26 March 2015

Rich people complain that they are losing influence in national politics

To be more precise, the merely rich are losing influence to the super-rich.

The Washington Post focuses on the lost influence of the "bundlers":
Bundlers who used to carry platinum status have been downgraded, forced to temporarily watch the money race from the sidelines. They’ve been eclipsed by the uber-wealthy, who can dash off a seven-figure check to a super PAC without blinking...

But there is a palpable angst among mid-level fundraisers and donors that their rank has been permanently downgraded. One longtime bundler recently fielded a call from a dispirited executive on his yacht, who complained, “We just don’t count anymore.
We should clarify that the "bundlers" are not necessarily millionaires, but that millionaires are encountering the same problem.

Their response - to focus more on buying Congressmen rather than a president:
Other bundlers, on the left and the right, are turning their attention to congressional races, where they can get more personal attention.

“Senate candidates will call asking for $2,700, and they are eager to talk,” said David Rosen, a longtime Democratic fundraiser. “When they come to town, they’ll meet with you one-on-one. But $2,700 won’t even get you a parking spot at a super PAC event.”

3 comments:

  1. This may be the best evidence against the argument Citizens United and unlimited money do not have a deleterious effect on American politics. If the wealthy, who have long held more sway over politicians than regular Americans, now say they are losing ground to the super-wealthy, then there can be no doubt that more money equals less democracy.

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  2. Poor rich folks only being able to buy their way 99% of the time.

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  3. I think the only real solution is to have publicly financed campaigns, which, of course, would never pass Congress--it would cost them too much.

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