I was listening to my progressive radio station today and I heard something I thought very interesting. I mean I'm used to hearing the anxiousness/apprehensiveness in the callers voices but I also heard something else. I think I heard the realization of some average "Joes" (sorry) questioning this country as a democracy and questioning if our elected representatives have completely stopped working for the people in which they serve to serve a new master.....Corporations. It was quite....startling for me to hear as well.
Again, I've noted on many a diary that I am somewhat new to being politically active. However, I've always voted. That was my civic duty and my way of honoring those who wanted to vote, couldn't, and died trying to make it happen for me. I don't have any political/activist connections to anyone really. Although, I did some stuff for OFA and I've donated money to the Obama campaign and ActBlue within the last couple of years. Therefore, I've always considered myself the average Jane. I work hard to earn a living and I just want to try to help take care of my family. I also grew up a Democrat. I was always taught to understand that being a Democrat meant that they were for the working man/little guy and that Republicans were mostly for big business. So, yes I always voted the strait Democratic ticket.
Mind you, I've voted in the last 5 elections so I'm no spring chicken and I don't really consider myself too naive. This past election cycle has been a real education learning about soft money, PACs, 527s, lobbyist, and more. I've always known there was corruption in politics. But, until very recently as I've payed closer attention to the legislative process it has become more apparent to me that corruption doesn't just appear to be in politics but that it just may have taken over politics. Thus, that monstrosity coming out of the Senate Finance Committee Slinkerwink and NYCEVE have done a great job of linking us to the amount of money that have flowed to committee members coffers.
These charts above explain why common sense seems to be lacking in Congress. If you ever wondered why in the healthcare debate that congress would put a stipulation whereby they cannot negotiate for better drug prices, why they don't just open up Medicare for all and tweak it (this is a system that is already in place), or why the country is overwhelmingly in support of a public option but congress seems to be dragging their feet...I believe we have concrete answers as to why. Republicans and Democrats both have their hands in the cookie jar. This is all happening with very complicated campaign finance rules. If you don't think that the current system is not bad enough Justice Roberts is trying to get Corporations to have an even bigger voice than you or me with the case that is currently making its way to the Supreme Court, Citizen's United vs. Federal Election Committee.
Overview of the Problem and the Case
Whether we get the type of healthcare reform that we feel is necessary or not my belief is that as progressives we need to attack Campaign Finance Reform with as much fervor as we have Healthcare Reform. If we do not instead of improving our democracy and making a more perfect union we will find ourselves wondering what happened to that once great nation called the United States of America.