Bought and Sold

Buying politics on the open market.

There was a time when craftsmen, artisans, and yes politicians, found support and protection through the patronage of a wealthy noble, and in return, they would give them loyalty and produce work. The more things change, the more they stay the same it seems.

It's no secret that since Buckley v. Valeo and First National Bank v. Bellotti in the 1970s making money free speech we have had a certain type of political patronage in which wealthy oligarchs and corporations buy political favors and or loyalty from politicians through campaign contributions. As with so many things in the Trump Administration, this process has been accelerated to its logical, perverse conclusion.

Here we see Trump and Elon Musk overtly, and publicly weaponize political spending, taking what was once a intentionally obscured activity done with dark money PACs, and instead trumpeting their political intentions from the rooftops, threatening their enemies and paying for votes. With full control of all the branches of government and thus no formal levers of accountability within the federal apparatus Trump and Musk don’t want the party to end.

Defeating challengers in the upcoming elections for House seats and district judges is important for both protecting the administration’s lawless impunity as well as setting an example of the type with absolute control and discipline they expect from the political class. Cross us, they say, and we will offer voters against you a million dollars. We will pour money into political challengers coffers, and sue for judicial impeachment if you don’t obey us. These next races could either fracture or cement those claims of total authority.

Elections in Florida and Wisconsin are happening today and they may very well serve as a bellwether for how the country is reacting to the Trump agenda. There have been signs of discontent, an earlier special election had the Democrat winning in a plus 15 from District and there have been rumblings of discontent at Town Halls hosted, and then not hosted, by Republican representatives, reminding everyone who their true constituency is.

 Moments like these can have outsized effects in electoral politics. Since January 6th, however, it's been clear that Trump and his administration have no intention of being stymied by trifling’s like legality or checks and balances. These sorts of political levers will likely prove insufficient on their own.

To succeed they will require people power, united in both political will and economic power, exerting continuous pressure to push back against the fascistic takeover we are currently experiencing. Trump et. al. are flagrantly setting the stage for the administration to never relinquish power and accept no oversight, or sharing of power between federal branches.

Scarily, there are clearly a large number of people who are ready to support this transition away from democracy, but it is not a majority, not even close. In fact, the majority of this country from Democrats to independents does not agree with what is happening. To focus that discontent into change, it will take inspiring political coalitions and powerful economic blocs working together to wrest control from the dictatorial oligarchs who are currently running rampant in our country and through our federal government.

Electing politicians may stem the tide slightly, but ultimately it will be up to the people, joining together in solidarity to protect individuals from this overreach, to resist the calls for self-censorship, and to fall in line for the sake of comfort at the expense of freedom. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity, to build the conditions under which we can protect this democracy and rebuild a government that represents all people.

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