The Money Game

The race to debunk John Cornyn from his seat in the U.S. Senate is well under way. The top two contenders are Democratic state representative Rick Noriega and San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts. However, as of right now the race has largely been focused on fundraising rather than platforms and policies. The winner so far has been Mr. Watts who has brought in 8.3 million dollars. However, this is an inaccuracy because 7.5 million of it has been out of his personal bank account. In comparison, his Democratic opponent has raised only $510,000 although this is more than Watts has raised from individuals.

Is it really fair for a person to be able to fund their own political campaign? In this case I think it is flat out unfair. A politics that is limited to the economically elite is dangerously present and dangerous in and of itself. Candidates who have dedicated their profession to less economically prosperous causes such as community service are going to find it much more difficult to win office. Frankly, these are the types of people who should be the ones to represent us in office. But when campaigning becomes a game of who can dish out the most from their own personal bank account instead of fundraising from fellow citizens, politics walks a fine line of becoming a group of selfish individuals who represent their own interests rather than the interests of the community.

The motives of anyone willing to spend 7.5 million for an attempt to become a senator should be questioned. It begins to look very much like a hunger for power, a dream being chased, or an investment that could pay off later on. As a voter, I would rather see politicians in office that see politics for the dirty game that it is, but believe they are called to be an instrument of positive change rather than politicians that just seem to be buying themselves into the political game. Our government is supposed to be for the people, but when campaigns are hardly financed by a large population, we are given candidates that we didn’t help to run and boost into the political spotlight based upon their capability. Instead we are forced to choose from a group of candidates who could afford to shell out the most of their own money.

We are limited to contributing $2,300 to political campaigns so I believe candidates should be limited to the same amount for their own campaigns. The sad truth however is that John Cornyn has raised 6.6 million dollars and for him to be defeated next November, it is going to take someone with a lot more money than that.

- Garrett

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