Democracy’s end

President Barack Obama opposes the new campaign finance era of unlimited giving by men of unlimited means. But he’s going to play by the new rules, nonetheless.

And even with his newfound willingness to take six- and seven-figure checks, the Democrat apparently is concerned that he won’t be able to keep pace.

With the general election campaign just a few months away, Mr. Obama’s allies are under growing pressure to raise money rapidly for Democratic-leaning independent groups, warning his supporters that the huge cash advantage mustered by Republican groups could prove decisive this fall, overwhelming Mr. Obama despite his own formidable fund-raising apparatus.

It’s a Faustian bargain, selling what little soul he has for the cash reserves he needs to compete with the wealthy Republican PACs. The president argues that it’s a necessary bragging to keep the country moving forward. But the chill it imposes on our democracy will linger, the lesson being that large bank accounts are the price of admission to a political process that is supposed to be open to all.

I can’t blame Obama for playing by the rules that exist, but I think we should criticize him for a lack of commitment to tearing down the system of legalized bribery that passes for campaign finance. The reality is that the two major parties benefit from the existing system, as do our corporate overlords. The only people who don’t are the people our government is supposed to represent.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet