Some politicians have publicly condemned the campaign finance system. Retired politicians, who no longer fear losing their donors, broadly condemn it. But the current system has three obvious forms of lock-in:
Collective Action Problem: Any politician who chooses not to work within the current system is dropping her gun first. Voluntary disarmament must be mutual. Result: Politicians cannot change their own behavior without losing their seats.
The Fist of the 1%: Any politician who tries to change the law faces opposition from the lobbying industry and from politicians who have gained power and success under the current system. Result: Politicians cannot change the law in the face of powerful opposition.
Ignorance and Apathy: Americans care about this issue, but hardly anyone realizes that it is a hard requirement for the improvement of government. People like Lawrence Lessig are trying damn hard to change this, but I don't believe they're making much headway. Result: Upstarts cannot win elections campaigning on this issue.
Your tool could really help on the "Ignorance and Apathy" side, especially if journalists can use it to find stories, but I'm worried that targeted muckraking won't have much effect on the system itself. Do you have any thoughts on that, or on the other two issues?
(Disclosure: Sol is my co-worker, and I think this project is awesome.)
iron_ball708 karma
Some politicians have publicly condemned the campaign finance system. Retired politicians, who no longer fear losing their donors, broadly condemn it. But the current system has three obvious forms of lock-in:
Your tool could really help on the "Ignorance and Apathy" side, especially if journalists can use it to find stories, but I'm worried that targeted muckraking won't have much effect on the system itself. Do you have any thoughts on that, or on the other two issues?
(Disclosure: Sol is my co-worker, and I think this project is awesome.)
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