Three major messages were transmitted by the voters in the election of 2014. The obvious one was that they were unhappy with President Obama and the direction of the country. Another message was that money talks and that greater spending is usually effective. The third message, perhaps more cryptic than the others, is that the votes that count the most in America are not cast by the electorate but by an unelected body, the Supreme Court. [icopyright one button toolbar]
The five justices appointed by Republican presidents changed the path of American democracy with their Citizens United decision in January of 2010, permitting corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums to advocate election or defeat of political candidates. That was bad enough but in April of 2014, in the McCutcheon ruling, the Court’s five Republican justices struck down any limits on the amounts individuals were allowed to contribute in aggregate to all federal candidates, political parties, and political action committees during a two year period. And of course, we have the 501(c)(4) organizations where individuals and corporations can legally provide unrestricted funding supporting or attacking political positions while keeping their donations secret. The Center for Responsible Politics estimates that the midterm election of 2014 will be the most expensive ever, with spending of close to $4 billion.
The ability of affluent individuals and corporations to spend unlimited sums supporting candidates or ballot initiatives has placed American democracy in the pockets of ultra-rich individuals and corporations. Citizens get most of their information about the candidates and the issues through television and on-line political advertisements. Candidates who are supported by more advertisements and those that denigrate their opponents are more likely to win, particularly in close races. And while both parties have spent huge amounts on the 2014 races, Republican groups were able to raise more money. (Over 70 percent of political advertising are negative attack ads.)
These political organizations have not just concentrated on Congressional or Senatorial races, but have also backed candidates for governorships. They particularly played a vital role in having conservative governors re-elected, including Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Sam Brownback in Kansas, both of whom seemed to be in trouble. Unfortunately, with so much money available to these different political groups, they also started to work their magic in down-ticket races, supporting state legislative candidates whose stances they liked and whom they believed might be future candidates for higher offices.
The antipathy by the voters towards Obama that shaped the election of 2014 has some basis in fact in terms of his actions in governing, but also reflected the voters’ lack of knowledge about politics. Though America’s foreign policy mistakes can be laid at the feet of Obama, problems with the economy and domestic issues had more to do with the Republican House refusing to agree to any of the Obama administration’s initiatives to fix things. Proposals that would have helped the middle class and impoverished Americans were rejected out of hand. These included further extension of unemployment insurance, spending on America’s decrepit infrastructure, raising the minimum wage, and so forth. Though the economy had improved significantly since Obama took office six years ago, the middle class had not benefited proportionately to the gains by the one percent. Thus, they took out their frustrations on the Democrats, Obama’s party, though the blame should have resided equally or more with the Republicans. The barrage of negative advertising against Obama paid off for the GOP.
Infrastructure repair and improvement is desperately needed if America is to keep pace with other industrialized nations. The last few years was an ideal time for the nation to attack infrastructure problems, with construction workers available and seeking employment, and interest rates low. The cost of necessary repairs and improvements will only increase in the years ahead, but Republicans refused to consider programs to work on the infrastructure because they might have reflected favorably on Obama. Partisan politics held sway instead of the two parties working together for the good of the nation.
Will the new Republican Congress be able to craft legislation to bolster the economy that will be acceptable to Obama in the two years remaining of his administration? From recent history, a stalemate appears likely, though the Republicans need to show they can govern and not just be the party of no as 2016 approaches.
As far as establishing a fair system for funding political campaigns, a new Supreme Court will be required with a Democratic majority, which does not look possible in the immediate future. The only other way true campaign finance reform could be achieved would be through a constitutional amendment, a pipe dream at this time in the political life of America.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020