What "Trumps" Money in Politics?
You do.
My first grad class at St. John's University in 2006 was on the topic Political Parties and Interest Groups. All semester long we learned about special interests and the influence that money has on politics. I wrote my paper on AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a PAC that continues to wield tremendous influence in American politics. In yesterday's Midterms, AIPAC spent over thirty million dollars trying to defeat Michigan Democratic Senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. And though he won, in a rare defeat for AIPAC, the majority of the candidates it supported were elected.
I remember the final lecture of the course. By then it was early December. The sun sets early in New York City in winter, and it was dark outside, though it was probably not yet dinner time. Diane Heith, the professor, was summing up the course for us. After a lengthy discussion of all the ways in which money influences political parties, elections, candidates, and politics in general, she ended on a hopeful note: "Money is a powerful force in elections," she explained, "But there is one thing that trumps money..." There was a pause. I leaned in. I wanted to know what had more power than money in politics.
"Feet," she said. She meant voters, voters getting themselves to the polls.
We got a powerful demonstration of the power of voters in yesterday's Midterm elections. Elon Musk, the world's riches man, spent an estimated 500 million USD to influence races, and lost in virtually every case. In one race alone, the Texas Senatorial race, Musk spent over 212 million USD. But, as James Telerico, the winning Democratic candidate who Musk opposed, so eloquently put it,
"Texas is not for sale."
I think we all known that money wields a distressingly high level of influence in our political system. There is much to be done to reform campaign finance and to reign in special interests. But yesterday, and in the weeks and months leading up to the election, voters decided that it was they who would decide who wins.
