How to Get the Stain of Money Out of Politics by Peter Wilbur

If there was a single takeaway from the historic election of 2016 it was this: the "angry" electorate is sick of business as usual in politics. On the right, we had, of course, the norm-shattering defiance of so-called political correctness of Donald Trump, while on the left, the Bernie revolution proved that even an old man from Brooklyn could attract huge swaths of voters with plain speech and a progressive message. But what is it that makes voters so angry? Why is Congress routinely one of the least popular institutions in the country? Sure, economic anxiety and long simmering racism have to be a part of the equation. Until we fix these problems, there will always be underlying tension and resentment. But the single biggest impediment to restoring trust in government is the overwhelming sense that politicians are bought and sold to the highest bidder. And as we have been told by the Supreme Court, corporations are people. A variety of campaign finance reform measures have come to Congress only to die untimely deaths. But we don't need legislation to fix the problem. We only need each other.

Here is a simple solution. Refuse, ever again, to support any candidate that takes even a penny of corporate money. But how, you may ask, can we hope to win against the likes of the Koch brothers, who bring enormous fortunes to bear on elections? The answer is in the power of numbers. There are now 200 million registered voters in the Unites States. If each voter donated 100 dollars to candidates of their choosing, that collective power would amount to 20 billion dollars. Now, for many folks, that money could be better spent on groceries or rent. Or could it? What price is too steep to recapture our democracy from the clutches of corporate influence? Of course, of those 200 million potential voters, many did not even bother to come to the polls last cycle, let alone donate. But if candidates can clearly articulate how they are going to restore integrity to the political process by refusing corporate money, a whole new wave of participation, optimism, and belief in politics could be born.

I singled out the Koch brothers as my example, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is only a Republican problem. Sure, lower taxes on the wealthy and a war on regulations are messages tailor made by and for the one percent. But Hillary Clinton's infamous high dollar speeches to Wall Street executives tell us much of what we need to know about mainline Democrats' collusion with big monied interests.

Sure, campaign finance reform would be wonderful. Overturning the Citizens United decision would be a dream come true. But if we stick together, we can drive out the influence of corporations on the political process. Make sure you do some research on office holders and where they have gotten their money. Start with simple sites like Ballotpedia, then work your way up to Open Secrets. If you are really adventurous, you can even examine candidates' financial paperwork yourself. It is all public record.

Above all, make sure that the first question you ask of any candidate is this: do you renounce corporate campaign donations? If the answer is no, take your support elsewhere.