For decades, America has been a leader in democracy and political stability. But without proper succession planning (a strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles), our political system could be on the brink of collapse.
America is a representative or indirect democracy, meaning the people vote for their own representatives—who in turn vote on policy initiatives—as opposed to a direct democracy, where the people choose leaders directly to act or make decisions on their behalf.
This country’s form of democracy, once regarded as a model, has come under fire lately due to its numerous shortcomings and its gradual transformation into a government where a few wealthy, old, white people run the country.
Money Politics v. Fight for Democracy
This oligarchy has become quite expensive and is not for the fainthearted. In 1895, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Hanna from Ohio said, “There are two things that are important in politics: The first is money, and I can’t remember the second.” More than a century later, his statement still remains valid.
Industrialist and U.S. Sen. Mark Hanna is depicted in an 1896 political cartoon with his feet propped up on bags of “campaign funds” and a skull labeled “labor” under his whip. Cartoon by Homer Davenport, published in New York Journal, public domain
For example, the 2020 presidential and congressional elections gulped down a whopping $14 billion, which is thrice and twice the cost of the 2008 and 2016 elections, respectively. Money politics has eaten deep into the fabric of our electoral, legislative and administrative processes. Big companies, the oligarchs and some interest groups are the primary sources of political funding.
Most winners of congressional elections in this country are the candidates who have greater financial support. These representatives then do the bidding of their financial backers at the expense of the people whose interests they should protect. They often speak for their own vested interests rather than the interest of vulnerable people. Even members of Congress have to collect money from the interests they’re meant to oversee in order to buy top spots on the most powerful committees.