2.22.02 Bill Moyers on Money and Politics



With all due respect, those members of Congress must know we know what's going on. They've come to scold the corpse that was once their best friend, and to prove they mean it, they will drive a stake through its heart, to make sure the cad never comes back from the grave. Just in case, they will also move soft money out of sight, to put themselves beyond temptation.

Bill Moyers
on Money and Politics

Sure, and it's a good thing they've done, reducing their co-dependence on soft money. But like the alcoholic who stashes a bottle in the closet and one behind the books — Well, if you're addicted to campaign contributions, there's more than one way to slake your thirst.

Let me show you what I mean. Let's say all of you watching right now were in one auditorium...right there, on the screen...and everyone is standing up. Okay, now we'll ask all of you over here — this third of the auditorium — please sit down. You represent one-third of eligible adult citizens who are not registered to vote. You don't matter in politics; you're invisible.

Now we'll ask all of you over here — this third of the room — to please take your seats. You were registered to vote but didn't bother (shame, shame).

Those of you still standing are the active voters who decide elections. And by the way, there are about two-and-a-half times as many people in this group of decisive voters who make more than $75,000 a year than there are people making $15,000 or less.

Now we're going to get to someone really special. Someone who truly counts in politics. All of you voters sit down...except you, yes, you, right there in the front row. Please keep standing.

You represent the roughly one-tenth of one percent of all Americans who actually wrote a check for $1,000 or more and gave it to a candidate for federal office, a political party, or a political action committee. There are 340,000 of you in the country — and you gave more than one billion dollars in the last election. That's billion with a "b" - just 340,000 people out of 280 million of us gave $1,000 or more. It's like letting the population of St. Louis choose the President and Congress.

Now for the kicker: the campaign reform bill passed by the House last week and now before the Senate actually doubles the amount of money an individual can contribute to congressional and presidential campaigns. So the same tiny elite will still be writing most of the checks...the same number of people...giving twice as much money. You, down there in the front row...you can bet your boots that of all the people in this auditorium, your name is the one in the politicians' rolodex. They'll take your call every time...And they'll be calling you...again and again...for the bottle stashed away.

Hard, or soft, you see, in politics money decides who games the system. It's why people who give the money get more of what they want. That's okay in private life. Rich people should be able to buy more homes than anyone else, more cars, more travel, more gizmos. But they shouldn't be able to buy more democracy.

Remember that when you're watching the Enron hearings. It wasn't soft money those politicians took. It was the old-fashioned kind...hard, enticing, and plentiful. And it's not going away...

Or so it seems to me.



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