If We Don't Get The Money Out Of Our Elections Its A Waste Of Time

[SeaDoo77]

Sure we can hold a line here and win a battle there but we have 50 trillion in concentrated wealth grinding us down every second. The problem is the money, not just Republican political prostitutes.

It takes 50 million to run for the Senate. It is almost impossible for ANY politician to vote against their funders.

This is the underlying problem.

America's worst problem

We have auctions not elections.

This needs to end. Democrats need to end it. The media who benefits the most will unfortunately fight us every step of the way.

Battlestations!!!!!!

[kentuck]

1. Pretty much the first step in cleaning up the corruption.

I would agree.

[BigmanPigman]

2. It started with Reagun

and will take a long time to undo the last 38 years, if it can even be undone that is.

[theaocp]

10. He was the recipient of

BUCKLEY V VALEO!!! Spread the shame!!

[thbobby]

3. Absolutely!

We are much closer to being a plutocracy than a democracy. It is not a new problem, it has been fought for centuries. But we are losing it at this time.

[Tobin S.]

4. I agree. That is the number one problem. Substantial progress in other areas

will not be possible until we get big money out of politics. Once we do that, solutions to other pressing issues will become possible.

[TDale313]

5. Yes. Absolutely correct.

Clean up our elections- not just the money (which is huge) but make sure people can vote *and* know their votes are actually counted. If we can’t elect officials who will fight for our interests nothing else changes.

[scarytomcat]

18. and that votes count equally

if one party gets more votes in a state they should get more representatives
gerrymandering is unfair, districts should be drawn reasonably so that each has they same number of people and represent a geographic area not a political position

[TDale313]

19. Agreed.

[dhol82]

6. I totally agree!

HOW THE FUCK DO WE DO IT?

That’s the problem now. It might have been easier prior to Citizens United. Now - we are up shit’s creek.
The republicans have destroyed our options.
I just want to go lie down in a dark room and whimper.

[appalachiablue]

7. Righto. Fight Citizens United, gerrymandering, vote suppression, twisted media.

Major obstacles that will take tremendous effort but not insurmountable..

[scarytomcat]

23. the media should not be allowed to cover the campaign of one candidate

to the exclusion of all others
free air time should be given to all candidates equally

[appalachiablue]

24. That's right, but the media giants are so huge and powerful now it seems they

can do what they want. Especially through years of ignoring the Fairness Doctrine (equal time) implemented in FDR's era but essentially ignored more and more since Reagan.

The 1996 Telecom Act lifted strict ownership limits regarding any one company controlling newspapers, TV and radio in specific markets, and magazines and publications. The result was the formation of today's 4-5 giant media conglomerates that produce about 90% of all we read, listen to and see.

According to experts on top this issue, attempting to change the system would mean pushing the FCC to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and breaking up the big media monopolies via the (toothless) Sherman Anti Trust Act.

As with the banks, US airlines and other industries, there are only 4-5 major players now. It will take serious effort by govt. to improve all this. Good luck with that in the current climate and I wish it weren't so.

[RandomAccess]

8. Extemely important, but NOT the MOST important

though there's no reason we can't work on both at the same time. Still, the most important is stopping election fraud, voter suppression, voter disenfranchisement, vote theft (via electronic voting machines) AND the Russians.

You're not going to get the $$$$ out of elections without getting Democrats elected and you're not going to get Democrats elected without cleaning up our elections.

I favor paper ballots, hand-counted in full public view. Witness what happened in VA after they finally threw over electronic voting. Yes, huge turnout -- and oddly enough the votes all seemed to have gotten counted to show who's turnout it really was. This is NOT what has happened elsewhere over the last decade plus (since 2000). We've "lost" a lot of elections we didn't really lose, including (most probably) John Ossoff's.

[TDale313]

11. I think the two issues go hand in hand.

Getting the money out of politics is a big part of fixing the system. It impacts our ability to elect who we need to just as much as the voter suppression and election fraud.

[kentuck]

9. We may need a Commission, after this Russia investigation is over?

And that might be one of their recommendations to fixing our electoral system?

Along with a paper ballot, to insure our elections are secure?

[old guy]

12. Yup.

[ancianita]

13. We held back on this in the Obama years, but we should have started waaay back then.

[forgotmylogin]

14. What about equal media time for all candidates?

I vaguely recall that used to be a rule that news or TV stations couldn't promote one candidate without at least offering the others equivalent time.

All the hours CNN hung breathlessly on an empty podium waiting for 45 to speechify would be gone.

[malaise]

15. Answer this: How much money does the corporate media

make from elections?

[rainin]

16. 3 Priorities

Secure our voting systems: paper ballots, automatic registration, etc.
Restore fairness doctrine. Bring honesty back to news.
Campaign Finance Reform. My idea is to allow donations to an election fund. One Fund. Dollars are distributed to candidates based on some fair metric. No one is allowed to donate anonymously and no one may donate to a particular party. Funds support elections generally, not candidates.

[wendyb-NC]

17. Totally!

I agree! The money donated by Super PAC's and Mega Corporations to election campaigns is obscene. You're right they are auctions.

[democratisphere]

20. The wealthiest donors blackmail and/or bribe their representatives

into submission of their political and economic demands. This corruption of our political election system must be stopped as we are rapidly becoming one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

[mitch96]

21. It is almost impossible for ANY politician to vote against their funders.

I might be out of whack here..... but...... A tax break for the wealthy so they can use the tax break money fund their politicians. The American people go in the hole for what, 1.5 trillion so the plutocracy can fund their "team"?? grrrrrrr
m

[L. Coyote]

22. That's what the people who don't want us to vote or run keep saying, to be sure.

But is is not the case.

[colsohlibgal]

25. Indeed

If we went to public funding of elections, put a ban on gerrymandering, went to closely monitored paper ballots straight through to counting...and then dumped the Electoral College....what a different nation we would quickly see.

[CozyMystery]

26. That would be my dream come true! But how can it be accomplished? nt