Trial by Fundraising

Dear Candidates,

If you do not have at least 250K at your disposal, please kindly go to the back of the line until you can find enough people to give you a lot of money.  Sadly, we (people in the know) all admit it privately- this is the yardstick as to how we measure viability as a "horse in this race".  We like to start out fundraising letters to prospective donors with comparisons of how much money we've gotten from voters or corporations compared to our clearly- well you know…

Money begets money which begets endorsements… which begets more money… and this is a GOOD THING.

Never mind if you don't want it- or that it makes your stomach turn to think what candidates do with these millions of dollars during election time.  Wait- it's for those tacky postcards that attack your fellow candidates and inane "paid for" "approved by me" commercials on television that everyone now records and skips with their DVR? The ones that if they happen to accidentally see it, they want to poke their eyes out, or break out into a cold sweet when they can't find the remote to turn it off?

But you see, clearly slow- to- understand candidate, this is what works.  Every time.  So we keep doing it this way.

And when it is all over, what do we have to show for it?  How much have we collectively spent- on what exactly?  It certainly doesn't go to those who need it.  In fact, it goes to funding things that voters clearly despise.

p.s.  I still can't find an actual job description of a Congressperson.  But I'm told it now has a to do with fundraising.  So perhaps this makes sense…trial by fundraising.  Forget the national debt, and other pressing issues.  Fundraise and support your funders to keep your job so you can do the same thing again in two years.

**Yes there is the constitutional description (General and Enumerated Powers) but I'm talking about the day to day description of how these things are done, and where fundraising fits into all of this.  From my view, it seems to be a conflict of interest. 

You can follow Kristie at @DrKristie or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KristieforCongress