Here we go again. Illinois is barreling toward another election funded largely by special interests. As we’ve turned campaigns into auctions, our politicians have become indentured servants, beholden to those who finance campaigns.
Money has become the dominant factor in deciding who runs for office, who wins elections and who has influence and power after the vote is over. Many of Illinois’ finest leaders don’t run for public office, either because they can’t raise the money or because they refuse to. Far too often, campaign funders decide which candidates will be viable long before voters get their say.
Once the field is narrowed to those with personal wealth or those backed by special-interest cash, the winner is usually determined by who spends the most. Well before the Illinois legislature votes on a single bill, the deck is stacked in favor of wealthy interests that ensure that sympathetic politicians will be in office.
When all is said and done, big money has already influenced who does the voting and on what they will vote.
