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>Supporting your election campaign isn't bribery. How is that not bribery? It is directly: do this for me and I will give money to you (or something you care a

>Supporting your election campaign isn't bribery. How is that not bribery? It is directly: do this for me and I will give money to you (or something you care about)

SamReidHughes 8y ago
All supporters' contributions are conditional that way.
- lordnacho 8y ago
  No they're not. Honest contributors think a candidate will be conscientious in making decisions for the common good, not "will he do this one thing that benefits me". In all likelihood whoever you voted for did something that wasn't to your benefit (they vote on many things), but you voted for him anyway. Ditto with money.
kortilla 8y ago
You’ve described all political fundraising. People only donate to Bernie because of his views. If he decided to change views to suddenly support free market solutions, his donator base would dry up. “Support socialism and I’ll donate” is the same thing as “support solar industry and I’ll donate”.
michaelt 8y ago
Consider this spectrum of options:- 1. A politician who ran as anti-Foo, the Foo industry giving them a brown envelope full of cash, and they immediately change to be pro-Foo. 2. Two politicians competing at election time, one pro-Foo and one anti-Foo, and the Foo industry giving money to the pro-Foo candidate. Neither candidate publicly changes their position. 3. A new politician without an established policy on Foo, and who sees that pro-Foo candidates getting Foo industry donations, and decides to be pro-Foo for that reason, before they've even met an industry lobbyist or been promised anything. 4. A new politician who observes that pro-Foo candidates win more often, and infers that voters support Foo. 5. A politician who has heard the Foo industry employs a bunch of people in a crucial swing state, and who adopts pro-Foo policies that harm the larger country to seduce those crucial voters. 6. A politician who runs pro-Foo because he believes Foo is good for the country, and receives no campaign funding from the industry whatsoever. Then after leaving politics they're offered a 'job' as an 'adviser' to a big Foo company, getting paid mid six figures for one day a month of work. Are these all bribery? If so, what would a non-corrupt pro-Foo politician look like?

>Supporting your election campaign isn't bribery. How is that not bribery? It is directly: do this for me and I will give money to you (or something you care about)

SamReidHughes 8y ago

All supporters' contributions are conditional that way.

lordnacho 8y ago
No they're not. Honest contributors think a candidate will be conscientious in making decisions for the common good, not "will he do this one thing that benefits me". In all likelihood whoever you voted for did something that wasn't to your benefit (they vote on many things), but you voted for him anyway. Ditto with money.

kortilla 8y ago

You’ve described all political fundraising. People only donate to Bernie because of his views. If he decided to change views to suddenly support free market solutions, his donator base would dry up. “Support socialism and I’ll donate” is the same thing as “support solar industry and I’ll donate”.

michaelt 8y ago

Consider this spectrum of options:- 1. A politician who ran as anti-Foo, the Foo industry giving them a brown envelope full of cash, and they immediately change to be pro-Foo. 2. Two politicians competing at election time, one pro-Foo and one anti-Foo, and the Foo industry giving money to the pro-Foo candidate. Neither candidate publicly changes their position. 3. A new politician without an established policy on Foo, and who sees that pro-Foo candidates getting Foo industry donations, and decides to be pro-Foo for that reason, before they've even met an industry lobbyist or been promised anything. 4. A new politician who observes that pro-Foo candidates win more often, and infers that voters support Foo. 5. A politician who has heard the Foo industry employs a bunch of people in a crucial swing state, and who adopts pro-Foo policies that harm the larger country to seduce those crucial voters. 6. A politician who runs pro-Foo because he believes Foo is good for the country, and receives no campaign funding from the industry whatsoever. Then after leaving politics they're offered a 'job' as an 'adviser' to a big Foo company, getting paid mid six figures for one day a month of work. Are these all bribery? If so, what would a non-corrupt pro-Foo politician look like?