“The influence industry” is a term referring to the power of money in shaping public policy, landing high-profile government jobs and gaining leverage for special interests.
Big money has long dominated politics – and elections, for that matter. Many donors and fundraisers are savvy investors who expect a return on their investments.
Financial contribution is often rewarded with direct access to political representatives, which in turn allows donors to effectively lobby for their causes. Money has shaped public policy, kept politicians in office and often times determined which political constituents are heard.
It should come as no surprise that President Barack Obama and his staff were recently criticized for their hiring practices. According to The
Washington Post, more than half of Obama’s biggest fundraisers were given jobs in his administration. At least 24 of Obama’s bundlers took posts as foreign ambassadors, including positions in Finland, Australia, Portugal and Luxembourg. Nine more big donors were appointed to presidential boards and committees.
Although highly unethical, this type of practice has been going on for years.
Money makes the world go round, and the influence of money on U.S. politics is nothing new.
We can look all the way back to 1904 to a scandal involving corporate donors that tainted President Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign. The backlash led to the Tillman Act of 1907, the first major campaign-finance reform law, which prohibited monetary contribution to national political campaigns by corporations.
In the past century – most notably since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s – lawmakers have made countless attempts to change the influential involvement of money in U.S. politics, which is a prominent issue within both major parties.
President Obama and his administration have become a part of the political tradition in falling prey to big-money contributors looking for access. Obama is surely not the first to do so, nor will he be the last.
Under President Ronald Reagan’s administration, the secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and 16 associates were convicted for rigging low-income housing bids to favor Republican contributors to Reagan’s campaign.
President Bill Clinton and his administration were criticized for a campaign fundraising operation during his first term that authorized the use of the White House as a tool to woo big donors. Clinton authorized numerous perks for top party contributors, including golf games, morning jogs with him and overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom – leading to skepticism of his personal relationships with big donors.
President George W. Bush was criticized for his energy policies that positioned oil and gas companies ahead of other energy interests with billions of dollars in subsidies and tax cuts. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, both former oil executives, developed the country’s energy policy on the recommendations of oil moguls such as Exxon Mobil, Conoco, Shell Oil, BP America and Chevron.
Bush, who received more campaign donations from the oil and gas industry than any other politician, signed an energy bill in 2005 that gave $14.5 billion in tax breaks for oil, gas, nuclear power and coal companies.
On his way out of office, Bush made sure big donors and senior aides were appointed to lucrative positions that would be in place for up to six years after his term ended. According to The Washington Post, nearly half of Bush’s appointments were filled by donors who gave a total of nearly $1.9 million to Republicans from 2003 to 2008 – not a substandial number, but a symptom of the problem nonetheless.
It’s simple. Major political contributors exercise major political influence. It’s a sad state of affairs, but this trend will continue into the future until the necessary regulations are put in place. In the end, whether a Democrat or Republican is in office, the buttons are pressed by the businessmen who pay to get them elected.
Matthew Westfall is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Winchester, Va. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mwestfall.
—- Contact Matthew Westfall at [email protected].