By Shane Goodman shane@dmcityview.com

Bought and paid for

We all, at least to some degree, realize that money has great influence in politics. But few can truly understand the need to have a lot — and I mean a lot — if a person wants to run for a major political office today.

There was certainly a time when the Republican party represented big money, and the Democratic party represented the little guy. I am not so sure that’s the case today, despite what we hear at election time. A simple review of the Bush and Kerry family coffers pretty much says it all. To get into the political arena, a candidate of either party has to be wealthy, or least have access to large sums of money. And that holds true locally as well, where an estimated $100,000 now must be spent to win a seat in the Iowa Senate. That’s where the trouble begins.

Most of us don’t have the personal wealth of a Steve Forbes. To run for political office, we would have to raise money. And when the large checks come in from special interest groups, it would be hard for any of us to say no, especially when we have to pay for those expensive television ads to keep the mud in full sling. But those payments we accept have strings attached, and those donors certainly expect something — a lot of things — in return. This is true even at the local level, which can be seen each week in our “It’s Your Money” page and in what is pointed out in this week’s “Civic Skinny.”

Reporter Brenda Fullick takes a look at the money inside politics in this week’s cover story, specifically a new trend in publicly financed elections and how this reform is working in other states. It is an enlightening and educational read for those of us “regular citizens” who feel we have less and less influence in the state democratic process.

Can this reform happen in Iowa? With so many elected officials becoming experts at raising money in the current system, it’s unlikely. But that could be said of many changes that have been made in recent decades, so we should not give up hope. In the meantime, expect the politicians to keep cashing checks.

Thanks for reading.

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