Campaign finance reform is the most important issue
Politicians need to prioritize campaign finance reform over all other issues in this election
One area the Citizens Equality Act doesn't explicitly cover, though, is overturning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. This Supreme Court decision ruled corporations and unions have a constitutional right to spend unlimited amounts of money in political campaigns, spurring the rise of political action committees known as super PACs that receive money from these groups and use the money toward campaigns. This further gives the one percent of the one percent, many of whom own major corporations, unfair political influences. If there were a move to citizen-funded elections, though, it’s somewhat implied that super PACs wouldn't exist anymore.
With the Citizens Equality Act, everyone in the U.S. would an equal amount of financial influence in political races. Politicians wouldn’t be forced to follow the demands of the billionaire class, and, instead, elected officials could actually represent the views of the majority — like how a representative democracy is supposed to work.
Now that Lessig is out of the race, campaign finance reform seems to be on the backburner as an issue for the few candidates that even talk about it. So, more presidential candidates need to make the Citizens Equality Act, or other campaign finance reform packages, their top policy priorities.
With the Citizens Equality Act, everyone in the U.S. would an equal amount of financial influence in political races. Politicians wouldn’t be forced to follow the demands of the billionaire class, and, instead, elected officials could actually represent the views of the majority — like how a representative democracy is supposed to work.
Now that Lessig is out of the race, campaign finance reform seems to be on the backburner as an issue for the few candidates that even talk about it. So, more presidential candidates need to make the Citizens Equality Act, or other campaign finance reform packages, their top policy priorities.
It's not that easy, though. Nearly every candidate on either side of the aisle has a super PAC, and that's usually a main source of campaigning. For any to fully support campaign finance reform, he or she would have to give up any super PACs to actually seem genuine. And, when a majority of the field relies on super PACs to campaign, giving up one might kill a campaign.
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"As long as a few candidates prioritize campaign finance reform, the issue could actually get somewhere." |
There are a few candidates, though, who could convincingly take up campaign finance reform as a top issue. On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders has already talked a lot about reforming the campaign finance system, and overturning Citizens United in particular. He's the only Democratic candidate without a super PAC — now, he just needs to take up citizen-funded elections and put the issue before anything else.
On the Republican side, Trump makes perfect sense. He's already spoken out about what's wrong with having billionaires give exorbitant donations to politicians, and he doesn't need to rely on a super PAC — he even said so — because he's "really rich." Now, he just needs to turn his talk into policy, and prioritize it in his campaign.
As long as a few candidates prioritize campaign finance reform, the issue could actually get somewhere. From there, they put pressure on other candidates to push for a solution to the issue and convince those in Congress to support a solution.
I look forward to voting in the 2016 presidential election for the first time. However, I look forward to voting for someone who I am confident can actually pass the reforms promised in his or her campaign. Unless we reform campaign finance and allow elected officials to represent those who elected them instead of one percent of the one percent, I don't see how that can happen.
On the Republican side, Trump makes perfect sense. He's already spoken out about what's wrong with having billionaires give exorbitant donations to politicians, and he doesn't need to rely on a super PAC — he even said so — because he's "really rich." Now, he just needs to turn his talk into policy, and prioritize it in his campaign.
As long as a few candidates prioritize campaign finance reform, the issue could actually get somewhere. From there, they put pressure on other candidates to push for a solution to the issue and convince those in Congress to support a solution.
I look forward to voting in the 2016 presidential election for the first time. However, I look forward to voting for someone who I am confident can actually pass the reforms promised in his or her campaign. Unless we reform campaign finance and allow elected officials to represent those who elected them instead of one percent of the one percent, I don't see how that can happen.