A Message to Candidates

So, are you tired of calling rich guys?  Begging for money?  But telling them they can’t give too much to you, rather should give as much as they can to the superPAC that supports you?  Do you tell them you can’t “officially” ask for superPAC funding…because the law does not allow you to coordinate with superPACs?

 Do they tell you what they want for this donation, or just hint at it?  Perhaps they express concerns about some regulation, tax or contract award that seems so “unfair” to them, and they want to be sure you are on the “right side of that issue”.

 But then the call comes later doesn’t it?  From them or their lobbyist.  When they need you to introduce a bill, or just vote a certain way.  They remind you of how “supportive” they were of your “ideas”, how much “faith they had in you”.  But they just want a return on their investment, they own you, at least on the issue they mentioned when they agreed to give you money.

 Hey, if it weren’t you, it’d be another guy.  It’s how the system works.  No matter who is running, they need money to win.  And accommodating some businessman makes the economy grow right?

 Except there are losers; their competitors who thought hard work and innovation would prevail, the neighborhood of voiceless people where the pollution goes, foreclosed homeowners, soldiers with substandard weapons, the workers who get paid less in more dangerous conditions.  You put that out of your mind because the other guy wouldn’t do any better.

 But what if you didn’t have to call the rich guy because your opponent can’t either?  What if you were never trapped listening to them drone on about how 20 parts per billion of a lead is really no worse than 15 parts, or how the flawed weapons they make will “get fixed before deployment”?  What if you could not only ignore that bullshit, but never have to listen to it?

 And what if instead of marching to the subtle orders they gave in the call when they had the upper hand, you could actually “decide” after you study the issue, call upon them to make their case, call on the other side to do the same, vote your conscience?  And what if you could explain your decision to your voters rather than make up a story to justify accommodating your donors?  Wouldn’t you like to stop subjugating yourself?  Aren’t you tired of looking foolish?  Wouldn’t you like to be an actual leader?  

 What kind of country would we have if you did that?  What if all your colleagues had to do the same?  More liberal?  Maybe.  But if conservative ideas are better, wouldn’t objective deliberation without monied hands on the scale show that?  Wouldn’t it be nice if debate and facts were real?

 The principles set forth by the Framers of our constitution are the best in history.  But there was no electronic media when they wrote it.  None.  That document cannot endure unless we adapt it to an era where monied interests can scientifically design ubiquitous messages that shape our direction to their desires.  That is the essence of corruption and it is now inherent to our democracy until we do something about it.

 If you don’t raise your desires above the personal gain from that system, our Republic is doomed.  Maybe you don’t care, but could you please not call yourself a patriot as you let that happen?

Michael J. Kyvik