by TexTractor

Created on: July 02, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Campaign contributions are sometimes about electing a candidate with views that are in solidarity with those of the contributor, and sometimes about access. Both are about "buying" the candidate's votes, either in general (by electing someone who will vote the way the contributor would) or specifically, by being given special access to the candidate once they are in office so that the contributor (or the contributor's lobbyist) can push their ideas face-to-face. In the latter case, the candidate can either be pressured privately to vote a certain way on a certain bill, or encouraged to sponsor certain legislation (often wholly or partly written by the contributor).

Does this mean that contributors always get the votes they want? No, just like a professional gambler doesn't always get the hand they need. The contributor is playing the odds, stacking them in his/her favor. In fact, the contributor's odds are usually a lot better than the gambler's. The more a contributor can afford to put forward, the more likely it is that their chosen candidate will win. More contributions mean more access to the candidate, or to those who can influence the candidate.

Why do major corporations and others contribute so much money to political parties (or to politicians' pet projects), year after year? Because it works. People don't throw away serious money like that-they would have learned by now if it didn't work.

What can that money pay for? Operatives on the ground; publicity campaigns in the air; huge staffs; huge travel, office, and other expenses; "experts," think tanks, polling and "research" outfits, all issuing broadsides in support of anything from a particular side of a particular issue to general ideology. In other words, this money is essential to building, maintaining, and expanding political machines. The candidate, party, or organization that relies on that money will at least give serious thought to the opinion of the payer. To believe that money doesn't have that kind of power is to live in a fantasy world.

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