significant campaign finance reform. Surface issues will be addressed, but the root of the evil lies in the trail of cash. Follow any given trail from donor to politician, and it’s a safe guess that votes or contracts were made in the best interests of said donors.
The system needs to change. But how? The people who count are the voters whose standards of living depend on the choices made by elected officials. We called them our “leaders,” but how can they lead when they are merely followers of their donors’ demands? No, they are not leaders. They are followers, sheep in the worst sense.
