Get the money out of politics A senior official used the large sums of funds raised for him by other people and organizations to compete for a higher position. After that, he used the political resources he had at his disposal to profit from the original funding forces. What kind of behavior is this?
The answer may be different from the one you think.
The four-year U.S. election is about to kick off amidst all the uproar. Under the impact of Coronavirus pandemic, the shortcomings of the U.S. political system, especially the general election system, have been exposed, except for the “Trump-style” political polarization that has plagued the United States for a long time, the two-party fighting that pours dirty water, and the “black life expensive” movement. In addition to the social tearing of representatives, money politics, the chronic disease that pierced the “American democracy” bubble, is also hard to return.
The election in the United States is largely a money-political game of elite groups. The amount of funds has become the first threshold for elections, which can affect the election results of candidates. As candidates need to form a campaign team, hire media to support elections, and peddle policy ideas, the gap in campaign funding has resulted in a huge difference in the exposure, influence, and popularity of candidates.
The rich or the candidates supported by the rich are in the election.
China can often take the lead. As of mid-October 2020, Biden and the Democratic National Committee have raised $1.51 billion, and Trump and the Republican National Committee have raised $1.57 billion. Of course, having the ability to raise funds does not mean being recognized by the public. Compared with public opinion, the choice of candidates depends more on capital, and public opinion is more inclined to “take the lesser of two evils” helplessly.
What is the role of money in politics
What is the role of money in politics Although U.S. law imposes an upper limit on the amount of individual donations to candidates, interest groups, companies, and labor unions can establish “political action committees” (PACs) to raise and distribute private funds to influence election results at all levels.
The US law originally had strict regulations on the fundraising and expenditure of the “Political Action Committee”, but in 2010 the Federal Supreme Court ruled that as long as the “Political Action Committee” does not directly donate funds to candidates and does not coordinate actions with candidates, it can be fine. Unlimited acceptance and use of donations.
This judgment weakened the law’s supervision of money politics, leading to the emergence of “super political action committees” with huge financial resources. As of October 24, 2020, there are 2,192 “super political action committees” across the United States, with a total fundraising of approximately US$2.529 billion.
The 2020 election spending has reached approximately US$1.56 billion. It can be said that the emergence of the “Super Action Committee” has further weakened the law’s ability to restrain money politics.
Politics money
Politics money One of the most direct consequences of money politics is the hereditaryization of American political elites. In the era of mass media, family members of political elites tend to be more well-known and it is relatively easier to raise funds for campaigns.
American scholar Francis Fukuyama stated in the book “Political Order and Political Decline” that the US government has been “rehereditary” since the second half of the 20th century.
Take the Bush family as an example. Bush’s great-grandfather, Samuel, was a steel and oil tycoon, and his grandfather Prestko was elected as a federal senator by virtue of his huge wealth, becoming the first member of the family to participate in politics.
Since then, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. have served as presidents, and Jeb Bush has also attacked the 2016 presidential election. This is all related to his strong family wealth and fund-raising ability.
The politics of money
The politics of money Another negative effect of money politics is to provide interest groups with a realistic path for “legitimate interference” in elections.
Interest groups focus on the future by providing political donations, hoping that the candidates they support can reciprocate after taking office and realize the transfer of benefits.
The existence of the “Super Action Committee” mechanism allows some interest groups to support candidates by providing funds to them. For example, “America Priority Action” attracted many companies willing to generously donate to Trump during the 2020 election.
In addition, because Congress holds the legislative power, interest groups scramble to provide campaign funds to members of Congress. From 2019 to 2020, interest groups in the real estate industry provided more than US$60 million to the 116th Congress, more than US$37 million in the insurance industry, and nearly US$20 million in the oil and gas industry.
The greater consequence of money politics is to further solidify the American social class. U.S. President Trump was discharged from hospital three days after he was diagnosed with Coronavirus, in order to propagate the public that there is no need to be afraid of Coronavirus.
However, some treatments and drugs obtained by Trump are not available to the vast majority of Americans at all.
The severe polarization between the rich and the poor in the United States has led to more people with limited living and medical conditions, making them vulnerable to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Money and politics
Money and politics The existence of money politics has led to no matter who wins the 2020 US election, the target of its services is by no means the working people, but a small group of “investors” who are already at the top of the American social pyramid.
After all, the US election is just a carnival feast for the rich and the elite. The funding threshold makes it difficult for the people at the bottom to get the opportunity to climb the power ladder.
Judging from the 2016 presidential election, Hillary and Trump both promised to promote campaign funding reforms after being elected, Americans have realized that huge amounts of money are corrupting American politics, or, corruption.
For a small number of people in the domestic public opinion field who are still advocating and admiring the “elected president” of the United States and the “integrity and efficiency”, how to rationalize or even deify the US money politics intentionally or unintentionally, so that a considerable part of the public may be called Turning a blind eye to the world’s biggest monetary and political event is a question worth pondering.
