Around the country, candidates with few if any qualifications for high public office other than a willingness to ‘self-fund’ their own campaigns seem on the verge of winning a fair number of elections — a process that moves us yet another step toward…
A Monarchy Of Money
In days of yore the rich would seek a needy candidate,
And legally (though quietly) his campaign chest inflate.
Both giver and receiver liked the tradeoff here just fine,
One got himself more access, one could buy more TV time.
But these days folks with money have devised a better plan;
It’s a lot more cost effective, it shuts out the middleman.
Instead of buying influence with others they select,
They run themselves for office and buy public posts direct.
The process here is simple, it comes down to TV buys;
You spend big on this medium, your numbers always rise.
Perfect family, hard hat workers, ethnic types, a waving flag,
Are the content of your message, which gets shown till viewers gag.
While talking heads may hold their nose at such crude repetition,
It’s the proven way (just ask the pros) to beat the competition.
In mayors contests coast to coast, in House and Senate races,
Rich nobodies who buy the tube end up with smiling faces.
So a monied power seeker need no longer use a beard,
He can buy an office outright and no one thinks that it’s weird.
Though perhaps some free speech theorists see here a prospect sunny,
Wiser heads see yet a deeper slide toward a monarchy of money.
More from this writer at wallstreetpoet.com