4 ms·

and shifted a lot of his positions from before This is what happens with a lot of candidates unfortunately - people like Bernie are the exceptions. This is why

by akudha 7y ago

and shifted a lot of his positions from before This is what happens with a lot of candidates unfortunately - people like Bernie are the exceptions. This is why we need to remove money from the equation in politics.

chongli 7y ago
This is why we need to remove money from the equation in politics. That’s never going to happen. I think it’s counterproductive to keep focusing on it, like some kind of mantra. It wasn’t a lack of money that led to Bernie’s defeat in the last primary anyway, it was the two-party system. If the US had a multi-party system like most other countries in the world then elections wouldn’t be winner-takes-all. One way to ensure the survival of third and fourth (and more) parties is to heed Duverger’s law [1] and implement proportional representation [2] via something like STV. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation
- akudha 7y ago
  It wasn’t a lack of money that led to Bernie’s defeat in the last primary anyway That isn't what I am saying at all! I am simply pointing out that money changes most candidates, Bernie being the exception. Just because it is hard to reduce/remove money from politics doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss it or raise awareness. Also, countries like the UK, India etc do have multi party system. Whether their politics is better than US politics is debatable.
- wycy 7y ago
  Money in politics wasn't the reason for his defeat, but it is the reason that one major party is entirely owned by money, and the other major party is almost entirely owned by money. If it had been illegal to accept bribes, the political landscape over the past 40 years would look very different. Otherwise I agree with you.
- gremlinsinc 7y ago
  Money and corruption in politics is THE biggest issue of our day. Money talks, and the more money you have the 'bigger' your vote is. If we level the playing field make all politicians financially 'equal' while running for office - then we shift the power from CEOs and corporations to 'We the people'. It's not just some mantra. Checkout represent.us for some good videos on why the revolving door is a very bad thing and why they're pushing for and GETTING many anti-corruption laws passed across America. Trump's entire existence is one big red flag about corruption and money in politics. He's made many promises to get where he is now including promises to rogue actors like the Ukraine and Russia. W/ anti-corruption acts he'd be in jail not the white house. If we make lobbying and giving lobbying jobs to ex-congressmen/women illegal and we make bribery illegal, then we move the scale a lot towards an America that works for the people. If you look at a graph of laws benefiting the people vs big corporations issues w/ money backing them always win over issues that matter to the people. Public opinion basically has a net zero effect on what gets passed in Congress. Essentially meaning there's no point at all to voting see: http://images.rcp.realclearpolitics.com/295822.jpg http://images.rcp.realclearpolitics.com/295822.jpg

by akudha 7y ago

chongli 7y ago

This is why we need to remove money from the equation in politics. That’s never going to happen. I think it’s counterproductive to keep focusing on it, like some kind of mantra. It wasn’t a lack of money that led to Bernie’s defeat in the last primary anyway, it was the two-party system. If the US had a multi-party system like most other countries in the world then elections wouldn’t be winner-takes-all. One way to ensure the survival of third and fourth (and more) parties is to heed Duverger’s law [1] and implement proportional representation [2] via something like STV. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation

akudha 7y ago
It wasn’t a lack of money that led to Bernie’s defeat in the last primary anyway That isn't what I am saying at all! I am simply pointing out that money changes most candidates, Bernie being the exception. Just because it is hard to reduce/remove money from politics doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss it or raise awareness. Also, countries like the UK, India etc do have multi party system. Whether their politics is better than US politics is debatable.
wycy 7y ago
Money in politics wasn't the reason for his defeat, but it is the reason that one major party is entirely owned by money, and the other major party is almost entirely owned by money. If it had been illegal to accept bribes, the political landscape over the past 40 years would look very different. Otherwise I agree with you.
gremlinsinc 7y ago
Money and corruption in politics is THE biggest issue of our day. Money talks, and the more money you have the 'bigger' your vote is. If we level the playing field make all politicians financially 'equal' while running for office - then we shift the power from CEOs and corporations to 'We the people'. It's not just some mantra. Checkout represent.us for some good videos on why the revolving door is a very bad thing and why they're pushing for and GETTING many anti-corruption laws passed across America. Trump's entire existence is one big red flag about corruption and money in politics. He's made many promises to get where he is now including promises to rogue actors like the Ukraine and Russia. W/ anti-corruption acts he'd be in jail not the white house. If we make lobbying and giving lobbying jobs to ex-congressmen/women illegal and we make bribery illegal, then we move the scale a lot towards an America that works for the people. If you look at a graph of laws benefiting the people vs big corporations issues w/ money backing them always win over issues that matter to the people. Public opinion basically has a net zero effect on what gets passed in Congress. Essentially meaning there's no point at all to voting see: http://images.rcp.realclearpolitics.com/295822.jpg http://images.rcp.realclearpolitics.com/295822.jpg