PAC money can be spent on ground game, which feeds turnout. I agree that there is a deep cultural canyon dividing the country right now. However, the need for

PAC money can be spent on ground game, which feeds turnout. I agree that there is a deep cultural canyon dividing the country right now. However, the need for funding to keep up with the competition limits what representatives can achieve. It is in this context that the lobbying of the finance industry (for example, but many others) finds receptive congress critters from both parties. For instance, there were a handful of Senate Democrats who voted in favor of a bill to weaken Dodd-Frank back in March. https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/03/07/elizabeth-warren-democrats-crapo-bank-deregulation-bill https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/03/07/elizabeth-wa... I suspect that Obama would have preferred to do more to rein in Big Finance, but felt he could not.