In politics it is ALL about the money

In Politics – It is ALL about the money

That seems like a statement that most people believe, but most don’t understand all of its implications.  It is more than who contributes to whom.  Who is spending money, or controlling it, in the political realm is the hub of the political arena.  Contributors are sources of money.  But money generates political power for a lot more people than contributors.

I got a kick in the ass about writing on the Money and Politics issue when I saw yet another national political writer, delving into the issues associated with the various political money tools.  The article focused on tribal gaming, lobbyists and political contributions, but frankly didn’t do a very good job of exploring how and why the various money sources were used. But he wrote about many of the tools. His story illustrates however, how powerless contributors actually are at times.

I’ve come to the conclusion that reporters don’t really understand the money and politics thing, or they don’t care to tell the truth about it.  Those who really understand this issue, generally have no incentive to publicly discuss it.  And those who publicly discuss politics and money don’t seem to “get it,” or are affiliated with a partisan issue and don’t really want to expose all they know.

I’ve been there. It isn’t pretty. And I’d like to illuminate the issue completely.  Neither Democrats or Republicans will be happy about all that I have to say, but I hope my readers will be able to look at who is funding whom, and who is receiving money from whom, and get a better understanding of why issues are moving in a particular way.

Money is a source of political power.  And that power flows to many people in many ways.