Show me the $$$
By Cara | January 23, 2012
I often gauge the political values of a candidate or elected official by where they get their money. In the light of national political corruption and lobbyists, and corporations as people, etc. it is naive to think that our local electeds are immune to influence by donors. However, in speaking to several potential candidates on if they would accept money from people or companies that have different agendas than their own, a different perspective has come to my attention. Some people believe they would take monies from anyone and continue to press their progressive agenda – if the donor did not like it, then they simply would not donate to that candidate again. Unfortunately, with the current campaign finance system, candidates need large sums of money to be viable. Should they take from anyone in order to have a fighting chance? Or is the stigma of receiving money from a person/company/organization that has a drastically different political or social agenda enough to turn off potential voters or future supporters? Question of the week – please chime in.
Topics: newsletter | 2 Comments »
2 Responses to “Show me the $$$”
Comments
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1:32 pm on January 23rd, 2012
I think this is about the “appearance of impropriety”. Yes, you need money to accomplish your goals/further your agenda. However, if people who believe in you stop doing so because you are taking money from individuals or organizations who have opposing viewpoints, you have traded one form of support for another. It is probably a lose-lose situation. I think those of us who really believe in a candidate need to open our pocketbooks more so that these people aren’t put in a position where they feel they have to accept donations from less than desirable sources in order to get into office.
2:32 pm on January 23rd, 2012
I agree also. It would be way too easy IMO to bow to the pressure of money. Not many people have such rigid high moral standards (altho I know a few – but those few aren’t getting the big bucks!)