Money Can’t Buy Happiness or Elections: Ask Perot, Forbes, Kerry and Romney

With all the recent hoopla about McCain-Feingold campaign financing and the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citzens United v. The Federal Election Commission, I though I’d remind us all of how little money talks, if people aren’t listening.   Not only does being rich not help, it can often turn the voter off. 

I dispute the conventional wisdom concerning the power of unions and corporations.    The Bible says the “love of money” is the root of all evil, not money itself.   Money is not all-powerful, even in large amounts.    Ross Perot, Steve Forbes, John Kerry, and Mitt Romney would have been our last four presidents if having lots of money demanded instant respect.   Wealthy philanthropist Nelson Rockefeller thrice ran for president (1960, 1964, and 1968), failing miserably short every time, though, he eventually served as Vice-President under Gerald Ford.   He is the source of the eponym “Rockefeller Republicans” (now sometimes called “Country Club Republicans).  Some Republicans in the cheap seats call other Republicans these names so as to curry favor with liberals.

The Disclose Act now under consideration in Congress supposedly wouldn’t restrict giving to organizations or limit speech.   If  it really were harmless, why did Democrats carve out so many exceptions?  You can be sure when a law includes exemptions that somebody has used previous campaign donations (or promises of more to come) to protect themselves.  Having more free speech reduces corruption, not having less.