opinion

End America’s wealth primary

The message was clear to all back in 1923, quips Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, when a bill was passed in the state of Texas creating a “white only” Democratic primary. In order to compete in the general election, candidates had to first secure the approval of the white population. This, of course, guaranteed that those elected to office were sworn to represent the interests of whites.

But that was then, now it’s different and a bit less clear. Now, if you are not a multi-millionaire, you share a plight very similar to that of African-Americans back in 1923. Now ordinary Americans of all ethnicities have lost representation in a government tuned to the requirements of the mega-rich. The racial divide has been replaced by a wealth divide but our priority in the political process is the same, ignored.

November 2016 is still a distance away but aspiring candidates of both political parties can be seen busily courting wealthy funders. To be taken seriously, a candidate must please a handful of big donors to raise the cash required to run a credible campaign. We might call this qualifying process the “wealth primary,” because only those with extreme wealth have a say. If a candidate fails to win financial backing from the very wealthy, her candidacy, no matter how astute and popular, is effectively over.

Last September, hard evidence demonstrating the consequences of this “wealth primary” was published by a team from Princeton. This extensive study of 1,779 policy issues shows that legislative decisions tip almost exclusively toward the wealthy elite and special business interests. Legislative outcomes are statistically indifferent to general public opinion. Our democracy has been perverted by big money into a hollow illusion, an Orwellian reality that defies adequate metaphor.

But is it checkmate for American democracy? Or is it possible to convince elected officials to reform a system set up to serve their money-masters? How do we eliminate the wealth primary that has effectively stripped our constitutionally mandated representation?

The answer is wrapped in two big ideas. The first is that we must fully comprehend the reality that ordinary Americans lack real representation. The second is the absolute necessity that we bridge our many divides to come together as a united populace and demand a government “responsible to the people alone.”

Sam A. Fedele is a Perinton resident.