It's official. Trump no longer is self-funding his own campaign. Like that was really going to last!
We learned this past week that Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson may personally donate up to $100 million to get Donald Trump elected. (You thought Trump was funding his own campaign? Well, think again!)
It's another pathetic example of how billionaires, multi-millionaires and special interests are buying up all our leaders.
The wealthiest two percent in this country now contribute two-thirds (and growing) of every dollar donated in support of political candidates. And guess what? Those candidates ... the ones they want in office ... the ones, of course, who raise the most money? They win 91% of the time!
Is that bad for democracy? Are you kidding?
The super-rich and special interests don't give money away for free. They want something in return. They want special access. They want special influence. They want laws and policies that help them out. And they get what they want.
Money talks in politics.
Green-backs have become so essential to winning that, according to the investigative news show, "60 Minutes," many members of Congress now spend 30 hours a week at a "call center" across from the U.S. Capitol, literally dialing for dollars. Like solar panel telemarketers. No wonder so little gets done.
Meanwhile, the influence of the average voter - that's you and me - has shrunk like Ant Man. (But without the super powers.)
You want influence in Washington? It's like the CapitalOne credit card ad: "What's in your wallet?"
Fortunately, millions of Americans are awakening to this extraordinary threat to our nation, thanks to the efforts of many nonpartisan organizations like Represent.Us, Common Cause, Next Party, Independent Voter Project, Public Citizen, and Demos. Together they and others are building awareness of the problem and fighting for new laws locally and at the federal level to prevent the super-rich and special interests from completely taking over our government. (If they haven't already!)
We can change the system, if we all band together. (You can start by signing the Next Party petition on Change.org calling for the new President, whoever that is, to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will overturn the catastrophic Citizens United ruling.)
History has shown, the hard way, that democracy only works if citizens have confidence that their government is equitable and works for all the People. Not just the rich and powerful. Right now, that's not the case in America.
David Paine is a founder of Next Party and a freelancer political commentator.