Al Hoffman

In The Republic, Plato warned of the dangers of unchecked democracy, in that it can open the door to chaos, tyrants and demagogues.

It is an apt warning in the midst of one of the muddiest campaign cycles in American history.

Plato’s caution was that democracy is vulnerable to the manipulation of those who care more for personal power than public good.

There’s a lesson in here in how Americans fund political campaigns.

While this will probably not endear me to many voters, I spent this election fundraising for former Florida governor Jeb Bush. I put up a considerable amount from my own wallet and raised several million more for his super PAC.

America, per Plato, faces a great moral question. Is this type of powerhouse fundraising corrupt? Does it serve the public good? Or does it contribute to an ethical decay that will ultimately lead to corruption, chaos and then tyranny?

Americans should look closely at the impact of big money in politics. Some see it as a corrupting influence, a way of buying access to officials and politicians.

Others see it as a stimulant that helps motivate citizens to do their civic duty.

Political donors can, despite the stigma, do some admirable things. They help hire eager younger staffers who are passionate about politics. They pay for mailers that remind people to vote. Donors make it possible for candidates to hire intelligent scholars who work on policy and ideas, allowing campaigns to harness the best minds America has to offer.

The Founders would have dumped Trump: Column

But can’t all this be done with small dollar donations? Isn’t it nobler to take in $5 million from a million donors rather than $5 million from 5 donors?

Perhaps. There’s incredible virtue in the college student or retiree or construction worker who is willing to invest in our political process. But Americans also need to take a tough look at how these funds are solicited. And they must ask themselves where their donations go.

The mechanics aren’t pretty. Shaking millions of people by the ankles for five dollar donations is expensive. In the GOP field in particular, the small donor industry is something of a self-licking ice cream cone.

Here's the math behind it. Last year, the Daily Caller reported that of the $54 million spent by ten large conservative PACs in 2014, only $3.6 million went to candidates. At that rate, a hypothetical fundraising campaign designed to raise a million dollars by imploring voters to "help us stop Obama from taking your guns" might cost $950,000 to hit its target. During Ben Carson's campaign, 54 cents out of every dollar raised went to fundraising costs. The campaign hired a call center company that had up to 400 callers a night soliciting Republican voters for money. Campaign money also went to solicitation emails, many of them incendiary in their tone and aggressive in their volume.

In 2014, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee solicitation emails featured words such as “doomed,” “furious,” “obliterated” and “horrifying.”

Cal Thomas: GOP co-conspirators set to destroy party

And this is where Plato comes in. The provocative tactics used to elicit small-dollar donations feed a monster of demagoguery. They make voters feel scared, angry or resentful in the hopes of harvesting those emotions for financial gain.

This is how we end up with candidates like Donald Trump. When voters are fed from a manure pile of negativity and rabble-rousing, it makes the soil fertile for firebrand agitators like the reality TV star.

Are mega-donors without sin? Of course not. Raising seven figures for a candidate grants you access that the average voter will never see. This unfairness has been a source of major voter ire this cycle. Injustice makes people angry. And it is angry voters who have been pulling levers for Trump.

But there is also an advantage. Large donors can insist on accountability. If a campaign is wasting money on frivolous expenses, they can object. If a candidate says something overly hateful or extreme, they can walk. They often serve as an executive board of sorts, challenging campaigns to act worthy of their investment.

Kirsten Powers: The Republican blame game

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Trump brags that he is without big donors. That may be true. But it also means he is without restraint. He is free to agitate and feed chaos. In business and politics alike, oversight is a good thing. It keeps the ship in calmer waters.

While voters disagreed with my choice for president, even his critics would agree that Jeb released the most detailed set of policies and reforms in the race. Seeing these ideas thrive and live beyond the candidate makes for a worthy investment. In my heart, that is a proper and just use of big money in politics.

And that is the heart of this debate. Political donations are like a firearm. Money can advance both justice and injustice. It depends on whose finger is on the trigger.

In the end, it is the character of our country that matters. And that’s how Plato had it. Promote integrity among our citizens, and the negative influence of money will wane.

Al Hoffman Jr. served as ambassador to Portugal in the George W. Bush Administration.

In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of Contributors. To read more columns like this, go to the Opinion front page.