It is the so what attitude as exemplified by one of the commenters on the Columbia Tribune Political Blog that really spells out the most serious problem we have in Missouri politics- the fact that we are so willing to accept the stranglehold lobbyists and special interests have on Jefferson City and act like it is just as business as usual and we have to accept it. This is what Mary wrote:
What?
People are acting like there's some news?
This is the way it works. I can't say I like it or approve, but ALL of the candidates who receive over the limit donations funnel their money through all kinds of committees. It's no secret to anyone who's watched politics for more than an afternoon. I don't see why this even merits a post.
I won't start naming names, but I can think of at least a dozen campaigns, Democrats and Republicans alike, that I KNOW have been doing this in the last fundraising quarter. They explain to their donors how they can get around the donation limit and suggest which committee to send it to. And, yes, it's campaign staffers directing people and money around.
Yawn.
That is the kind of attitude that has enabled our legislators, with their false cries of "transparency" to totally eliminate all campaign contribution limits beginning Aug. 28.
That is the kind of attitude that has prevented us from getting legislation that would benefit the poeple instead of the moneyed special interests.
That is the kind of attitude we have received from the traditional news media which thinks it is more important to treat most news on campaign finances in a horse-race fashion (who is leading in fundraising), instead of examining where the money comes from.
The Associated Press story was a welcome change from that kind of journalism. When we develop the kind of "so what" attitude that Mary has, we might as well just roll over and give up.
2 comments:
Randy, it's quite possible, probable even, that Mary and many of the pro-Koster comments are not casual readers of the Columbia Tribune's blog, but rather campaign operatives from Koster's campaign.
The danger is that reporters will mistake them for average readers and believe that all their hard work following the money will be for naught.
You could very well be right, but I have run into some people who think that way and that type of thinking, especially when it comes from people who do not have a finger in the pie (the ones who are getting shafted by the system) is troubling.
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