Essay on Campaign Finance Issues - 2167 Words

GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;We are not a democracy, yet we do have a voice in our own government. Elections are the choice microphones for many citizens. There on Election Day, they have the right of making their voices heard; however, many interest groups and a few individuals seem to have a louder voice due to campaign financing: No U.S. official should be beholden to one or a few groups. And no group or individual should have a greater claim on our elected leaders than any other. That’s the way it should work. But it is growing clear to more and more Americans that it doesn’t (McCarthy 24). Recently, it has been the trend to try to make sure the opinions and concerns of minorities are duly noted and†¦show more content†¦Money is the most degrading, corrupting force in American politics today (McCarthy xi). The idea behind fundraising for elections was a success at first, giving donors another way to voice their opinions and open up the doors for communication once the elected officials fully realized who they owed their position to. However, this went too far. Those whose candidate did not win were left with an official who will accept the ideas of a past donor before any others. This favoritism, while beneficial to certain donors, proves damaging to others. Also, when before, all donated and spoke their mind, now only certain groups and people donate and not even all of them speak their mind. â€Å"The individual doesn’t count anymore†(McCarthy 25). THE HYPOTHESIS nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Now that I have given about three pages of background information on the political processes, now would be a good time to introduce my Representative. Ken Bentsen represents the 25TH District of Texas. He is a democrat and has served as representative since 1991. I actually have a few theories regarding the reasons he voted the way he did and why certain groups financially supported his campaign. Scholars for thousands of years have pondered the question of whether it was the chicken or the egg, which came first. In the case of campaigning and finance, such seems to be the question. Because voters had the opportunity of watching his career before 1996, it’s practically impossible to be able to tellShow MoreRelatedAmeric The People, For The Corporations1738 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Corporations I. Introduction Corporate money in politics has become an increasingly prominent issue in the political spectrum of the United States after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision which lifted the cap on political contributions from corporations, thus increasing the influence companies have on the US electoral process (Shekar 71). 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The government hasRead MoreMedia Coverage on Presidential Candidates 1194 Words   |  5 Pages Both campaign contributions and media coverage has significant power to determine the success of a presidential candidate, and each of them seems to be interconnected with each other. The media has the power of fast deliverance of information, reproducing to an audience of mass quantity, and ability to distort the candidates’ authenticity. Though it largely relies on the campaign contribution that gets the attention of the media. However, it is the media that is more important in determining theRead MorePolitical Campaign Contributions Of T he United States Essay996 Words   |  4 PagesPolitical Campaign Contributions Recently in the U.S., the most frequent mentioned topic would be 2016 presidential election. People on both sides have donated to political campaigns from the very beginning. And one of the concerns is that can campaign donors write off any of these contributions on their federal income taxes? According to the IRS, the answer is a very clear NO. â€Å"You can’t deduct contributions made to a political candidate, a campaign committee, or a newsletter fund. AdvertisementsRead MoreA Soldier Lays Dying On The Battlefield, Cannonballs Fly Overhead1810 Words   |  8 Pagespower. This relates to present day as the corporate elite fight against the people to fatten their checkbooks. Campaign finance presses a real issue today because the people are no longer in control of the government. Elections are bought and paid for by billionaires with certain corporate agendas in place. Bernie Sanders has recently brought this issue up to attention claiming to campaign for the people, and b e free of super pacs. Sanders wishes for a government beholden to the people of America,Read More Buying Favor: Why Congress Depends on Funding From Special Interests2126 Words   |  9 Pagesgovernment. A 2010 Gallop poll revealed that over eighty-nine percent of Americans have no confidence in Congress (Lessig 2). It is theorized that Congress is so far out of favor because it has been unable to resolve the nation’s most important issues, such as Medicare, Medicaid, immigration reform, and the growing budget deficit, due to seemingly trivial reasons. Some theorize this lack of significant legislative action is due to growing partisanship between the system’s dominate political partiesRead MoreThe Issue Of Political Corruption1791 Words   |  8 PagesThe issue of political corruption is as persistent as it is prevalent; that is to say, it exists ambiguously, politically, and in undefined terms. Generally, political corruption is understood to mean a breach of th e public trust in the course of a politician’s duties (Huigens 2010). In any democracy that is truly ‘for the people by the people,’ it should be easy to weed out the corrupt politicians. That said, the corruption of any one politician does not always translate to a different electionRead MoreCorruption Is A Universal One1431 Words   |  6 Pagescauses of corruption in Brazil’s municipalities (namely Rio de Janeiro and Sà £o Paulo) and how these causes are acted on. Finally, I will detail the repercussions of these actions, and what Brazil can do (and to some degree has done) to solve this issue. To understand how corruption occurs and what is effects are, the underlying causes of corruption must be understood first. Both systematic factors as well as traditional and societal expectations have made corruption possible in Brazil. Why politicians