Post: Take the Money and Run for Office

Take the Money and Run

I learned several disturbing facts from the NPR program "Take the Money and Run for Office." I had no idea that many congressmen need to raise 10,000 to 15,000 dollars a day for their campaigns. One congressmen said that he spent around three hours a day fundraising. In addition, I had no idea it was illegal for congressmen to fundraise from their offices and that many leased space across the street. These call centers often have terrible working conditions and exist solely for the purpose of cold calling wealthy donors. The most troubling thing I learned is that Senator Feingold and others believe that the Citizens United decisions was among the worst Supreme Court rulings of all time. This story reminded me off the Gilded Age. A time when money had an inordinate amount of power in politics and the average American suffered as a result. During the summer of 2012 I volunteered with a fundraising company that handled fundraising for the RNC and I saw firsthand the amount of time that goes into fundraising. However, I had no idea the congressmen and candidates spent so much of their own time doing it. Why did the Supreme Court rule the way it did on Citizens United? The Supreme Court ruled that the 1st Amendment protected the right of unlimited donations by corporations.

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