マスコミュニケーションとジャーナリズムのジャーナル

A Dilemma for our Democracy: Restrict Freedom of Speech or Effect Pure Plutocracy?

Abstract

Thomas Kim Hixson

Most people will agree that far too much money is spent on advertising the candidacies of those who want to be elected supposedly to serve the public good. Pre-dating the development of television, the great American humorist Will Rogers joked that “politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.” The idea of the corrupting influence of money in politics has long been with us. Limits have been enacted on individual contributions to campaigns, but in recent times these limits have been skirted by donating to the political parties and to independent groups that indirectly support, yet are not directly connected to, a candidate.