Opinion Money in politics

[johnmangala]

How to get it out? Is it even possible at this late date?

I think both sides should drop all issues and solely focus on this then we can circle back and fix the other problems like healthcare, immigration, and election reform.

Criminalize lobbying.

 

[Sweater of AV]

Criminalize lobbying.

Lol. Good luck with that.

 

[Sakuraba'sEar]

I mean it's just an objective fact that politicians in both parties make money "unethically". But nothing will be done about it anytime soon considering they themselves control a large amount of the public consciousness.

 

[MeatheadMike]

Criminalize lobbying.

Lobbying is basically protected by the first amendment and not inherently bad. The government serves the people so it make sense that the people should be allowed to communicate with and influence the govt.

IMO the issue of money in politics really exploded after the Citizens United supreme court decision essentially saying money is speech... so passing legislation to undo that might be a good place to start.

 

[Natural Order]

$5000 maximum personal donation, must be in your own riding.

Pretty simple fix. The problem is convincing the entire game of corrupted baboons to agree to fixing it at all.

 

[NickNick]

Yeah, reverse Citizens United, but it will never happen.

 

[panamaican]

You can't take money out of politics unless you intend to prevent people from spending their own money to promote their political preferences.

You can present all sorts of regulations and such but, at the end of the day, you would have to tell John Q. Public that he can't spend his money to promote a bill or candidate that he really, really likes. And that would violate the 1st Amendment.

 

[johnmangala]

Lobbying is basically protected by the first amendment and not inherently bad. The government serves the people so it make sense that the people should be allowed to communicate with and influence the govt.

IMO the issue of money in politics really exploded after the Citizens United supreme court decision essentially saying money is speech... so passing legislation to undo that might be a good place to start.

But can’t you lobby without bribing? I believe lobbying can be separated from money.

 

[johnmangala]

You can't take money out of politics unless you intend to prevent people from spending their own money to promote their political preferences.

You can present all sorts of regulations and such but, at the end of the day, you would have to tell John Q. Public that he can't spend his money to promote a bill or candidate that he really, really likes. And that would violate the 1st Amendment.

Couldn’t you allow individuals citizens to spend their own money but nothing from corporations and pacs.

Also there’d be a limit on individuals spending so it wouldn’t be Bezos spending $1bn while mom and pop can only afford $1000.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

The amount of money that gets spent on a US election blows my mind tbh.

 

[HomeCheese]

It's a huge problem and one that is overlooked now a days. In the '70's they talked about this a lot. Plenty of people wanted to outlaw all private donations to presidential campaigns and have them funded by the government. Each candidate get's the same amount of money and air time.

People don't even mention it anymore when this actually could have a huge impact on how our representatives behave.

 

[Jack V Savage]

But can’t you lobby without bribing? I believe lobbying can be separated from money.

Bribery is illegal.

 

[johnmangala]

Bribery is illegal.

Yeah but donations are not.

It’s just semantics but I don’t see any real distinction in practice.

 

[avenue94]

Shortening the election season would help a bit since the US has an unusually long primary and election cycle compared to most modern democracies. And I don't think anyone would argue that a 12 month campaign produces better candidates and leaders than a 3 month one.

 

[panamaican]

Couldn’t you allow individuals citizens to spend their own money but nothing from corporations and pacs.

Also there’d be a limit on individuals spending so it wouldn’t be Bezos spending $1bn while mom and pop can only afford $1000.

I know that people don't like Citizen's United but corporations are a legal fiction that only exist in the tax code. In reality, a corporation is a group of people working together towards a common goal. So, if 10 people can spend their money together to promote a candidate then it shouldn't matter if they do it incorporated or unincorporated. The only way to prevent it would be to say that people can't work together to promote a political candidate...which would violate our right to freedom of association.

The free speech element is why you can't limit individual spending. If I want to spend money on a billboard for my favorite candidate, you'd probably say that's fine. But if I want to do it for every billboard in the country, are you going to cap the number of billboards I can buy with my own money? What about if the only billboard in my county costs $500 million, are you going to tell me I can't buy it because I'm spending too much? Or are you going to tell the owner of the billboard that he can't set his own prices?

You cannot have a free society of individuals and take money out of politics. That's the grim reality.

 

[Jack V Savage]

Yeah but donations are not.

It’s just semantics but I don’t see any real distinction in practice.

It's a huge difference. Donations have to be spent on campaigns. Politicians aren't personally enriched by campaign contributions.

 

[panamaican]

But can’t you lobby without bribing? I believe lobbying can be separated from money.

That's not how lobbying works. Lobbyists obviously don't give anyone money. But preparing documents for candidates to read costs money. Getting experts to present information to candidates costs money. Getting all of the relevant politicians together so you can present this information to all of them at once costs money.

And what's the point where talking to your local politician crosses over into lobbying? If I see my local congressperson at the restaurant in my town, can I buy him lunch while I tell him about the problems with the trash trucks in my city? If I know him personally and I buy a round of golf, can I talk about my opinion on some bill or am I not allowed to discuss politics with my friends once they become politicians?

There's no easy way to handle the money issue.

 

[Jack V Savage]

That's not how lobbying works. Lobbyists obviously don't give anyone money. But preparing documents for candidates to read costs money. Getting experts to present information to candidates costs money. Getting all of the relevant politicians together so you can present this information to all of them at once costs money.

And what's the point where talking to your local politician crosses over into lobbying? If I see my local congressperson at the restaurant in my town, can I buy him lunch while I tell him about the problems with the trash trucks in my city? If I know him personally and I buy a round of golf, can I talk about my opinion on some bill or am I not allowed to discuss politics with my friends once they become politicians?

There's no easy way to handle the money issue.

You're thinking about real stuff. I think a lot of people genuinely think that politicians just go out and buy yachts and mansions with their campaign contributions, and that's either legal or not enforced. Addressing the "issue" in part involves correcting widespread misconceptions. Otherwise, it's like you're speaking a different language.