“Yes, We’re Corrupt”: A List of Politicians Admitting That Money Controls Politics
Jon Schwarz July 31 2015, 2:23 a.m.
One of the most embarrassing aspects of U.S. politics is politicians who deny that money has any impact on what they do. For instance, Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania’s notoriously fracking-friendly former governor, got $1.7 million from oil and gas companies but assured voters that “The contributions don’t affect my decisions.” If you’re trying to get people to vote for you, you can’t tell them that what they want doesn’t matter.
This pose is also popular with a certain prominent breed of pundits, who love to tell us “Don’t Follow the Money” (New York Times columnist David Brooks), or “Money does not buy elections” (Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner on public radio’s Marketplace), or “Money won’t buy you votes” (Yale Law School professor Peter H. Schuck in the Los Angeles Times).
Meanwhile, 85 percent of Americans say we need to either “completely rebuild” or make “fundamental changes” to the campaign finance system. Just 13 percent think “only minor changes are necessary,” less than the 18 percent of Americans who believe they’ve been in the presence of a ghost.
So we’ve decided that it would be useful to collect examples of actual politicians acknowledging the glaringly obvious reality. Here’s a start; I’m sure there must be many others, so if you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments or email me. I’d also love to speak directly to current or former politicians who have an opinion about it.
• “I gave to many people, before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And do you know what? When I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me. And that’s a broken system.” — Donald Trump in 2015.
• “[T]his is what’s wrong. [Donald Trump] buys and sells politicians of all stripes … he’s used to buying politicians.” — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in 2015.
Trump’s National Security Adviser Changed His Mind About Turkey Coup Attempt After His Firm Got Involved Michael Flynn, national security adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, now says Turkey is one of America’s most critical allies. In July, he cheered for an attempted military coup against its president. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said in July that the military’s attempt to overthrow the government was “worth clapping for.” Now he calls Turkey an ally. 11/21/2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-flynn-turkey-coup_us_58324909e4b099512f8376d4 [with embedded video, and comments]
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