From Candidate Deceit to Government Position

John Oliver on Last Week Tonight recently discussed the issues of congressional fundraising; funding to support the campaigns of politicians.  It’s quite ironic actually.  These candidates and politicians subject almost as many as four hours a day to sit in an enclosed room to make calls in which they beg for money.  Literally beg for money, but then flipping the switch completely to pose for the public as if they are being forced to do this.  One politician even explained it as “embarrassing, ugly, and demeaning.”

They can make as many excuses as they want and act like their actions are as innocent as ever but before even getting to know one, our views of politicians are already that they generate their campaigns solely around deceit.  In fact, one candidate in the show even exclaimed that his tactic for successful fundraising was to go directly to the wealthier individuals first.  By doing this, more money could be earned in the same amount of time as a less experienced politician could earn by calling anyone and everyone for hopes of scrounging a couple hundred dollars.

It is said that a whole day could be constructed of a politician’s fundraising patterns; breakfast, lunch, and a reception.  There are many candidates that even use concerts and parties to ask for money.  They act as if they dread the task of asking for money, yet do it voluntarily.

The issue with this system, though, is that it is in fact not voluntary at all.  Everything exclaimed above is what is probably thought of a politician at first glance.  However, it is not actually like this.  We look at candidates as dishonest and untrustworthy but we fail to take a further look into what the candidate must go through to succeed.

In order for a candidate to receive votes from the public, they must be well known.  To be well known, a candidate must advertise.  Unless the candidate is wealthy enough to pay for their own campaigns, like Donald Trump, they must get money from somewhere.  This somewhere happens to be the people.  So, although congressional funding can be looked at from an insolent point of view, it is in fact quite necessary; it is an involuntary evil.

It only becomes evil if the candidate IS in fact dishonest and untrustworthy.  Donald Trump is a wealthy man, we know this.  However, many times in his speeches he hints to the people that he wants their money, he needs their money.  Due to the fact that he is running against people who are not as rich as him and who do ask for money, it seems almost normal that he would also be doing the same.  But Trump can afford his own campaigns.  He has made this very clear.  By asking for money, he only makes the others look like less of good candidates.  The government tends to be run by rich people for this very reason.  These wealthy candidates trick the people into thinking that they are better than the rest and the naïve or easily persuaded are all on board.