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Originally Posted by aceventura3
Regarding the need for campaign finance reform I have one starting question:
How much does money affect election results?
My initial belief is that once a candidate has enough money, having more is of little consequence. Once I am aware of a candidate (local, state, national) and I know their positions, my vote has never been influenced by an ad or other marketing materials. I am aware of many situations where the candidate with the most money or the best marketing campaign did not win - so I wonder are we trying to fix something that is not a problem? If so, why? I suspect the real goal is for those currently in power to establish rules that will make it increasingly difficult for people "outside" the system to gain political power rather than opposite being true.
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While the consolidation of power is likely an implicit goal of most people who have power, there are studies that show statistically significant correlations between campaign contributions to politicians and subsequent voting by those politicians. So that politicians tend to vote for things that help the people who give them money. Certainly, some of this effect has to do with the fact that people give money to politicians who share their interests, but given the fact that large donors seem to have better access to politicians than the average person, it seems plausible that the effect extends beyond just being a function of likemindedness. This is the problem. It has nothing to do with the fact that the better funded candidate doesn't always get elected.
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How far would you go with an alleged conflict of interest based on an association? Significant others? Life partners? Parents? Children? Mistresses? Hunting buddies? College roommates?
Thinking of my marriage, my wife is an independent thinker and that is the basis of our relationship. I don't control her political activities and she doesn't control mine. In your view, would a conflict she has automatically be mine? Why? And if so, why would my relationship with her be different than relationships I have with others?
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Why does your relationship with your wife matter at all? Your particular experience could not be less relevant, unless you're Clarence Thomas.
People tend to look out for the interests of their friends and family. Sometimes, people aren't even aware that their perspective is being clouded by their conflicts of interest. The simplest and most consistent way to deal with this is to exclude people who have conflicts of interest from taking part in the decisions from which the conflict arises.