This headline is the conclusion of a study published by the University of Minnesota in May 2021. Inexplicably, it was ignored by the media and the political system with the result that “we the people“ were not informed about this most essential change in our state government.
The University of Minnesota study is not the only evidence of the power of money in politics. A Pew Research poll (May 2024) found that only 22% of Americans trusted their government and another poll (September 2023) concluded that monied interests had too much power.
On Jan. 29 of this year, a party legislative caucus in our Legislature proudly declared in its newsletter that their caucus was announcing a “RECORD FUNDRAISING NUMBER.“ This was followed by a pronouncement from Gov. Walz that he was the “best fundraiser that ever sat in this office“ (Star Tribune, Aug. 10). Money is clearly the number one priority in politics today.
The simple reality is that the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate monies and what has become known as “dark money“
(funds from an undisclosed source). This not only protects incumbents from competition but also weakens the tie between the people and their elected representatives. In essence, this incumbent protection is a direct assault on democracy, which depends on competition and fair elections. Today, incumbents draw the political lines, make the rules, and, now, tailor legislation to favor the monied interests.
Just consider this: Decades ago, the DFL depended on $5 bean feeds that involved communities coming together to meet their elected officials and, quite frequently, a known statewide or national figure such as Hubert Humphrey or Walter Mondale would be the guest. And Republicans organized door-to-door fundraising around the neighborhood. Their “Fat Cat“ event was the annual $100 dinner where a national leader was featured. Average people were the backbone of politics and everyone felt they could participate and even run for office.
Now, that sense of reliance on community is all gone in this new era of truly “Big Money.“ Consider this: for the 2020 legislative elections, the four political caucuses raised some $26.5 million, which comes to over $130,000 per incumbent legislator. Further, the legislative caucuses have over 300 employees listed as “partisan,“ meaning they work for a political caucus but are paid for by the taxpayer. In essence, legislative caucuses have become massive political operations with far more staff than our state parties. They are political armies fully paid for by us.
In addition, “we the people“ are being relegated to a secondary position while the monied interests prosper, as the University of Minnesota study suggests. Specifically, those interests receive not only special privileges but also the opportunity to “shape“ legislation.
Do you think those “interests“ are “shaping“ legislation to improve your life or their profits? Are they protecting your water or air or their bottom line? Are they interested in the education of your children or is this about special favors for them and incumbent protection for elected officials?
Yes, money does matter at our state Capitol, and it is time we, the people, encouraged candidates to run on a Public First Platform celebrating term limits, no caucus fundraising, an independent commission selected by the Minnesota Supreme Court to draw political district lines, and public funding of campaigns comparable to the system in Connecticut.
And throw the current self-serving system out.
Arne H. Carlson, of Lake City, was Republican governor of Minnesota from 1991 to 1999. This column was co-written with Tom Berkelman, a retired DFL legislator from Duluth; Janet Entzel, a retired DFL legislator from Minneapolis; and Duke Skorich, president of Zenith Research in Duluth.
This is a reprint from the Rochester Post Bulletin. The original can be found here.
I have supported very few Republicans during many years of voting and activism, but Arne Carlson is an exception. He did a good job as governor and also did us a service as University of Minnesota regent when he called attention to corruption in high levels of the university’s administration.
The problem with this post is that the analysis is convincing but I am not clear about the path to fixing it. Among the barriers is the Citizens United supreme court decision, which is reported to require a constitutional amendment to eliminate.
Woods Halley
My naive proposal would be to have no limits on contributions from individuals, provided full disclosure is maintained. Prohibit contributions from non-individuals. That way, we know exactly who is paying the politician.
In addition to the corruption, what really saddens me is the waste of money that goes into elections. Imagine what charities could do with the money? The only ones profiting are political consultants and media companies.