Plutocracy & Money

Paul Krugman had an interesting column today about campaign dollars, their suppliers and recipients. It seems the money makers are switching over to the Democrats big time. It is still the same money and I agree with Krugman that it should make us all nervous.

Oil money is oil money, defense contractor money is the same and so are the pharmaceuticals largess. As I mentioned the other day incumbency, good polls, and open access are what matters.

There is one other factor in this formula that has been at work for some time. That is the real and existent plutocracy in America. Maybe it is not exactly a plutocracy since family ties are so important. It seems, besides being taller than your opponent, that two things can define successful candidates. One is money and the other is relatives who have held office. Think about the Udall family, think about the Bush family, the Kennedy family, the Gore family, and now think about the Clinton family. Some of the families had money, some not, but you always get a leg up if you have one or both, family and money. Usually though winners have both. The families who don't have their own money surely have the collective experience to raise money from long cultivated sources.

Political families aren't bad in and of themselves. It is their access to campaign money that has skewed the system.