SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The 50 biggest donors in the midterms have collectively pumped a record $1.1 billion into political committees and other groups supporting candidates. (Photo: OsakaWayne Studios/Getty Images)
GOP's Big Lies and Big Money Must Be Defeated
The overwhelming dominance of big money has created a deep cynicism about our democracy, which Trump and election-denying Republican candidates are exploiting to the hilt.
Oct 28, 2022
The stakes in the midterm election, now just 12 days away, could not be higher. In many ways, these midterms will determine the future of American democracy.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
But let's be clear. There are two enemies of democracy in the upcoming midterms:
Election deniers, undermining Americans' faith that our system is unbiased.
And big money from corporations and the ultra-wealthy, undermining Americans' faith that our system is fair.
We must fight both.
Election deniers are dangerous enough, but big money is also poisoning our politics.
So far, the 50 biggest donors in the midterms have collectively pumped a record $1.1 billion into political committees and other groups supporting candidates. Most of this is going to Republican candidates.
Corporations are also setting contribution records. The total cost of the 2022 midterm elections is projected to exceed $9.3 billion, on track to surpass the inflation-adjusted 2018 midterm record of $7.1 billion.
As political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded years ago after examining in detail 1,799 policy issues before Congress, "The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically nonsignificant impact upon public policy."
Why? Because moneyed interests have bribed lawmakers to do their bidding.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
And the two are related.
If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who are working harder than ever but getting nowhere, and who understand that the political-economic system is rigged against you and in favor of the rich and powerful, what are you going to do?
Hopefully, you'll reject Trumpism. You'll see it for the snake oil it is.
But there's a chance you might just believe Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and that the system is rigged. And you might just be willing to throw out our current democracy in favor of dictator and his enablers who promise to bring power back to the people.
In other words, the overwhelming dominance of big money has created a deep cynicism about our democracy, which Trump and election-denying Republican candidates are exploiting to the hilt.
Those of us who love democracy must do more than vanquish Trumpism. We must also vanquish the corrupting influence of big money on our system.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2021 robertreich.substack.com
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
The stakes in the midterm election, now just 12 days away, could not be higher. In many ways, these midterms will determine the future of American democracy.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
But let's be clear. There are two enemies of democracy in the upcoming midterms:
Election deniers, undermining Americans' faith that our system is unbiased.
And big money from corporations and the ultra-wealthy, undermining Americans' faith that our system is fair.
We must fight both.
Election deniers are dangerous enough, but big money is also poisoning our politics.
So far, the 50 biggest donors in the midterms have collectively pumped a record $1.1 billion into political committees and other groups supporting candidates. Most of this is going to Republican candidates.
Corporations are also setting contribution records. The total cost of the 2022 midterm elections is projected to exceed $9.3 billion, on track to surpass the inflation-adjusted 2018 midterm record of $7.1 billion.
As political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded years ago after examining in detail 1,799 policy issues before Congress, "The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically nonsignificant impact upon public policy."
Why? Because moneyed interests have bribed lawmakers to do their bidding.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
And the two are related.
If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who are working harder than ever but getting nowhere, and who understand that the political-economic system is rigged against you and in favor of the rich and powerful, what are you going to do?
Hopefully, you'll reject Trumpism. You'll see it for the snake oil it is.
But there's a chance you might just believe Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and that the system is rigged. And you might just be willing to throw out our current democracy in favor of dictator and his enablers who promise to bring power back to the people.
In other words, the overwhelming dominance of big money has created a deep cynicism about our democracy, which Trump and election-denying Republican candidates are exploiting to the hilt.
Those of us who love democracy must do more than vanquish Trumpism. We must also vanquish the corrupting influence of big money on our system.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
The stakes in the midterm election, now just 12 days away, could not be higher. In many ways, these midterms will determine the future of American democracy.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
But let's be clear. There are two enemies of democracy in the upcoming midterms:
Election deniers, undermining Americans' faith that our system is unbiased.
And big money from corporations and the ultra-wealthy, undermining Americans' faith that our system is fair.
We must fight both.
Election deniers are dangerous enough, but big money is also poisoning our politics.
So far, the 50 biggest donors in the midterms have collectively pumped a record $1.1 billion into political committees and other groups supporting candidates. Most of this is going to Republican candidates.
Corporations are also setting contribution records. The total cost of the 2022 midterm elections is projected to exceed $9.3 billion, on track to surpass the inflation-adjusted 2018 midterm record of $7.1 billion.
As political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded years ago after examining in detail 1,799 policy issues before Congress, "The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically nonsignificant impact upon public policy."
Why? Because moneyed interests have bribed lawmakers to do their bidding.
Trumpism is a clear and present danger to American democracy--but so is the corruption of our system by big money.
And the two are related.
If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who are working harder than ever but getting nowhere, and who understand that the political-economic system is rigged against you and in favor of the rich and powerful, what are you going to do?
Hopefully, you'll reject Trumpism. You'll see it for the snake oil it is.
But there's a chance you might just believe Trump's Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and that the system is rigged. And you might just be willing to throw out our current democracy in favor of dictator and his enablers who promise to bring power back to the people.
In other words, the overwhelming dominance of big money has created a deep cynicism about our democracy, which Trump and election-denying Republican candidates are exploiting to the hilt.
Those of us who love democracy must do more than vanquish Trumpism. We must also vanquish the corrupting influence of big money on our system.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.