Throw the Bums Out

Over at Huffington Post, Craig Crawford agrees with me that the reason why Democrats are not involved much at all in the bribery scandal is because they have no power. It is true that money runs Washington, and that is a problem for both parties. Crawford notes:

All of Washington could and should lose face in this scandal. Money is the dominant political party in the nation’s capital.

I agree. Even the uncorrupted (directly bribe-taking) members of Congress are tainted by the immense amount of money they need to raise to have a viable campaign for election (and re-election). Furthermore, at the state level, money is funnelled through the parties to candidates who then, once elected, gerrymander the legislative districts to their own advantage, making truly contestable elections nearly impossible. It is an unfortunate, but probably inevitable, trait of the system that most members of Congress are very wealthy because they have to be able to spend a fair portion of the year in Washington. However, that is distinct from the trait that politicians are whores, selling influence (directly through bribes, or indirectly through campaign donations) to the highest bidder. That is the main reform needed, a de-dollarization of politics. Until that happens, the cycle of Republican control, Republican bribery scandal, Democratic control, Democratic bribery scandal will continue unabated and the real public interest will not be served.