Do campaign contributions dictate policy?

[Aegon Spengler]

What do you think? Can you pretty well predict what a political party will do based on their campaign contributions?

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Are the contributors listed somewhere? If they are it is still up to the POTUS to honor them or shank them. He is POTUS, and POTUS can do what he wants. He can literally rat those people out, and tell the public what those contributors "want" the next POTUS to do.

He can make up some sinister conspiracy, and the public will demand something be done. He can then have those people arrested, and throw away key. Or he can be hush hush about any world domination schemes, and just play along.

 

[Count Zero]

If they didn't, there'd be a lot less money flowing

 

[Lee978]

I think campaign contributions absolutely dictate policy. How else do you think big business like big oil, big pharma, and big agriculture persuade government to hand them out subsidies, monopolies, tax breaks, etc? Government in a representative democracy is just a tool for special interest groups to do what they want irrespective of any will of the majority.

 

[My Spot]

To a certain extent. I think it's grossly exaggerated though.

 

[sangreporsangre]

Does the pope shit in the woods?

 

[weich]

Unquestionably, and the impact is major.

 

[Like A Bas]

Complicated question and way beyond my ability to answer satisfactorily. Donations come in many forms at many levels for many reasons with many results. There are disappointed donors and winks & handshakes at all levels of politics. But there is for sure a perception among the American people that big money plays far too big a role in policy.

 

[drstrangelov]

They're related, but you can't really buy access directly. Usually it's more of a case of spending money on people who you know and trust (or for big national spenders, guys who fit clear guidelines who you may vet in person) to support your interests.

 

[Jack V Savage]

It goes more the other way, I think. Donors know who they're donating to.

 

[jk7707]

The giant corporations that pay lobbyists millions of dollars to schmooze with politicians in Washington all year long wouldn't be doing it if they weren't getting stuff in return.