Will the day ever come when a Non Millionaire can get elected?

[Philosoraptor]

Or is that a silly, impractical daydream? I know there are non millionaires in the lesser known positions, but it seems all the top political positions are gained and held by millionaires. Are we a nation of millionaires? Is that who we need to represent us?

I know there is big money in politics, I heard there are 16,000 lobbyists in D.C. will the day ever come when a man or woman with no huge war chest can get elected without being a millionaire?

[MercutioATC]

1. Not with a 2-party system.

Someday, we may evolve beyond that. For now, we're destined to be governed by millionaires.

[sgxnk]

2. here's a pop quiz

gore, nader or bush

who was the richest?

(i have no idea. i just know all 3 are very rich. that's why i'm asking the question) :)

[Moloch]

3. My god.

Will the day ever come when DUers are happy about something?

[Philosoraptor]

4. I'm ecstatic.

I'm overflowing with bubbly, giddy sunshine and lollipops.

[im10ashus]

22. I am ecstatic.

Over the Lieberman defeat. That made me real happy. Or is that not good enough?

[Selatius]

37. Somebody who fights for change, almost by definition, is never happy

If he were happy, he'd be fine with the status quo.

[livetohike]

5. No

I worked on a Congressional campaign in 2004. Our candidate couldn't afford to pay anyone and a tight little group of us devoted many, many hours to the campaign. He was trying to unseat the incumbent Republican (Darryl Issa), who is a millionaire.

The DNC did not support us in any way because they viewed it as a lost cause. Sad.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. If you are not an incumbent or have millions of dollars to spend

Or have rich friends that you can suck off of, then you are by definition a lost cause, no matter which branch of the Two Party you hand with.

[livetohike]

13. You're right and it is very sad, I think

We thought we could count on some support since Issa is the one funded the recall that ultimately put Arnold in power! Issa wanted to run for Governor and when Arnold entered the race, he tearfully announce on TV that he was dropping out.

[treestar]

6. With the internet, it may be possible

If it doesn't take big money to get known, there is a chance that someone who initially does not have big money can make enough of an inroad.

Starting out in state politics, especially, it could work.

[hedgehog]

12. Jonathon Tasini is testing this theory in New York Sept 12.

He's running against Hillary Clinton. She has an incredible amount of money that she's saving for the Presidential Primaries in 2008. He has the support of people like Cindy Sheehan and Barbara Ehrenreich. It's David vs Goliath, but people forget that David won.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. It would have to take some revolution to end it.

I just heard the news that Lamont is a millionare. Of course the msm couldn't wait to inform everyone about that.

[Philosoraptor]

11. He used his own money, which I sort of like

the fact that he didn't take donations is somewhat refreshing i guess, i hate it when they keep all the money even when they lose elections.

[Catherine Vincent]

16. If he did, then that's great.

I sure hope he wins in November.

[nosillies]

9. Oh lord, you've just brought up one of my biggest rants/pet peeves

But today I'll stay chill.

I've always said that I'd love to run for office, and I think I'd do a damn good job of it, but I'm just not willing right now to force my family into possible bankruptcy to do so. Running for office is prohibitively expensive, therefore most people who are really in touch with what voters want (i.e. average people) cannot run. Are our representatives truly representative?

[Recursion]

10. Sure, when we take back the airwaves

Storm the FCC

[Ikonoklast]

14. Ohio, U.S. Senate candidate

Sherrod Brown.

Far from a millionaire.

[keta11]

25. Dont worry about him. He will become a millionaire

after he joins the Senate!!!

[AndyA]

15. When the laws are changed, non-millionaires can win.

But not before then. We need to change the laws to prevent outside money, which is the root of our problems today. Campaigns should be financed by public money, so everybody gets the same amount to run on. That would allow the average, ordinary American to run and be competitive with the others. Until this happens, we will not ever get the best person for the job.

When you consider the loss of privacy, the scrutiny from the media, and all the other things that go against running for public office, not having the finances to do it automatically removes a lot of qualified people.

And some of these people would be wonderful to have. We need to change the way campaigns are financed, and then there is real hope for change in the right direction.

For now, I'm very happy about Ned Lamont, despite the fact he's wealthy. I think he will be a great person to have in office. We just need more like him.

[im10ashus]

23. "Campaigns should be financed by public money"

AMEN! That should be our mantra!

[lonestarnot]

26. Yes and that is the only way we can run non millionaire billionaire

candidates.

[im10ashus]

27. They are fighting for this in CA.

Link:

http://www.cleanmoneyelections.org/

[lonestarnot]

29. Whose they? And is that inclusive of "you"? And if not why not?

We should be fighting for this all over the U.S. There is a class war raging!

[im10ashus]

30. Who's they is the people of CA.

And it is not on the ballot here, but "I" fully support it too. I've posted about Prop. 89 in the past, even though I don't live in CA. And YES, we should be fighting for this all over the U.S. But it's barely getting the attention it needs in CA. People are too complacent, for the most part. :shrug:

http://www.cleanmoneyelections.org/

[lonestarnot]

35. We must shake their trees!

[eyesroll]

17. Of Wisconsin's federal officeholders (there are 10), only Kohl + some

Republicans are worth more than $1 million.

Feingold (who is in a position of leadership in the Senate as deputy whip), is worth about a quarter of a million dollars. My Represenative, Gwen Moore, is worth somewhere betwenn $6,000 and $90,000.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=333277

According to CNN, 10 Senators have a net worth of under $100,000 (this was '03, so figures might me a tiny bit different now).

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/06/13/senators.finances/

[MadHound]

18. Sure, when we've finally enacted publicly financed election campaigns

All across the nation. Not only will that allow people from all different backgrounds to run, but it would go a long way to ending the corporate corruption that grows like a cancer on our government.

Sadly, this battle is most likely going to have to be fought one state at a time, for you know as well as I do that nobody on the national level will touch this issue with a ten foot pole.

[porphyrian]

19. Yes, and we may be closer than many think to that day.

Money only wins elections that most people don't participate in. If the non-voting half of the population can be moved to participate, as just happened yesterday, money is no longer a major player. People are fed up with the bullshit in politics. They don't think their vote matters, so it goes to the bottom of the priority list. That's why they don't participate. CT just changed that pattern for the first time in decades. It doesn't have to stop there.

[Sammy Pepys]

20. Probably not

Like money, politics has a lot to do with connections. Money and politics are natural allies.

[catbert836]

21. I don't remember Clinton being very wealthy.

Back when dinosaurs were abundant, Lincoln was elected without being a rich man.

I would make this correction: Non-millionaires can and do get elected. But they always need the millionaires to win.

[leetrisck]

24. Clinton more like poverty level

nowhere near being a millionaire back then.

[chat_noir]

28. Cleaver (D-MO) and Moore (D-KS)

Reverend Emmanuel Cleaver (Kansas City) and Dennis Moore (other side of MO/KS state line) are two nonwealthy members of Congress.

[wuushew]

31. Dennis Kucinich

n/t

[fishwax]

32. wellstone was no millionaire

Now, will the day come when a a non-millionaire can unseat a three-term senate incumbent in the party primary? Well, that's a much taller order. That kind of upset may always require a millionaire.

[Leopolds Ghost]

33. Yeah, I can't believe Ned Lamont was the first person I spent money on

In an Internet fundraising appeal. Then I found out the only reason he
had a shot in hell was he was spending his own money. Ugh!!

He's not just some rich guy either, or someone who got family money
(like Kerry). He's the CEO of a chemical company. Who, according to
the NYT worked "very closely with Republicans in Greenwich".

Where everyone else is a CEO or a domestic servant to one. And they are ALL socially moderate/antiwar/critical of Bush/listen to Beatles after a hard day of laying people off. Oh well.

NYT assures us that Connecticut will not become "an encampment of leftist isolationists"
so long as moderates like Ned Lamont are there to provide an alternative to Lieberman's brand of social conservatism. Whew!

[Nutmegger]

34. Not until we get comprehensive campaign finance reform. [nt]

[mtice]

36. The problem

Is that any position of sufficient power to make someone a millionaire through bribery, kickbacks and graft, can and will be used that way given the absence of any corrective mechanism and the guilt of nearly all parties responsible for preventing such crime.

[Selatius]

38. Poor people can get elected, BUT...

the fact is undeniable that your chances of victory increase dramatically the more money you have.

If you don't like this skew, then you should fight for publicly funded elections instead of the cobbled mess we have now.

[cali]

39. Neither of my Senators nor my rep is a millionaire. n/t