Money and Corruption in Politics – Silencing the voice of the Voter
Before Citizens United, there were limits on how much corporations and unions could spend on election ads. After the ruling, those limits disappeared. Outside groups can now pour millions into TV ads, online ads, and mailers.
While I strongly encourage you to click on the link to view the entire episode, I wanted to give a summary of the Molly Jong-Fast “Project 2029: Campaign Finance Reform Comes First” YouTube video (Episode 1 of the Project 2029: A Reimagining series):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLz2BzCx1ZY
📹 Overview
In the premiere episode, journalist Molly Jong-Fast frames campaign finance reform as the most urgent first step to fixing American politics. She argues that money’s overwhelming influence in elections — especially since the Citizens United decision — has warped priorities in Washington and undermined democracy.
📌 Key Points from the Video/Discussion
• Campaign finance reform must come first: Jong-Fast explains that without addressing how money flows into politics, it’s hard to solve other problems — from policy gridlock to policymaking that favors wealthy donors over voters.
• Citizens United’s impact: The episode highlights how the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates for unlimited spending in elections by corporations and wealthy interests, shifting power away from ordinary voters.
• Experts featured: The video includes voices like Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig, Tiffany Muller of End Citizens United, Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center for Justice, and other campaign finance reform advocates. They explain how big money influences policy and why reform is essential.
• Call to action: Beyond diagnosing the problem, the video discusses possible paths for reform — both at the federal and state levels — and encourages viewer engagement and activism around those solutions.
🎯 Central Message
Money in politics isn’t just a side issue — it’s the first problem to solve if the U.S. is going to restore public trust and make government accountable to everyday people rather than powerful donors.
Please, take the time to view the entire episode and be certain to ask Candidates what they intend to do to reform the harm caused by Citizens United.
INDIVISIBLE: WE WILL PERSIST(IWWP) 