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Democracy Chronicles

Money Politics: Lobbying and Corruption in America

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The pernicious influence of money politics has a long history in America, but recent years have seen more spending and less transparency than ever before. Get the latest news about American money politics below and also be sure to visit our main section on American Democracy.

money in elections
Keep Foreign Money From Undermining Canada’s Electoral Democracy Keep Foreign Money From Undermining Canada’s Electoral Democracy (3/8/2021) - Despite having a strong campaign finance legislation, Canada needs to reinforce its political process by…
Georgia’s Corporate Giants Tiptoe Into Raging Voting Rights Debate Georgia’s Corporate Giants Tiptoe Into Raging Voting Rights Debate (3/6/2021) - Under pressure from civil rights groups, some of Georgia's largest corporations and supporters in the…
South Dakota Adopts Sweeping Prohibition Against Election Transparency South Dakota Adopts Sweeping Prohibition Against Election Transparency (3/6/2021) - South Dakota also passed broad legal provisions last week to protect info on politically active…
Is NYC’s Campaign Finance Program Worth The Cost? Is NYC’s Campaign Finance Program Worth The Cost? (3/5/2021) - New York City's Campaign Finance Board recently awarded an unprecedented $37 million in matching funds…
Political Finance Reform As Tool To Promote Gender Inclusive Democracy Political Finance Reform As Tool To Promote Gender Inclusive Democracy (3/2/2021) - The lack of access to sufficient funding from their parties and external networks is a…
Ex-Tobacco Exec Bankrolls Centrist ‘Serve America Movement' Party Ex-Tobacco Exec Bankrolls Centrist ‘Serve America Movement’ Party (3/2/2021) - Former Philip Morris exec is behind a new centrist party, the Serve American Movement, bankrolling…
free speech
Study: 2020 Election Lies Were Pushed By Online Super Spreaders Study: 2020 Election Lies Were Pushed By Online Super Spreaders (3/5/2021) - University of Washington new study looks at how the "massive lie" about a rigged election…
Bangladesh's Digital Security Act is Muzzling Free Speech Bangladesh’s Digital Security Act is Muzzling Free Speech (3/4/2021) - Following the death of a writer in a high-security prison on February 25, protesters took…
Belarus Journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich Sentenced To 6 Months In Jail Belarus Journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich Sentenced To 6 Months In Jail (3/3/2021) - Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich has been jailed to six months and a fine over her coverage…
India Fake News Problem Fueled By Digital Illiteracy India Fake News Problem Fueled By Digital Illiteracy (3/3/2021) - For more than 90% of India's population, digital literacy is almost non-existent. This situation is…
Worrying Rise in Online Violent Threats Against Women Journalists Worrying Rise in Online Violent Threats Against Women Journalists (3/2/2021) - Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations but…
Bangladesh Protests Erupt Over Writer's Death In Prison Bangladesh Protests Erupt Over Satirical Writer’s Death In Prison (2/27/2021) - Protests erupted in Bangladesh over the death of Mushtaq Ahmed, a crocodile farmer and satirical…
transparency
Election and Government Transparency Must Be a Top Reform Priority Election and Government Transparency Must Be a Top Reform Priority (2/23/2021) - The Center for Media and Democracy and 43 civil society and government reform groups have…
Ensure Government Transparency Biden Must Act to Ensure Government Transparency (2/11/2021) - Biden must restore the executive branch’s commitment to a government that is committed to transparency…
Arizona Jail Voting Procedures Officials Lack Transparency in Arizona Jail Voting Procedures (1/31/2021) - Campaign Legal Center wants to know how many people in Arizona jails are being denied…
SolarWinds Hack SolarWinds Hack May be Big Setback to Judicial Transparency (1/28/2021) - The vulnerability in SolarWinds resulted in an “apparent compromise” of “highly sensitive non-public documents,” such…
Election Reform Push Biden and Democrats Outline Major Election Reform Push (1/19/2021) - The newly empowered Democrats are putting together the finishing touches on legislation to fix American…
Iowa Caucus Meltdown Proved Transparency Is Essential, Election-Watchers Say Iowa Caucus Meltdown Proved Transparency Is Essential, Election-Watchers Say (2/14/2020) - As the Democratic primary season rolls on, one big lesson is sinking in from the…

money politics: an american story

According to election reform advocacy group Common Cause, billions of dollars have been spent on buying American elections since that ruling and much of it has come from completely anonymous organizations. At least six billion dollars amount spent on the 2012 election according to an estimate by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Candidates backed by huge one-time donations from the wealthy are inevitably more beholden to special interests. Money is exchanged directly for political favors, such as generous campaign donations for a lucrative government contract.

Money Politics
Corruption depicted by Thomas Nast – link

The problem with money politics is not so much the amount that is spent on campaigns as it is who pays for them, what they get in return, and how that affects public policy, spending priorities, and even war. Thanks to decades of rulings by Justices and politicians who molded the law to favor elite interests, corporations today are granted so-called “rights” that empower them to deny citizens the right to full democracy.

transparency in money politics

It is important to remember that transparent governments allow the public to review government practices as completely as possible. Increasing standards of transparency and accountability for decisions while adding controls for self-interested abuse of the democratic system. The federal law requiring partial or full disclosure of previously unreleased documents controlled by the government, the Freedom of Information Act, is not effective having been degraded by President George W. Bush’s OPEN Government Act (Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government) and President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13526.

Also take a look the transparency reference websites Judgepedia and Ballotpedia that are also great references.

state and local money politics

Just how much cash is being spent independently on elections for state office or in the 39 states that elect their lower court judges? The answer is unknown in most states, according to the latest National Institute on Money in State Politics analysis of disclosure requirements for independent spending. They found that only fifteen states ‘require full disclosure of both forms of independent spending: express advocacy and electioneering communications’. Amazingly, twenty-six states fail to provide clear disclosure of election spending making state politics a perfect arena for corruption without any transparency.

public funding
Is NYC’s Campaign Finance Program Worth The Cost? Is NYC’s Campaign Finance Program Worth The Cost? (3/5/2021) - New York City's Campaign Finance Board recently awarded an unprecedented $37 million in matching funds…
Political Finance Reform As Tool To Promote Gender Inclusive Democracy Political Finance Reform As Tool To Promote Gender Inclusive Democracy (3/2/2021) - The lack of access to sufficient funding from their parties and external networks is a…
Democracy Vouchers: Seattle Voters Get $100 This Week Democracy Vouchers: Seattle Voters Get $100 This Week (2/24/2021) - Most people don’t know it yet but there are democracy vouchers. Seattle is paying voters…
Three Big Ways the For the People Act Would Fix the FEC Three Big Ways the For the People Act Would Fix the FEC (2/24/2021) - A bipartisan letter of support by former FEC leaders urges Congress to take more steps…
Change Incentives for Both Politicians and Donors How to Change Incentives for Both Politicians and Donors (2/8/2021) - Despite massive increases in the number of small donors, the amount of money coming from…
Innovative Campaign Finance System Denver Seeks to Build Innovative Campaign Finance System (1/17/2021) - MapLight is partnering with the City and County of Denver, Colorado, to build a new…
corruption
How to Prevent Future Abuse of the President’s Pardon Power (2/27/2021) - How do we ensure that the President does not abuse pardon power? An opinion piece…
4 Election Reforms Designed to Keep Extremists Out of Power 4 Election Reforms Designed to Keep Extremists Out of Power (2/27/2021) - The rise of extremism in American politics is why political reform must seek to marginalize,…
The Risks of Corporate Political Spending After the Jan. 6 Insurrection The Risks of Corporate Political Spending After the Jan. 6 Insurrection (2/27/2021) - "Capitol riot presents unique risks for corporate financial supporters for members of Congress who backed...Trump’s…
We Need an Independent Ethics Enforcement Body For Senators We Need an Independent Ethics Enforcement Body For Senators (2/25/2021) - Senate’s failure to hold Trump accountable for Jan 6 insurrection justifies establishment of an independent…
All CVS Political Donations Have Stopped. But is That a Solution? All CVS Political Donations Have Stopped. But is That a Solution? (2/23/2021) - End Citizens United released statement on CVS’s announcement it would temporarily pause PAC donations to…
Stopping Corrupt Future Presidents with Stronger Emoluments Clauses Stopping Corrupt Future Presidents with Stronger Emoluments Clauses (2/20/2021) - The emoluments clause is a key constitutional measure for accountability but stronger clauses are needed…
citizens united
Citizens ununited Citizens ununited (10/27/2020) - The Supreme Court should never have had the option to decide whether or not to…
Corporate Personhood Thoughts on Corporate Personhood (3/10/2019) - In looking for sense in the modern world, we must not overlook the fact that,…
Federal Court to Review Case that Could End Super PAC Spending Federal Court to Review Case that Could End Super PAC Spending (3/3/2019) - Federal court to review its 2010 ruling which created super PACs, in case led by…
Amendment Denying Corporate Personhood Amendment Denying Corporate Personhood Introduced in Congress (2/26/2019) - The movement for Constitutional reform that would end what organizers call “corporate rule” has arrived…
Holding US Companies Accountable for Their Secret Political Spending Holding US Companies Accountable for Their Secret Political Spending (2/12/2019) - The CPD Act of 2019 would build on growing stockholder trends that demand that corporations…
Battle of Money vs Democracy Citizens United: A Battle of Money vs Democracy (12/27/2018) - It is time to demand change and this begins with staging mass protests against the…

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