The answer is that if everything were the same but the rich had less money, is that the rich would be less in a position to capture the regulatory framework and

The answer is that if everything were the same but the rich had less money, is that the rich would be less in a position to capture the regulatory framework and tilt the playing field in their favor. Eg maybe without trickle-down, the factors that compounded into the Citizen's United decision would have fallen the other way, etc.