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How have campaign contributions and lobbying efforts influenced policy on an issue you care about?

by Matthew Abuelo

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 22, 2009

One of the common questions when it comes to politics is, why do Politicians lie? The most straightforward answer, of course, is money and votes. Every elected official within the United States has to walk a fine line between their constituents and the entities which fund their campaigns. From a monetary stand point, it has grown increasingly more expensive to run a successful campaign. That is to say, the cost of creating an image for each candidate, while at the same time fudging certain facts about their position on key issues, has risen considerably.

Take the 2008 presidential race for example. The funding between Barack Obama and John McCain neared $1billion dollars, the most expensive political endeavor of its kind in history. A distant second would be the 2004 elections where the entire presidential fundraising totals only reached $880.5 million. At this rate, the 2012 race could easily cost in the range of 2 billion dollars.

While appealing to their top funders, candidates from both sides of the aisle must also pacify their loyal base, or the "inconvenient mob" as some circles call them. Lobbyists are a third group which both the Democrats and Republicans know that they must pander to. To pull off this feat of political spin, language becomes increasingly important.

For the Republicans, the dialogue of less Government becomes paramount when speaking to their base. One only needs to listen to past speeches given by John McCain or the Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, to be under the impression that we were dealing with populist party of Abraham Lincoln, but that party is long dead. The 19th century industrialists set the framework for what has become land owners representatives. Here is a quote from Jindal, in a response to Barack Obama's address to Congress, "The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens." Unfortunately the language of pandering often doesn't reflect the actions of the party.

For the Democrats, their message must consistently appeal to Unions, women's rights groups and community organizing groups, along with African Americans organizations which by and large have been the most loyal supporters of the party. Like Republicans, Democrats seek to deliver a populist message but some of them actually mean it. They will break with party lines and support policies that are popular among the American people but unpopular on the Hill. One prime example is


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